 |
| |
| The Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir |
In addition to its continuous liturgical practice at the Cathedral
with music ranging from the Gregorian to classical modern,
the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir conducted by Diocesan Director
of Music Reinhard Kammler focuses on works of the Viennese Classic
and its ongoing involvement with the vocal compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach
in its rigorous musical efforts. Engagements at music festivals,
concerts in Germany and abroad, CD productions and continuous commitments
at Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation)
attest to the choir’s years of consistently high standards. |
 |
Soloists of the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir
The soprano and alto arias are usually sung in operas and concerts by boy soloists who have repeatedly proven their abilities.
The traditional Bach performance practice with boys' voices at the Leipzig St. Thomas Church
serves as the basis for approximating the tonal imagery from that era as closely as possible.
The highly motivated and talented boys of the Chamber Choir carefully grow into these demanding
roles in the course of their rigorous vocal and instrumental training in the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir.
They are personally coached and prepared by Reinhard Kammler in their voice training.
Soloists from the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir are also regularly engaged to perform at important venues,
like for example the Bavarian State Opera, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera on the Rhine)
in Düsseldorf and the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg. They also sing under such renowned conductors
as Colin Davis, Roberto Abbado, Ulf Schirmer, Fabio Luisi, Jeffrey Tate, Thomas Hengelbrock, Mstislav Rostropovitch,
Neville Marriner, Kent Nagano and Mariss Jansons.
Even after voice mutation, the now young men once again undergo intensive supervision and training
of their voices in the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir. This makes it possible to also adequately cast
the appropriate tenor and bass parts from its own ranks.
Michael Schweiger and Johannes Kammler, both extremely successful boy soloists at prominent addresses
in their day and increasingly also male voice soloists, are an excellent example of this trend at "Bach in Rococo" this year.
|
|
Reinhard Kammler studied at Munich State Academy of Music. While still a student, he created the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir,
also receiving a scholarship from the German Music Council (Deutscher Musikrat). After many years as the cathedral organist,
he was appointed Augsburg Diocesan Director of Music (Domkapellmeister). In recognition of his services to the
Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir and sacred music, several honours have been conferred on Kammler,
including the Papal Order of St. Sylvester and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
He also belongs to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Together with the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir,
Reinhard Kammler was awarded the "Bayerischer Poetentaler" and the Cultural Prize of the Bayerische Volksstiftung.
|
|
Gerhard Werlitz received his first musical training with the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir, initially as alto and then later as a tenor.
While studying musicology in Munich he also took singing lessons under Barbara Ikas and attended many master classes.
To this day, he still feels a close affinity to church music, especially at Augsburg Cathedral, taking part in many concerts mainly in the field of Old Music.
His concert repertoire covers the tenor parts of oratorios by Händel and Bach, Mozart and Haydn, among others. Gerhard Werlitz is a member of Augsburg Theatre Choir
and performs a wide range of solo engagements in opera, operetta and musical.
|
|
Auch Johannes Kammler also received his first musical training with the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir.
Among other parts, he sang the "Third Boy" in Mozart's "Magic Flute" and alto arias at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera on the Rhine) in Düsseldorf.
Then later after singing boy's solos, his father, Reinhard Kammler, gave him major bass parts in the "Christmas Oratorio", the "St. John’s Passion" and in the
"Mass in B Minor". Johannes Kammler studied singing at Freiburg Academy of Music under Prof. Markus Goritzki.
|
|
| Munich Residence Chamber Orchestra |
The Munich Residence Chamber Orchestra was formed in 1978 and is composed of leading musicians
from the region between Augsburg and Munich. Its founder and organiser is Klaus Winkler.
For 12 years, he was also leader of this ensemble, which is made up primarily of members of the
Symphony Orchestra of the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation).
Michael Christians then took over as concert leader and still holds this position today.
Besides its own orchestra programmes, which take the ensemble all the way to Italy and France,
the Munich Residence Chamber Orchestra has always played regularly with the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir
under Reinhard Kammler at concert performances of masses, cantatas, passions and oratorios from Baroque
to early Viennese Classic – the genres of music that have proved to be particularly suited to trained boys'
voices with instrumentalists in keeping with historical performance practices. In addition to some joint CD productions
with various labels in co-production with Bayerischer Rundfunk, the Munich Residence Chamber Orchestra and the Augsburg Cathedral Boys' Choir
have made a number of concert trips to Switzerland, Italy and Japan.
|
|
 |
