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| Rundfunkchor Berlin | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rundfunkchor Berlin |
| Origin | Berlin |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Genre | Choral |
| Headquarters | Berliner Rundfunk / Hertzbergstraße area |
Rundfunkchor Berlin is a professional mixed choir based in Berlin with a history of broadcast-related performance, concert, and recording activity. The ensemble has engaged with major orchestras, conductors, composers, and institutions across Germany and internationally, contributing to performances at venues such as the Philharmonie (Berlin), festivals including the Berliner Festspiele and the Salzburg Festival, and media outlets like Deutschlandradio and ARD. Its repertoire ranges from early music through contemporary commissions by figures associated with Deutsche Grammophon and major cultural awards.
The choir traces antecedents to ensembles affiliated with Rundfunk operations in Weimar Republic-era Berlin and reorganizations following World War II and the division of Germany. Early 20th-century broadcasting initiatives linked the group to studios and institutions such as Berliner Rundfunk, Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft, and later East German Radio (GDR) structures, intersecting with cultural policies exemplified by the Ministry of Culture (GDR). Post-1945 developments placed the choir in a landscape shaped by figures from Weimar and Bauhaus-era cultural circles, and by the rebuilding of musical life at venues like the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. During the Cold War the ensemble collaborated with orchestras across both Berlin (West) and Berlin (East), participating in broadcasts for outlets including Radio Berlin International and later Deutschlandfunk Kultur. The fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification led to restructuring tied to broadcasters such as Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg and changes in arts funding overseen by bodies like the Senate of Berlin. The choir's institutional history intersects with initiatives at the Berlin Philharmonic and partnerships with labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi, and Sony Classical.
The ensemble's repertoire spans liturgical works from composers associated with Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Claudio Monteverdi to large-scale Romantic and modern works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, and Anton Bruckner. Contemporary collaborations include commissions and premieres by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Helmut Lachenmann, Hans Werner Henze, Wolfgang Rihm, Arvo Pärt, and Sofia Gubaidulina. The choir has recorded or performed major choral-orchestral works such as the Beethoven Ninth Symphony, Mahler's Eighth Symphony, Bach Mass in B minor, and settings of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart including the Requiem and Vespers (Mozart). Projects include recordings for labels tied to producers like Philips (record label), collaborations with ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Staatskapelle Berlin, and period-instrument partners such as Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. The choir appears on soundtrack and media projects connected to festivals such as the Lucerne Festival and events like the BBC Proms.
Artistic direction over decades reflects relationships with conductors and figures from European music life, including collaborations with maestros such as Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Georg Solti, Kurt Masur, and Riccardo Muti. Directors and principal conductors associated with the choir have included names tied to broadcast choral traditions and European opera houses, working alongside guest conductors like Mariss Jansons, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christian Thielemann, Andris Nelsons, and Valery Gergiev. Composer-conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Nicholas McGegan, and Frans Brüggen have also engaged the ensemble for historically informed and contemporary projects. Artistic planning involved collaboration with managers and administrators from institutions like Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, the Berlin Senate Department for Culture, and the German Music Council.
The choir has toured extensively, performing in European cultural centers including Vienna, Paris, London, Rome, Amsterdam, and Madrid, and at festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Edinburgh International Festival, and the Bayreuth Festival through cooperative arrangements. International outreach has included concerts in New York City, Tokyo, Beijing, and cities in South America and Australia, partnering with orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Recordings and live broadcasts have tied the choir to media organizations such as BBC Radio 3, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Radio France, and ORF (Austrian broadcaster). Collaborations extend to contemporary ensembles including Ensemble Modern, Aix-en-Provence Festival participants, and choirs such as the Swedish Radio Choir and the Netherlands Chamber Choir.
Institutionally the choir operates within public broadcasting frameworks historically linked to entities like Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg and legacy organizations such as the Prussian State Library for archive collaborations. Funding sources combine public subsidies from bodies including the Senate of Berlin and federal arts programs administered by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, income from contracts with orchestras and opera houses like the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, recording royalties from labels including Deutsche Grammophon and Sony Classical, and commercial engagements with concert promoters such as Live Nation and festival organizers like Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin GmbH. Governance involves supervisory boards and artistic committees reflecting stakeholder representation from broadcasters, cultural ministries, and unions such as ver.di and professional associations including the German Musicians' Union (Deutscher Musikrat). Administrative offices coordinate logistics at rehearsal venues and studios in proximity to facilities like the SFB Funkhaus and the Funkhaus Nalepastraße.
The choir and its projects have received national and international recognition, including accolades from institutions such as the Grammy Awards (through collaborations on recordings), the ECHO Klassik awards, prizes at the International Classical Music Awards, and honors from cultural bodies including the Bayerischer Rundfunk and the German Record Critics' Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik). Individual projects have been recognized by academies like the Sächsische Akademie der Künste, festival juries at the Salzburg Festival, and prizes tied to contemporary music such as the Kranichstein Music Prize and the Paul Hindemith Prize when associated composers or conductors were honored. Institutional distinctions include commendations from the Senate of Berlin and awards from broadcasting partners such as ARD.
Category:Berlin choirs Category:German choirs