Philharmonischer Chor Berlin

The Philharmonischer Chor Berlin is a German oratorio choir based in Berlin, founded on 5 December 1882 by Siegfried Ochs under the name Siegfried Ochs'scher Gesangverein. It adopted the name Philharmonischer Chor Berlin a few years later. Today it comprises roughly 130 amateur singers and is regarded as one of the leading oratorio choirs in Germany. Although it is often associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, it functions independently of that orchestra, performs with all Berlin orchestras, and organizes its own concert season. The choir presents its own subscription series at the Berlin Philharmonie each season, combining classics of the choral repertoire with lesser-known works, world premieres and German first performances. Works such as Anton Bruckner's Te Deum, Gustav Mahler's Das klagende Lied, Bernd Franke's Miletus and Sven-David Sandström's Matthäus-Passion have been premiered or given their German first performance by the choir. It has also rediscovered forgotten repertoire, including Georg Schumann's oratorio Ruth, Walter Braunfels's Große Messe, Krzysztof Penderecki's Polnisches Requiem and Franz Schmidt's Buch mit sieben Siegeln, bringing them back to Berlin audiences after decades. The choir collaborates with a range of orchestras, maintaining long-standing relationships with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, the Staatskapelle Halle and the Baroque ensemble Batzdorfer Hofkapelle. Numerous conductors have invited the choir to appear in their concerts, including in recent times Iván Fischer, Stefan Parkman and Michael Sanderling. Its artistic directors have included Siegfried Ochs (1882–1929), Otto Klemperer (1929–1933), Carl Schuricht (1933–1934), Günther Ramin (1935–1943), Hans Chemin-Petit (1943–1981), Uwe Gronostay (1982–2002) and Jörg-Peter Weigle (from 2003). The choir's current artistic director is Florian Benfer, under whose leadership the singers continue to develop the flexible, transparent and multifaceted musical expression for which the choir has been known since its founding. The Philharmonischer Chor Berlin commissions new works and has given premieres of compositions by Max Bruch, Paul Hindemith, Hugo Wolf and Hans Chemin-Petit, among others. Its concert calendar includes major choral works such as Mozart's Mass in C minor, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's The Seasons and Mendelssohn's Christmas music, performed in venues including the Berlin Philharmonie and the Berliner Dom.

The Philharmonischer Chor Berlin was founded on 5 December 1882 by Siegfried Ochs under the name Siegfried Ochs'scher Gesangverein. A few years later the ensemble adopted the name Philharmonischer Chor Berlin. From its earliest decades the choir was associated with major choral works and with the premieres of new music. In 1894 it gave the first performances of Hugo Wolf's Elfenlied and Der Feuerreiter, and in 1915 it premiered Max Bruch's Heldenfeier. In 1931 it premiered Paul Hindemith's Das Unaufhörliche. Siegfried Ochs led the choir until 1929. He was succeeded by Otto Klemperer (1929–1933), then Carl Schuricht (1933–1934), Günther Ramin (1935–1943) and Hans Chemin-Petit (1943–1981). Under Chemin-Petit the choir continued to champion contemporary music, giving the first performance of his Psalm 98 in 1962 and commissioning his Kassandra in 1982. Uwe Gronostay served as artistic director from 1982 to 2002, followed by Jörg-Peter Weigle from 2003. The current artistic director is Florian Benfer. Over its history the choir has been responsible for a number of world premieres and German first performances. These include Anton Bruckner's Te Deum, Gustav Mahler's Das klagende Lied, Bernd Franke's Miletus and Sven-David Sandström's Matthäus-Passion. The choir has also rediscovered works that had fallen into oblivion, bringing Georg Schumann's oratorio Ruth, Walter Braunfels's Große Messe, Krzysztof Penderecki's Polnisches Requiem and Franz Schmidt's Buch mit sieben Siegeln back to Berlin audiences after decades. It has commissioned works from composers including Hans Chemin-Petit (Kassandra, 1982) and Heinz Werner Zimmermann (The Hebrew Children's Hallelu, 1986; Te Deum, 2000). Today the choir consists of about 130 amateur singers who rehearse several times a week. It presents its own subscription series at the Berlin Philharmonie each season, performing both choral classics and unknown or newly composed works. It collaborates with various orchestras, including the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, the Staatskapelle Halle and the Baroque ensemble Batzdorfer Hofkapelle. Although often associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, it operates independently and performs with all Berlin orchestras. Recent guest conductors have included Iván Fischer, Stefan Parkman and Michael Sanderling.

• 2003

  Jörg-Peter Weigle becomes artistic director.

• 2000

  Commissioned Heinz Werner Zimmermann's Te Deum.

• 1986

  Commissioned Heinz Werner Zimmermann's The Hebrew Children's Hallelu.

• 1982

  Uwe Gronostay becomes artistic director; commissioned Hans Chemin-Petit's Kassandra.

• 1962

  Premiered Hans Chemin-Petit's Psalm 98.

• 1943

  Hans Chemin-Petit becomes artistic director.

• 1935

  Günther Ramin becomes artistic director.

• 1933

  Carl Schuricht becomes artistic director.

• 1931

  Premiered Paul Hindemith's Das Unaufhörliche.

• 1929

  Otto Klemperer becomes artistic director.

• 1915

  Premiered Max Bruch's Heldenfeier.

• 1894

  Premiered Hugo Wolf's Elfenlied and Der Feuerreiter.

• 1882

  Founded on 5 December by Siegfried Ochs as Siegfried Ochs'scher Gesangverein.

One of Germany's most respected oratorio choirs, known for a flexible, transparent and multifaceted musical expression and for combining repertoire classics with premieres and rediscoveries.

• Subscription concert series at the Berlin Philharmonie

  Annual series presenting choral classics, unknown works, world premieres and German first performances.

• Performances of major oratorios

  Works such as Mozart's Mass in C minor, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's The Seasons and Mendelssohn's Christmas music.

• World premieres and German first performances

  Includes Bruckner's Te Deum, Mahler's Das klagende Lied, Bernd Franke's Miletus and Sven-David Sandström's Matthäus-Passion.

• Rediscoveries of forgotten repertoire

  Works by Georg Schumann, Walter Braunfels, Krzysztof Penderecki and Franz Schmidt brought back to Berlin.

1. 1Philharmonischer Chor Berlin – Official Websitephilharmonischer-chor.berlin
2. 2Chor – Philharmonischer Chor Berlinphilharmonischer-chor.berlin
3. 3Philharmonischer Chor Berlin – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Chœur philharmonique de Berlin – Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org