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| Gewandhaus Choir | |
|---|---|
| Name | Gewandhaus Choir |
| Origin | Leipzig |
| Founded | 1808 |
| Founders | Felix Mendelssohn |
| Genre | Classical music |
| Chief conductor | Andreas Reize |
| Notable conductors | Felix Mendelssohn, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Otto Klemperer, Herbert Blomstedt, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Chailly, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Christian Thielemann |
| Headquarters | Gewandhaus, Leipzig |
Gewandhaus Choir The Gewandhaus Choir is a professional and historic choral ensemble based in Leipzig closely associated with the Gewandhaus, Leipzig and the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Founded in the early 19th century, the choir has been integral to premieres, festivals, and institutional collaborations across Germany and Europe, performing works by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, and Richard Wagner.
The choir was established during the Napoleonic aftermath in a period that saw the revival of concert life alongside institutions like the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and venues such as the Thomaskirche. Under Felix Mendelssohn the ensemble gained prominence by presenting premieres including the St Matthew Passion revival and works connected to composers like George Frideric Handel, Joseph Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Through the 19th century the choir participated in events alongside figures such as Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, and Franz Liszt’s circle, and contributed to the Leipzig musical scene that included institutions like the Leipzig Conservatory and personalities such as Friedrich Wieck and Ignaz Moscheles.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the ensemble collaborated with conductors and composers including Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Richard Strauss, and Hugo Riemann, while participating in festivals linked to Bayreuth Festival and concerts tied to the Gewandhaus tradition. During the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich era the choir navigated collaborations and repertoire involving figures such as Paul Hindemith, Carl Orff, and institutions including the Leipzig Opera and national cultural bodies. After World War II the choir functioned within the context of East Germany and worked with conductors such as Kurt Masur and Herbert Blomstedt during the reconstruction of Leipzig’s musical life, participating in events with cultural counterparts like the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and venues such as the Mendelssohn-Haus. In the reunification era the choir resumed international activity, engaging with festivals such as the Salzburg Festival and collaborating with artists tied to ensembles like the Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic.
Administratively the choir is affiliated with the Gewandhaus, Leipzig institution and maintains programmatic ties to the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Thomanerchor, and Leipzig’s conservatory tradition represented by the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig. The ensemble’s repertoire spans liturgical works like the passions of Johann Sebastian Bach and oratorios by George Frideric Handel and Joseph Haydn; large-scale choral-symphonic works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms; and Romantic-to-modern works by Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Hector Berlioz, Camille Saint-Saëns, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Richard Wagner, Antonín Dvořák, Jean Sibelius, Igor Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten, Oskar Gottlieb Blind?, Paul Hindemith, and Carl Orff.
The choir programs choral cycles and concert seasons that frequently include cantatas, masses, requiems, and contemporary commissions by composers such as Arvo Pärt, Krzysztof Penderecki, György Ligeti, Wolfgang Rihm, Helmut Lachenmann, Hans Werner Henze, John Tavener, Arvo Pärt (again), and Einojuhani Rautavaara. It collaborates with soloists and ensembles connected to figures like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elly Ameling, Placido Domingo, Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Christoph Eschenbach, Mariss Jansons, Simone Young, and institutions such as the Leipzig Opera and the Semperoper.
Principal conductors and artistic leaders have included Felix Mendelssohn, Arthur Nikisch, Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Kurt Masur, Herbert Blomstedt, Riccardo Chailly, Andreas Reize, and guest directors such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Simon Rattle, Marin Alsop, Daniel Barenboim, Sir John Barbirolli, and Vladimir Ashkenazy. The choir has employed prominent choral soloists and section leaders from the Leipzig tradition, with alumni connected to institutions like the Thomaskirche, Bayreuth Festival, and the Berlin State Opera; named solo collaborators have included Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Birgit Nilsson, Fritz Wunderlich, Hermann Prey, and Waltraud Meier.
The choir’s discography includes studio and live recordings with labels and producers linked to the international classical market, involving partnerships with orchestras and conductors such as Kurt Masur with recordings of Brahms and Beethoven, Riccardo Chailly in cycles of Mahler and Bruckner, and historically with conductors like Otto Klemperer and Wilhelm Furtwängler. Touring has taken the choir to major venues and festivals including the Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Teatro alla Scala, Vienna Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Suntory Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival, and events in cities such as Paris, London, New York City, Moscow, Tokyo, Rome, Madrid, Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Brussels, Amsterdam, Zurich, Geneva, Lisbon, Istanbul, Beijing, and Seoul.
The choir engages in education through collaborations with the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, outreach programs tied to the Gewandhaus education department, workshops with conservatories such as the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, masterclasses featuring artists from the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic, and youth initiatives connected to choirs like the Thomanerchor and the Leipzig Youth Orchestra. Community projects have involved cultural partnerships with the Leipzig City Hall, Saxony cultural agencies, European exchange programs with institutions such as the European Union Youth Orchestra, and joint ventures with festivals including the MDR Music Festival and the Leipzig Bach Festival.
Category:Choirs Category:Music in Leipzig Category:German choirs