Founded: 1998 - Hamburg, Germany

The first concert of the newly formed Chor St. Michaelis (= CSMH) took place in June 1998. At that time the choir existed only one month and consisted of 70 members. Very soon they have about 90 singers, under their conductor, Christoph Schöner, director of church music at the main church of St.. Michaelis, the tradition in services and concerts resume and renew. Many choir members have vocal training; for each participant correct formation is being offered regularly.

When it became possible, the so-called Chor St. Michaelis - Der Kleine Chor was established: In particular for projects of HIP, as well as fastidious a-cappella works a part of the choir engages itself beyond the normal experimental share. The repertoire of the CSMH includes, besides the great Passions (BWV 244 & BWV 245) of J.S. Bach's, his Mass in B minor (BWV 232), and the Weihnachts-Oratorium (BWV 248), as well as the Messiah by G.F. Händel, also works as Elias and Lobgesang by Felix Mendelssohn, Chichester Psalms by L. Bernstein, Passions-Oratorium Golgotha by Frank Martin, Prager Te Deum and the church-opera Jeremias by Petr Eben, the Passions-Oratorium Deus Passus by Wolfgang Rihm, Gloria by Francis Poulenc, as well as the Requiems of W.A. Mozart and G. Verdi and Ein Deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms.

Musical partners with the performances of the CSMH include the Orchester St. Michaelis, members of the Philharmonischen Staatsorchester and the NDR-Sinfonieorchester, or the Johann Christian Bach-Akademie with their concert-master Ingeborg Scheerer, as well as vocal soloists such as Christiane Oelze, Emma Kirkby, Elisabeth Graf, Bogna Bartosz, Ingeborg Danz, Christoph Prégardien, Andreas Schmidt and many others.

In the service of the main church St. Michaelis, the CSMH performs annually about six Bach Cantatas, likewise Motets of Bach, J. Brahms, F. Mendelssohn and a-cappella works from Heinrich Schütz to F. Poulenc. A firm component of Hamburg culture life are the annually repeating performances of the Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) by J. S. Bach at the Palm Sunday and the J. Brahms' Requiem the eve of Dead Sunday. The performances of the Weihnachts-Oratorium (BWV 248) by Bach on weekend of 4^th Advent regularly attract over 10,000 guests and listeners in the main church St. Michaelis. On the other hand, the connection of different works of different epochs to a dramatic concept forms a substantial principle of the musical work of Christoph Schöner.

Source: Chor St. Michaelis Hamburg Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (November 2004)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (November 2004)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Gerhard Dickel

Choir

Chorales

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Chor St. Michaelis Hamburg (Official Website) [German]

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