Saturday, 12/14/2024
at 6:00 PM


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The Göttingen Boys' Choir is planning a unique program for its Advent concerts on December 14 and 15, 2024, each at 6 PM at St. Marien in Göttingen: Two works will be performed that have never been staged in Göttingen before.
The first part of the concerts features Autumn and Winter from Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons, arranged for solo violin, boys' choir, string orchestra, and continuo. This is more than just performing a popular orchestral piece as a choir: Vivaldi composed his seasons based on – presumably self-written – sonnets and translated the linguistic images into non-verbal music. By re-adding the texts that form their basis, a new perspective on this famous work is opened up.
The second work will be Benjamin Britten's St. Nicolas Oratorio, which is rarely performed due to its large orchestration – it seems to have never been heard in Göttingen. As an oratorio about Saint Nicholas, it fits perfectly into the Advent season. Britten dramatically portrays the life and passion story of Saint Nicholas (who later inspired the figure of Santa Claus). In addition to the main choir, a top choir will sing from the organ gallery. The oratorio also includes two English hymns that will be sung by all concert attendees, filling the entire church with sound.
The two concerts will also feature numerous performers: The Göttingen Boys' Choir will be heard both in full strength and as soloists. The concert choir from Otto Hahn Gymnasium will form the top choir intended for the St. Nicolas Oratorio and will sing along with Vivaldi's Seasons. The renowned Dutch violinist Yvonne Smeulers, to whom the arrangement is dedicated, has been secured for the seasons. Both works will be accompanied by the Hannover Chamber Symphony. The deputy choir director of the Göttingen Boys' Choir, Nik Myers, will accompany the Seasons on the harpsichord and the St. Nicolas Oratorio on the organ. Additionally, for the St. Nicolas Oratorio, there will be a tenor soloist with Manuel König and two pianists, Dorota Schmitt-Dobosz and Natalia Bachmann, on the piano. Last but not least, the preparatory choirs of the Göttingen Boys' Choir will also sing along in the mentioned hymns in the St. Nicolas Oratorio. In total, we expect about 110 participants!

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