HomeRegionWetteraukreis
The Matzsingers take their audience on a musical journey through love songs from six centuries (from left): Klaus Stefan Kaiser, Martin Peppler, Christian Renner, Oliver Rache and Christoph Duchardt. © Ingeborg Schneider
Love songs from six centuries performed solely with the power of the voice. The Matzsingers impressively demonstrate how varied and engaging this can be in Altenstadt.
Altenstadt (mu). Hans Erich Seum, chairman of the host Altenstadt Society for History and Culture, announces “a cappella music at its best” – and doesn’t promise too much: The Matzsingers will take their audience to Altenstadt’s St. Andreas Church for one and a half hours on a fascinating journey through love songs from six centuries and are rewarded with standing applause.
The men’s vocal quintet with Klaus Stefan Kaiser (tenor), Martin Peppler (tenor), Christian Renner (baritone), Oliver Rache (baritone, countertenor) and Christoph Duchardt (bass) has been together in its original line-up for 38 years now and can go far beyond the region can look back on national and international successes. They found each other under the legendary music teacher Paul Schubert at the Nidda high school and crowned their year’s graduation ball with a sensational performance. “However, having our own concert in Altenstadt is also a first for us,” says Renner, adding that for some guests in the audience this may also be the first encounter with the five singers, who, in addition to their brilliant vocal singing, are particularly notable for their broad repertoire and Their arrangements of major choral movements in music history became famous.
The evening begins with tender, often melancholic madrigals from the Italian Middle Ages and the Renaissance, which describe the nature and pain of love in pure poetry. Then with “Come again” they turn to the “Bob Dylan of the Elizabethan age”, the composer and lutenist John Dowland. The Matzsingers take turns being responsible for the equally informative and good-humored moderation.
Humorous chirping song
This is followed by “Of All The Birds That I Do Know”, a humorous chirping song to the beautiful and cheeky bird Philip, who switches between genders and confuses his owner, and at the end of the madrigal chapter a Spanish song in which the… Bride tells her loved one at the last minute that the wedding bells have already rung for her.
With the sound of bells perfectly realized, the quintet opens the Schubert era and with it the turn to romantic art song with wonderful works such as “The Distant”, “The Traveler” or Friedrich Silcher’s “In a Cool Ground” (“The Unfaithfulness”) and Antonin Dvorák’s “Love Song in the Garden,” without which German choral singing would be unthinkable. Even in this often kitschy genre, the Matzsingers show their mastery through an emotional but transparent performance that is precise in detail.
After the break, the focus is on the shanty and the love of the sea with “Oh Shenandoah” and the TikTok hit “Wellerman”, followed by the gospel “Fly Away” that takes up the longing of the kidnapped African slaves for their homeland. Leaving the classic head register at times and switching to the warm chest voice, the singers once again demonstrate versatility, not least through claps and vocal percussion, which encourage the audience to clap along. “That Lonesome Road” by James Taylor, Leonard Cohen’s famous “Hallelujah”, “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay and “Mad World” by Tears for Fears draw the eye in a slightly melancholy way towards the bittersweet balance of life and love – at the same time these songs take you into the heart the world of pop songs, and the male voices gain a rock charisma.
Back to the 1930s, the crowning conclusion is the opulent concert “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, which was released in its original form in 1931, and, to save the honor of the men who are sometimes forgotten in love songs, “You’re lucky with women, Bel.” Ami”, “The men are already worthy of love” and “Let me sip your bath water” by the Comedian Harmonists – performed in extremely fine lyrical singing and with a large portion of self-irony. The audience has long since responded by singing along and cheering, topped by the standing ovation for the encore. With “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone,” the Matzsingers say goodbye to both their imaginary loved ones and their enthusiastic audience.
2023-10-17 16:01:41
#Vocal #power #love
