The Maulbronn Chamber Choir

Maulbronner Kammerchor

The Maulbronn Chamber Choir (German: Maulbronner Kammerchor) was founded in 1983 and counts today as one of the renowned chamber choirs in Europe. Awards like first places at the Baden-Württemberg Choir Competitions in 1989 and 1997, second place at the German Choir Competition in 1990, first prize at the German Choir Competition in 1998, second place at the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf 2009 and first place at the Malta Choir Competition show the extraordinary musical calibre of this ensemble. The Chamber Choir has managed to make quite a name for itself on the international scene, too. It was received enthusiastically by audiences and reviewers alike during its debut tour through the USA in 1983, with concerts in New York, Indianapolis and elsewhere. Its concert tours in many European countries, in Israel and Argentina as well as in South Africa and Namibia have also met with a similar response. The choir has performed oratorios by George Frideric Handel each year annually since 1997. All these performances were documented on disc; because of that the Maulbronn Chamber Choir holds a leading position internationally as an interpreter of this genre.

Soprano:
Caroline Albert, Katrin Andraschko, Carina Engel, Teresa Frick, Ute Gerteis, Hannah Glocker, Barbara Heieck, Heike Hoffmann-Straub, Ilka Hüftle, Larissa Just, Monika Martin, Veronika Miehlich, Irene Vorreiter, Annette Weippert, Daniela Wolff

Alto:
Roswitha Fydrich-Steiner, Kathrin Gölz, Barbara Hirsch, Anne-Katrin Mücke, Renate Secker, Angelika Stössel, Stefanie Trompler, Bettina van der Ham



Tenor:
Sebastian Fuierer, Johannes Heieck, Hartmut Meier, Thomas Meyer, Bernd Reichenecker, Felix Schultz, Jonathan Wahl, Cornelius Weissert

Bass:
Jo Dohse, Sebastian Eberhardt, Timmy Ebert, Bernhard Fräulin, Daniel Fritsch, Hans Gölz-Eisinger, Matthias Heieck, Hansjörg Lechler, Eberhard Maier, Burkhard Miehlich, Frieder Weckermann

Jürgen Budday

Conductor & Music Director

Prof. Jürgen Budday (born 1948) is conductor, director of church music, music teacher and was until 2013 artistic director of the concert series at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Abbey. He started teaching at the Evangelical Seminar in Maulbronn in 1979 and returned from this post in 2012. This also involved his taking over as artistic director of the Maulbronn Cantor Choir and the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts, the concert series at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Abbey, which he held until 2013. He studied church music and musicology at the Academy of Music in Stuttgart from 1967 to 1974. In 1992, he was named Director of Studies, in 1995 came the appointment as Director of Church Music and in 1998 he was honored with the "Bundesverdienstkreuz" (German Cross of Merit) as well as the Bruno-Frey-Prize from the State Academy in Ochsenhausen for his work in music education. In 1983 Jürgen Budday founded the Maulbronn Chamber Choir (Maulbronner Kammerchor) with whom he won numerous national and international awards. At the Prague International Choir Festival, for example, Jürgen Budday received an award as best director. Since 2002, he has also held the chair of the Choral Committee of the German Music Council and became director and jury chairman of the "German Choir Competition" (Deutscher Chorwettbewerb). In 2008, he received the silver Johannes-Brenz-Medal, the highest honor of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg. Jürgen Budday was awarded the honorary title "Professor" in 2011. In May 2013 Prof. Jürgen Budday was presented with the "George-Frideric-Handel-Ring" by the Association of German Concert Choirs - one of the highest honors for choir conductors in Germany. Thus Jürgen Budday followed Helmuth Rilling, who was recieved the ring from 2009 till 2013. In June 2014 Jürgen Budday was appointed artistic director of the International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf (Germany) - one of the major international choral competitions, hosted by the "German federation of Choir-Associations" (Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Chorverbände e.V.).
Jürgen Budday has started a cycle of Handel oratorios that is planned to span several years, which involves working with soloists like wie Emma Kirkby, Miriam Allan, Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta, Mark Le Brocq, Charles Humphries and Stephen Varcoe, to name but a few. The live recordings of these performances, which have received the highest praise from reviewers, have won him international recognition. At present 11 oratorios by G.F. Handel are documented on discs.
"No conductor and no choir have so consistently recorded so many Handel oratorios as Jürgen Budday and his Maulbronn Chamber Choir." (Dr. Karl Georg Berg, Handel Memoranda Halle 2008).

