Conductor Nigel Short, a former member of the King’s Singers, knows exactly how to mix voices and how to play with sound to suit the literature and the venue. It is no coincidence that the vocal ensemble, founded in 2001, is celebrated internationally and showered with awards. The concert in Linz followed the motto of the Bruckner Festival and dealt with the Ansfeldner sound magician and his impact on modernity. The London master singers started with four motets by Anton Bruckner: “Christus factus est”, “Locus iste”, “Os justi” and “Virga jesse”. Fascinating how the ensemble spanned the long phrases with a velvety sound, from the supporting pianissimo to the explosive fortissimo.
Kaminski to Ligeti
Heinrich Kaminski’s choral works are unthinkable without Bruckner and seem to be a direct successor: his motet “Die Erde” based on Zarathustra texts could not be more topical: after all, it’s about the exploitation of our planet, which Kaminski set in gripping sound images. Even more so did the a cappella mass by Paul Hindemith, his last completed work. György Ligeti’s “Lux aeterna” and Arvo Pärt’s “Da pacem Domine” also increased in terms of complexity and precision. Between the choral movements, organist Johannes Zeinler skilfully and ideally complemented the vocal program with music by Arvo Pärt, the Sonatina from Op. 18 by Hugo Distler and Bruckner’s “Perger Prelude”. The concentrated listening audience was enthusiastic about this noble sound quality.
Source: Nachrichten
