Sturmesmythe – Choral Works by Wilhelm Berger (1861-1911)

KAMMERCHOR CONSONO
HARALD JERS

Wilhelm Berger is one of many forgotten composers who flourished at the end of the late-Romantic era. With his rich and multifaceted tonal language he numbers among the most interesting and attractive voices from his era to have been revived in recent years. On this CD, some of his choral works are recorded for the first time, in sensitive performances by the Kammerchor Consono.

Album Details

CD-Inhalt

GEBET OP. 22+
VIER GEISTLICHE LIEDER UND GESÄNGE OP. 54+
MITTEN WIR IM LEBEN SIND
MÜDE, DAS LEBENSBOOT WEITER ZU STEUERN
GROSS IST DER HERR!
GEBET *
DIE CAPELLE AM STRANDE +
VIER GESÄNGE OP. 67
DIE THRÄNE FLIESST ZUM STAUB +
NACHTGEBET
MORGENLIED +
VERBLÜHT
TRAUUNGSGESANG +
DREI GESÄNGE OP. 103
CHARFREITAG **
STURMESMYTHE +
VON FERNE KLINGEN GLOCKEN
Total Time / Gesamtspielzeit: 66:09
KAMMERCHOR CONSONO
* Henriette Autenrieth, Sopran
** Jonas Henser, Bass
HARALD JERS LEITUNG
+ Ersteinspielungen / World Première Recording

®+© 2015 SPEKTRAL
SRL4-15144
GTIN (EAN): 4260130381448

Artists

KAMMERCHOR CONSONO

The Cologne-based Kammerchor CONSONO was founded in 2001 by Harald Jers and has rapidly earned an outstanding reputation, winning numerous national and international choral competitions. Regular radio and television appearances as well as CD recordings and invitations to important music festivals have continued to showcase the high quality of the group, and have raised their international stature. Their repertoire encompasses choral music of the Baroque Period, Romantic works from the nineteenth century, and music of the Modern Era. They have also given premieres of 21st-Century works that were written especially for them. One of their specialties is working on largely-unknown but interesting a cappella literature by contemporary and romantic composers from various countries. Particular emphasis is placed on authentic performance values, and the ultimate goal is to present everything at the highest artistic level. In their rehearsals and performances special attention is paid to the expressive possibilities of the voice and how that aspect relates to acoustics. They regard such specialized knowledge as a precondition for the creation of a stylistically appropriate approach to the music. Harald Jers combines a mastery of the performance practice of different eras with his own specialized knowledge of choir and room acoustics, all of which comes together in an intense and deeply expressive choral sound.

HARALD JERS

Harald Jers is a professor of choral conducting at the Mannheim University of Music. Along with his activities as an instructor and guest conductor at various European universities, he also directs international conducting courses. In addition, he serves on the juries of choral and composition competitions and works as a lecturer for various music academies and symposia.
Along with his advanced training as a conductor, Jers also holds degrees in a variety of other disciplines including music education (voice), church music, and physics, all of which inform and enrich his work as a conductor. His background in acoustics and music has led to intensive research in choral and room acoustics, which in turn has led to qualitative improvements in choral sound and intonation as well as more effective rehearsal methods and optimized positioning of choir and orchestra in performing venues.
His activities as a guest conductor have taken him on tours throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. He has received the first prize of the Acoustical Society of America for his research, and is also the recipient of the Grand Prize for Conducting at the choral competition in Debrecen.