Bristol Hannover Council

After a great deal of discussion and organisation – what a wonderful thing is email! – the weekend of 5/6th October saw the coming together of not two, but altogether four choirs from Bristol/Wells and Hannover!  On a request from our good friend and choir member, Benedikt Poensgen of Hannover City Council, Hannover’s Figuralchor came to Bristol as part of a UK tour, taking in Glasgow and Liverpool.  We managed to partner them with Bristol’s Bach Choir, whose conductor, Christopher Finch suggested the two choirs sing at Wells Cathedral School, alongside the School’s choir Choralia (winners of international awards) in a special concert.  The result was a stunning concert in the school’s Cedars Hall, with a capacity audience of 250, all choirs singing a capella, and the two adult choirs singing both separately and together.  The music varied from Bach to ….  And was a delight from beginning to end.  On Sunday morning, the Figuralchor were busy again, singing in the Harvest Festival Service (Erntedankfest) alongside the Bristol Cathedral Choir – a wonderfully musical and colourful service, enjoyed by all present.  Revd Sarah Evans, who had been with us to Hannover in 2017, introduced the service initially in German, which was a nice surprise for the German visitors.  The Figuralchor’s conductor, Prof. Jörg Straube, sang with his choir this time for the most part, until a final piece by the Figuralchor alone, which he conducted to finish off a wonderful weekend of music.  We hope the rest of their week, with concerts in both Glasgow and Liverpool, go just as well, and look forward to more musical cooperation in the future!

 

 

 

 

Hannover’s Figuralchor (in black) singing with Bristol’s Bach Choir (with turquoise stoles) under the direction of Figuralchor’s conductor, Prof. Jörg Straube, at Wells Cathedral School

 

 

 

 

 

Hannover’s Figuralchor singing with the Bristol Cathedral Choir at the Harvest Festival Service

 

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