The Chamber Choir Albert Reiter offered visitors a wonderful concert last Sunday in the special atmosphere of Raabs Castle.
The Albert Reiter Chamber Choir with conductor Usula Preis and the singers Elisabeth Adamowitsch, Melitta Biedermann, Christa Göd, Corina Prohaska, Andrea Sturm-Lauter, Heidrun Tschakert, Ilse Bernhard, Betina Pichler, Sylvia Puchinger, Maria Steinkogler, Clemens Binder, Bernhard Schaefer, Irmgard Widmann, Gerhard Adamowitsch, Roman Bernhard and Stefan Göd as well as the guests Katharina Tschakert and Christoph Eberhardt.
Photo:
Gerald Muthsam
Under the title “Ambivalences”, the tonal language of the 19th century was juxtaposed with the 20th century with works by Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Francis Poulenc, Albert Reiter, Hermann Reiter, Herwig Reiter and Markus Pfandler.
“We also want to remember how our choir founder Hermann Reiter successfully led the Raabser Kultursommer here many years ago,” said choir director Ursula Peis. “Johannes Brahms happened to have celebrated his 190th birthday today. But that is not the reason for this appointment.”
The concert began with two songs by Brahms and two by Albert Reiter. Then the choir director quoted a Danish sociologist who stated that something had to happen after about 18 minutes of the concert. That’s why the soprano Katharina Tschakert, daughter of Hermann Reiter, with piano accompaniment by Christoph Eberhardt with the title “Les chemins de L’Amour” carried us off with a wonderful voice into the world of Francis Poulenc.
“Albert Reiter recognized his great enthusiasm for the craft of composition. In the simplest sentences that he wrote there is a great deal of artistic understanding for voice and structure,” explained Ursula Preis. So that the visitors could pay more attention to the music, Bernhard Schaefer read some of the texts in advance with a pleasant voice and polished language.
Humor in the song “Clarinet”
Hermann Reiter was blessed with a golden sense of humor, which he also proved in the song “Klarinette”, a declaration of love for a Bohemian musician. “However, many of Hermann Reiter’s compositions are too difficult to study with the limited rehearsal time,” explained Preis. “That’s why I’m grateful that Katharina Tschakert has taken on two of his songs and is performing as a soloist with piano accompaniment.” The audience also showed their gratitude with enthusiastic applause. As an encore, the choir sang a piece by Hermann Reiter. Ursula Preis discovered it only recently, and it has probably never been performed before.
The Albert Reiter Chamber Choir is one of the most committed and ambitious choirs in the region. The choir was founded in 1970 by Hermann Reiter and consists of around 18 members from the region around Waidhofen, is named after his father, the Waidhofen composer Albert Reiter, and is dedicated to a wide range of artistic projects. Unusual and virtuoso arrangements of all styles, including all genres, can be found in the varied programs of the local orchestra.
