Once a year, always three weeks before Easter, BDC and BDO – the umbrella organizations of choirs and orchestras in Germany organize a summit meeting of amateur music. The cause for this event is the awarding of the Zelter- respectively Pro Musica-Medals by the Federal President. This year Bad Homburg was the place of the festival. From March 9-11 more than 1000 performers in 45 ensembles made the town ring.
The guitar ensemble of the SZO (conductor Reiner Stutz) was invited to perform on March 10 at this year‘s days of choir and orchestra music.
The guitarists had their first appearance in the Erlöserkirche. Together with the Hessian Nassau wind circle, members of the Bach choir of the Erlöserkirche and the choir boys of Limburg cathedral they gave the musical setting for an ecumenical festival service on Saturday afternoon.
The “Night of Music“ had a particular charm. Between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. there were 30-minute performances simultaneously in eleven different places in the centre of the town – altogether more than 40 short concerts. In this setting the guitar ensemble of the SZO performed in the town library, which was full up to the last seat. The guitarists took the audience on a journey south crossing several centuries.
The journey started in the Irish region of Connemara with a traditional Irish suite by Bruno Szordikowski. The next station was the Germany of baroque times with the well-known and often arranged “Canon“ by Johann Pachelbel. “Introduction et Fandango“ carried the enthousiastic audience off to Spain. The musical journey ended in Africa with “Kalimba“ by Jürg Kindl.
After a short breather the guitar ensemble went off to the next stage, where this journey should start again. There an open-air appearance at night outside the Louisen Arcades waited for the players. With temperatures near freezing point and light drizzle this final concert was in fact a real challenge for the instruments and the tender hands of the guitarists. But the musicians of the SZO were not deterred off and mastered their third and last concert with style.
After that all the visitors of the concerts were invited to conclude the evening together in the inner court of Humboldt Gymnasium. The next morning after a rather short night the members of the guitar ensemble could be among the audience of the great ceremony in the Landgraf-Friedrich-Hall, where the Federal President awarded the Zelter- and Pro Musica-medals.
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| guitar ensemble in the Erlöserkirche | guitar ensemble in the town library | ceremony with Federal President Steinmeier |
photos: Thomas Kronenberger