Vienna Boys Choir Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 3:00Pm This Is the 930Th Concert in Koerner Hall
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Vienna Boys Choir Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 3:00pm This is the 930th concert in Koerner Hall Vienna Boys Choir Manolo Cagnin, conductor PROGRAM Gaudete! from the Piae cantiones (arr. Gerald Wirth) Carl Orff: “O Fortuna” from Carmina burana Lodovico Grossi da Viadana: Exultate iusti Adriano Banchieri: “Capricciata à tre voci” and “Contrappunto bestiale alle mente” from Festino nella sera del Giovedi grasso avanti cena (arr. Gerald Wirth) Henry Purcell: Four pieces from Come Ye Sons of Art, Z 323 Joseph von Eybler: Omnes de Saba venient Friedrich Silcher: Lorelei (arr. Gerald Wirth) Johannes Brahms: Regina coeli, op. 37, no. 3 Raoul Gehringer: Tod und Liebe Franz Biebl: Ave Maria – Angelus Domini INTERMISSION Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley: “A Wonderful Day” from The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd (arr. Norman Leyden) Elton John: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King Leonard Bernstein: “Somewhere” from West Side Story Eric Whitacre: The Seal Lullaby Richard Rodgers: “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music Ástor Piazzolla: Libertango (arr. Oscar Escalada) Eduardo Di Capua and Emanuele Alfredo Mazzucchi: O sole mio Josef Strauss: Matrosenpolka, op. 52 (arr. Gerald Wirth) Johann Strauss II: Unter Donner und Blitz, op. 324 (arr. Anton Fergusson) Johann Strauss II: An der schönen blauen Donau, op. 314 (arr. Gerald Wirth) Vienna Boys Choir Boys have been singing at Vienna’s Imperial Chapel since 1296. In 1498, Emperor Maximilian I (HRR) moved his court to Vienna, thus founding the “Hofmusikkapelle” (Chapel Imperial), and the Vienna Boys Choir. Over the centuries, the Viennese Court attracted musicians like Heinrich Isaac, Johann Joseph Fux, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Antonio Salieri, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Anton Bruckner; Joseph Haydn, Michael Haydn, and Franz Schubert were themselves choir boys. Until 1918, the boys sang exclusively for the imperial court. In 1924, the Choir was reestablished as a private organisation. Today, there are 100 choristers between the ages of nine and 14, divided into four touring groups. Each spends ten weeks of the year on tour. Between them, the choirs give around 300 concerts each year, attended by almost half a million spectators around the world. Since 1924, 2499 choristers have sung over 1000 tours in 98 different countries. The Choir performs with major orchestras, conducted by the likes of Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Christian Thielemann, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Simone Young. A highlight are appearances at the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert. In 2012 and 2016, the boys performed under the baton of Mariss Jansons. Since their first recording in 1907, the boys have recorded 376 shellacks, singles, LPs, and CDs. In 2015, the choir signed an exclusive deal with Deutsche Grammophon and numerous films and TV documentaries attest to the choir’s international appeal. The Choir’s education and singing tradition is listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in Austria. Manolo Cagnin Conductor Manolo Cagnin developed an interest in music early in life. As a child, he learned to play the violin and viola at the Conservatory of Venice, then later went on to study choral music, conducting, and composition in Venice and Milan. He completed his studies in Leipzig under Kurt Masur and Fabio Luisi. In 2008, Mr. Cagnin was named conductor of one of the Vienna Boys Choir’s four touring choirs. He has since led the choir on numerous tours, taking him several times around the world. Over the last few years, Mr. Cagnin conducted a critically acclaimed production of Bach’s St. John’s Passion as well as successful productions of Benjamin Britten’s The Little Sweep and Gerald Wirth’s The Journey of the Little Prince in Vienna. He was also responsible for the scores for Curt Faudon’s films on the Vienna Boys Choir, Bridging the Gap, released in 2013, and Good Shepherds, to be released later this year. Mr. Cagnin finds working with the boys particularly rewarding, “They possess character and spirit. This is reflected in the way they make music. The children learn from me, and I learn from them.” Manolo Cagnin takes great care to match his choir’s repertoire to the boys’ personalities and voices. In addition to the choral concerts, he prepares the boys for masses with the Vienna Chapel Imperial (Wiener Hofmusikkapelle), appearances with the Vienna State Opera, and sound and video recordings. Vienna Boys Choir made its Royal Conservatory debut on November 29, 2015. .