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The musicians of the wind orchestra delight the audience with their lively musical summer evening journey in front of the multi-purpose hall. © Ann-Cathrin Oelkers
Burgstemmen – Music is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. The speeches at the birthday party of the Burgstemmen Men’s Singing and Music Association (MGMV), which was founded 155 years ago by 39 men who loved to sing, were accordingly short. In his short speech welcoming the numerous guests who had come to the serenade concert, MGMV chairman Carsten Friedrich took a tour de force through the history of the association, in which making music together has been the focus for more than a century and a half.
Friedrich immediately provided the answer to his rhetorical question “Why do we still exist?”: Because under the umbrella of the MGMV, people come together “who enjoy music and are happy to meet other people.” Both sections of the association proved this one after the other. To start off, the “Gospel & Chor” choir, founded 26 years ago, served up a sample from its repertoire. The singers, who entered St. Michaelis Church with one of the most famous shamanic songs, “Evening Rise”, captivated the audience with their strong voices. The ensemble, led by Friederike Weritz, brought with them a colorful array of musical praises of God. Between “God Is So Good”, “Deep River” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, there was more to it than just listening.
Gospel fans were also invited to clap and sing along. Soprano, alto, tenor and bass briefly practiced individually – and the joint canon “He Has Done Marvellous Thing” went like clockwork in four parts. It was a completely different story when Herbert Grönemeyer talked about looking for a parking space in his song “Mambo”. On the way to the concert finale, the choir received great applause for its version of the cheerful hit.
The group had chosen “This Little Light of Mine” to leave the church. The torchlight procession went towards the multi-purpose hall, where the musicians from the wind orchestra were already waiting for their performance. After a short break, conductor Sven Schnee took over and took the party guests on a lively musical journey through time and space. The program of the late summer open-air concert included a “best of” the pieces from the past year. oel
