“A classical music concert may not be of interest to many people,” or so believed the president of the Sängerbund, Reinhard Knorr. But on the night of the concert there were nearly 300 classical music enthusiasts, many of them coming from Switzerland, who crowded in the lobby of the hall. Choir members were stunned to realize that there was such a large crowd that the hall doors had to be left open and additional chairs assembled to accomodate the unexpected number of people.
Vocally balanced and with a very nice piece selection were two Mendelssohn contributions from the two oratorios “Paulus” and “Elias” which framed the concert program. Especially enjoyable was the folk-song-like piece “How Lovely are the Messengers” and “Glory to God in the Highest” from “Paulus” as well as the famous, heart-warming “For He Shall Give His Angels Charge Over Thee” and “Give us Peace” from “Elias.” The pieces from the “Elias” oratorio, whose world premiere took place in London, were interpreted authoritatively by the choir and its conductor Erhard Zeh. Because more information about the composer’s life and work is now available, including original letters describing festivals in the countryside, Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s appealing melodies are becoming popular again, especially songs like “Larch song,” “Spring Song”, “O Wonderful Deep Silence” and “Farewell from the Forest”. Often starting these lovely pieces in canon, the performance of the choir resonated so sympathetically with the audience that they responded with extraordinary applause.
Erhard Zeh pledged to his singers a finely tuned interpretation of every melodic phrase, which resulted in the impressive strength and focus of the dedicated voices of the choir. And the soloists were wonderful: the well-reputed pianist Kim offered a brilliant performance of “Songs Without Words”, showcasing virtuoso keyboard runs. She played the “Hunter’s Song” with careful tempo and many crescendos, and served as a sensitive accompanist for the choir as well as the soprano soloist Johanna Schutzbach. Ms. Schutzbach received an enthusiastic response from the audience, not only for the aria “Jerusalem, Thou that Killeth the Prophets”, but also for the melancholic “Autumn Song”, and especially for the expressive vocal and theatrical interpretation of the bleak and seemingly threatening “Witch song”, (also called the “Alternative May Song”). The listeners offered shouts of “Brava” and thundering applause. |
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