Bach's Monument wrapped in a Romantic Gown

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's adaptation of Bach's St Matthew Passion made music history. On March 11th, 2020, exactly 191 years later, the Berlin Oratorien-Chor will be reconstructing the legendary event at the Berliner Konzerthaus.

Berlin. On March 11th, 1829, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's rediscovery of Bach's St Matthew Passion caused a Bach Revival.

After his death in the middle of the 18th century, Bach's significance as a composer was hardly recognized. One special concert would, however, cause an unprecedented wave of esteem for his work when Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy initiated a performance of his own adaptation of Bach's St Matthew Passion in Berlin. He had to lease the concert hall at the Singakademie (today's Maxim Gorki Theatre) at his own expense and was able to convince only a part of the choir singers of the Berliner Singakademie to participate in the project. The performance did, however, cause a renewed interest in Bach's creative work. In consequence, the role of this exceptional artist was realized for posterity. With a playing time of around three hours, the monumental oratory was considered too long to be sat through by contemporary audiences. Mendelssohn thus shortened the piece significantly by cutting repetitions and whole arias whose lyrics were then considered outdated. He also placed great importance on a continual dramaturgy resulting in a reduced playing time of roughly two hours.

Conductor Thomas Hennig already performed most of Mendelsohn's choral works while director of music at the Brandenburg Theater, including all a cappella pieces. As choir director of the Berliner Oratorien-Chor, Thomas Hennig has occupied himself intensely with works of Mendelssohn and Bach on several occasions. In 2015, a performance of the German-language adaptation of Handel's Israel in Egypt revived a concert from 1844. The upcoming concert in March is a continuation of this project. The choir will be accompanied by the Berliner Symphoniker (Berlin Symphony Orchestra) with Nathalie de Montmollin (Soprano), Gundula Hintz (Alto), Edward Mout (Tenor, Evangelist), Ralf Lukas (Baritone, Jesus) und Till Schulze (Bass) as solo voices.

Berliner Oratorien-Chor e. V.
Nicolas Janberg
Dresdener Str. 110
10179 Berlin
Germany
+49 30 91 555 668
info@berliner-oratorienchor.de
www.berliner-oratorienchor.de

Berliner Oratorien-Chor: Founded in 1904 as ,,Berliner Volks-Chor" (Berlin People's Choir), the Berliner Oratorien-Chor (Berlin Oratorio Choir) is a reliable performing body in the capital's classical concert scene. The choir's self-set task is to perform not just popular but also lesser known oratorios and other choral works through regular self-organized concerts at the Berliner Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus Berlin, as well as through cooperative projects or guest appearances. Between 1958 and 2008 the choir established itself in Berlin's music scene under the direction of Gert Sell and received the Zelter Plaque in 2004 for its many years of work in and care for choral music. Thomas Hennig took over the musical direction of the choir in 2008. By way of innovatively arranged programs and high artistic claim, the choir remains a pioneering institution. The choir consists of around 80 active singers of diverse backgrounds and multiple generations.

This release was published on openPR.