Works & Tracklist

Download & Print the Lyrics
in German & English (PDF File)

Robert L. de Pearsall (1795-1856)
1. Great God of Love
for 8-part mixed choir

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
2. Dein Angesicht so mild und schön · Your face so lovable and fair
for 5-part mixed choir

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
3. Aus alten Märchen winkt es · From old fairy tales beckons
for 5-part mixed choir

John Rutter (*1945)
4. Cantate Domino
according to Psalm 96, from "Psalmfest" for 4- to 8-part mixed choir

Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)
5. Liebe I: Liebe, dir ergeb ich mich · Love I: Love, I give myself Opus 18/1
for two 4-part choirs (Male Choir / Female Choir),
from: Motet cycle after lyrics by Angelus Silesius (1624-1677)

Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)
6. Liebe II: Ich will dich lieben, meine Krone · Love II: You will I love, my crown Opus 18/2
for 6-part mixed choir, from: Motet cycle after lyrics by Angelus Silesius (1624-1677)

Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)
7. Liebe III: Thron der Liebe, Stern der Güte · Love III: Throne of virtue, star of goodness Opus 18/3
for 8-part mixed choir, from: Motet cycle after lyrics by Angelus Silesius (1624-1677)

Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (*1963)
8. Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae
Requiem to the sinking of the ferry "Estonia" in 1994
for two soloists and 8-part mixed choir, composed in 1997.
Soloists: Carina Engel (Soprano), Matthias Heieck (Baritone)

John Tavener (*1944)
9. The eternal sun
for 8-part mixed choir and 4-part choir from afar, composed in 2007

Eric Whitacre (*1970)
10. Nox aurumque
for 8-part mixed choir

Eric Whitacre (*1970)
11. Hope, faith, life, love
Motet for 8- to 11-part mixed choir, composed in 1999

David Hill (*1957)
12. Ubi Caritas et Amor
Motet for three solo voices and 4- to 8-part choir, composed in 2008
Soloists: Teresa Frick (Soprano), Johannes Heieck (Tenor) & Matthias Heieck (Baritone)

Branko Stark (*1954)
13. Mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen? · My God, why have you forsaken me?
Psalm 22 ~ Motet for 4- to 8-part mixed choir

Wolfram Buchenberg (*1962)
14. Von 55 Engeln behütet · Sheltered by 55 Angels
Motet for 6-part mixed choir, composed in 2008

Sven David Sandström (*1942)
15. The Lord's Prayer
Motet for 12-part mixed choir, composed in 2009

Authentic Classical Concerts

Audiophile high premium concert recordings
by Josef-Stefan Kindler & Andreas Otto Grimminger
www.kuk-art.com

Publishing Authentic Classical Concerts entails for us capturing and recording for posterity outstanding performances and concerts. The performers, audience, opus and room enter into an intimate dialogue that in its form and expression, its atmosphere, is unique and unrepeatable. It is our aim, the philosophy of our house, to enable the listener to acutely experience every facet of this symbiosis, the intensity of the performance, so we record the concerts in direct 2-Track Stereo digital. The results are unparalleled interpretations of musical and literary works, simply - audiophile snapshots of permanent value. Flourishing culture, enthralling the audience and last but not least also you the listener, are the values we endeavor to document in our editions and series.

The concerts in the UNESCO World Heritage Maulbronn Monastery supply the ideal conditions for our aspirations. It is, above all, the atmosphere of the romantic, candle-lit arches, the magic of the monastery in its unadulterated sublime presence and tranquillity that impresses itself upon the performers and audience of these concerts. Renowned soloists and ensembles from the international arena repeatedly welcome the opportunity to appear here - enjoying the unparalleled acoustic and architectural beauty of this World Heritage Site, providing exquisite performances of secular and sacred music, documented by us in our Maulbronn Monastery Edition.

Andreas Otto Grimminger & Josef-Stefan Kindler
K&K Verlagsanstalt