CHORFANTASIE Konzert des Berliner Oratorien-Chors mit Werken von Beethoven, Bizet und Schumann

In the organizer's words:

For 120 years now, the Berlin Oratorio Choir (BOC) has stood for innovatively designed programs and high artistic standards. On Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 8 pm in the Philharmonie Berlin, it will once again present its audience with a special, intoxicating sound experience with "Chorfantasie" by Ludwig van Beethoven, "Te Deum" by Georges Bizet and the "Missa sacra" by Robert Schumann. An evening of sacred works that are not really sacred works. Because in their works, the composers focus more on the musical content than on religion - each in their own unique way.

Intoxicating...

With the 'Choral Fantasy', Beethoven combines a piano concerto with a choral cantata. It is regarded as a hymn to art, and many see it as the forerunner of the Ninth Symphony. No wonder: in the finale, Beethoven introduces the theme that also forms the basis of the "Ode to Joy".

...pompous...

The "Te Deum" is Bizet's only sacred choral work. Some hear in it the style of pompous Italian church music, which is known for drawing on elements of operatic music.

... and rapturous

Schumann's "Missa sacra" shows his distance from church music, both musically and textually. Even contemporaries saw it less as a mass than a romantic rapture with a peculiar blaze of color that even violated liturgical conventions.

The performers are the soloists Yvonne Elisabeth Frey (aka Yvonne Friedli, soprano), Minsub Hong (tenor), Markus Vollberg (bass), Wataru Hisasue (piano), the New Prussian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Oratorio Choir, conducted by Thomas Hennig.

Tickets from 19 euros to 39 euros are available from Ticketmaster, the usual advance booking offices or via the BOC ticket telephone (030) 547 34 943, www.berliner-oratorienchor.de, tickets@berliner-oratorienchor.de.

120 years of the Berlin Oratorio Choir - one of the oldest amateur choirs in the city

Since its foundation in 1904, the Berliner Oratorien-Chor - then known as the Berliner Volks-Chor - has made it its mission to perform both popular and lesser-known works of choral music in order to bring them to a wider audience. This type of repertoire is probably the most elaborate type of choral music, as it requires not only a large choir but also an orchestra, which in turn requires a sufficiently large stage and a correspondingly large number of seats for the paying audience. This means that every performance by the Berlin Oratorio Choir involves a great deal of organizational and financial effort. Self-organized performances regularly take place in the Berlin Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus Berlin - in addition to numerous collaborations and guest appearances. Between 1958 and 2008, the choir established itself in Berlin's musical life under the direction of Gert Sell and was awarded the Zelter Plaque for the cultivation of choral music in 2004. Thomas Hennig took over as artistic director in 2008. With its innovative programs and high artistic standards, the choir remains a pioneering institution. The choir currently consists of around 80 active members from a wide range of backgrounds and generations.

Price information:

Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, the usual advance booking offices or via www.berliner-oratorienchor.de, Tel (030) 547 34 943, tickets@berliner-oratorienchor.de. Discounted tickets at €10 are available for pupils, students and wheelchair spaces