Light and peace – between Bruckner, spirituals and contemporary commissioned works
The new CD by the Wuppertal Kurrende, conducted by choirmaster Lukas Baumann, musically illuminates two primal human longings: Light and peace. With choral works and partly introductory organ music, played by the Wuppertal church music director Jens-Peter Enk, the ensemble documents not only its vocal skills, but also the diverse tonal possibilities of a boys’ choir. Anton Bruckner’s “Locus iste”, Max Reger’s “Ich liege und schlafe ganz im Frieden” and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s “Herr, nun lässest Du Deinen Diener in Frieden fahren” cover the field of classical choral literature, with the majority of the recorded works providing exciting insights into contemporary vocal music. Movements for male choir by Albert de Klerk (1917-1998) and Wilhelm Nagel (1871-1955) stand alongside the rousing “Cantate Domino” by Vytautas Miškinis (*1954) and motets by Gustav Gunsenheimer (*1934) or Karl Hänsel (*1993), both of whom composed especially for boys’ choirs. The Wuppertal Kurrende sets an almost personal sound mark with the commissioned compositions “Der Herr segne Dich” by Alwin Michael Schronen (*1965) and “Beschirm uns Gott” by Heinz Rudolf Meier (*1940), who conducted the choir himself from 1979 to 2005. Lively interpretations of spirituals round off the overall sound convincingly.
