| Rheingauer Kantorei | |
|---|---|
| Mixed choir | |
 Front of theRheingauer Dom, a regular venue of the choir, 2013 | |
| Origin | |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Genre | Religious music |
| Chief conductor |
|
| Neue Rheingauer Kantorei | |
|---|---|
| Mixed choir | |
| Origin | Geisenheim |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Genre | Religious music |
| Chief conductor | Tassilo Schlenther |
Rheingauer Kantorei (Rheingau chorale), nowNeue Rheingauer Kantorei, is amixed choir of theRheingau region in Germany, performing mostly sacred music in services and concerts.
The choir was founded in 1977 byFrank Stähle as the choir of theEvangelisches Dekanat Wiesbaden-Rheingau (Protestant deanery Wiesbaden-Rheingau), merging two groups, the church choir of the Protestant parish inGeisenheim and singers from Wiesbaden. The purpose of the choir was to sing in church services of the region and to singoratorios in concert. Main venues for the concerts were theMarktkirche in Wiesbaden and theRheingauer Dom in Geisenheim. The groups rehearsed separately in Geisenheim and Wiesbaden and then performed most of the concerts together.[1]
In 1978, the choir performed Handel'sMessias in theRheingauer Dom and theLutherkirche in Wiesbaden, andEin deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms in Geisenheim and theMarktkirche.[1]
In 1979, Bach'sSt Matthew Passion was performed inSt. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden and inWorms, in a collaboration with theWormserKurrende [de] (itinerant youth choir). Mendelssohn'sElias was performed with theRadiosinfonieorchester Frankfurt in Geisenheim and theMarktkirche.[1]Erich Wenk sang the title part,Klesie Kelly the soprano parts.[1]
In 1980, the Geisenheim group performed Buxtehude'sMembra Jesu Nostri in Geisenheim.[1] The complete group sang Honegger'sKönig David in theMarktkirche, with theRadiosinfonieorchester Frankfurt, and soloists Klesie Kelly,Claudia Eder as both young David and theWitch of Endor, andGerd Nienstedt as the narrator.[2]
A concert on 13 June 1981 combined Palestrina'sMissa Papae Marcelli, performed by selected voices under assistant conductor Horst Werner, and Bruckner'sMass No. 2 in E minor for eight-part choir and brass.[1] On 21 November 1981, the choir performed in the Marktkirche Bach'sMass in B minor as part of theVierteWiesbadener Bachwochen (Fourth Wiesbaden Bach Weeks), organized byMartin Lutz.[3]
Stähle, who was director ofDr. Hoch's Konservatorium from 1979, passed the choir to Horst Werner, who had studied at theMusikhochschule Frankfurt withHelmuth Rilling.[4] He first conducted Haydn'sHarmoniemesse and Bach's cantataWachet! betet! betet! wachet! BWV 70, withChristoph Prégardien as a soloist.[1] In 1983, excerpts from thePsalmen Davids by Schütz were combined with Mozart'sVesperae de Dominica. In a second concert, the group sang Schubert'sMass No. 6 in E-flat major.[1]
In 1985, the choir performed Karol Szymanowski'sStabat Mater and Leoš Janáček'Glagolitic Mass with organist Elisabeth Maranca and thePhilharmonie Südwestfalen [de].[1]
In 1986, the choir used the balconies of theMarktkirche to perform several settings of theMagnificat, including some polychoral compositions,[1] followed by a concert of Mozart'sRequiem with theFolkwang Kammerorchester Essen.[1] Helmut Hampel reported for theWiesbadener Kurier that theDies irae was shattering andConfutatis of eerie density.[5]
In 1987, the choir performed the second of the four versions of Bach'sSt John Passion, as the opening of fourPassion compositions by four Wiesbaden-based choirs, including Bach'sSt Matthew Passion with theSchiersteiner Kantorei. Hampel noted in a review that Werner, also a musicologist, supplied solid historic background for the second version in the program notes and a preceding lecture, and that he managed to fill theturba choruses with energy, in diction and even more in dramatic expression.[6] A second concert presented the Mass in A major byCésar Franck, and in a third concert Bruckner'sMass No. 3 in F minor, again with theFolkwang Kammerorchester.[1]
A new choir, building on the tradition, was founded by Tassilo Schlenther in 2002, again expanding the choir of the Geisenheim protestantic parish. Venues for concerts have been theRheingauer Dom, thebasilica ofSchloss Johannisberg, the basilica ofMittelheim, the Protestant church in Geisenheim and theJohanneskirche, Erbach [de].[7][8][9]
The group, not yet under the name, collaborated with the choirs ofSt. Martin, Idstein, performing in 1996 Rutter'sMagnificat,[10] in 1999 Puccini'sMessa di Gloria[11] and in 2001 Rutter's Requiem and Britten'sThe Company of Heaven for speakers, soloists, chorus and orchestra,[12] all performed both in Idstein and Johannisberg. In 2009, the Neue Rheingauer Kantorei performed Haydn'sDie Schöpfung with soloistsElisabeth Scholl,Daniel Sans andAndreas Pruys.[7] Services included anEaster Vigil inEberbach Abbey in 2013.[13] The choir participated in a television portrait of theHessischer Rundfunk about the Rheingau region byGünter Wewel, in the seriesKein schöner Land.[14] A concert in 2014, performed in the Geisenheim Protestant church, was dedicated to contemporary Scandinavian music including works byOla Gjeilo andKnut Nystedt.[9] 2014 also saw a remarkable performance of Verdi'sRequiem. A reviewer noted the choir's flexibility to sing different styles of music.[15]
