Cathedral concert for Advent - Advent concert by Freiburg Cathedral Music

Festive choral music for Advent

The choirs of Freiburg Cathedral Music invite you to the traditional Advent concert with two important choral Christmas cycles in Freiburg Cathedral.

To begin with, the girls' choir at Freiburg Minster under the direction of Martina van Lengerich will put concertgoers in the mood for the coming Christmas season with Benjamin Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols" op. 28. Composed in 1942, the series of eleven Middle English Christmas carols for upper voice choir and harp (Dorothée Hecking-Neu) is a jewel of choral literature. With its mixture of solemn procession, lyrical solos and lively choral passages framed by brilliant harp accompaniment, Britten captures the original, childlike joy of the Christmas story in an incomparable way.

A clever musical transition is provided by Johann Sebastian Bach's "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 645. This meditative organ piece, played by district cantor Karin Karle, offers a moment of reflection and creates a dignified transition from Britten's intimate sound to the grand romantic work of Camille Saint-Saëns' "Oratorio de Noël" op. 12. For this masterpiece of gentle, lyrical warmth and romantic elegance, the choirs of Freiburg Cathedral Music - the Cathedral Boys' Choir, the Girls' Choir, the Cathedral Choir, the Cathedral Chapel and the Kantorenschola - unite under the direction of Andreas Mölder to form a large festive ensemble. They will be accompanied by members of the Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Dorothé Hecking- Neu on the harp and Karin Karle on the organ. The soloists are Isabel Weller (soprano), Luzia Ernst (mezzo-soprano), Veronika Lutz (alto), Eduard Wagner (tenor) and Clemens Morgenthaler (bass).

Saint-Saën's oratorio captivates with its gentle, lyrical warmth and romantic elegance, skillfully combining elements of the Baroque with French refinement. The solemn orchestration creates an intimate yet radiant sound that expresses Christmas joy ranging from tender poetry to radiant jubilation.

Copyright: Jürgen Gocke