The choirs in the district had planned a lot for the Advent season, which now has to be canceled again.
A situation report from Schongau, Weilheim, Iffeldorf and Penzberg.
District
- "It was so nice when everything started again," says Marianne Hofmann.
“The gospel choir in Hohenpeißenberg, the mountaineering choir in Schongau, and also my open singing have started again - but now: All rehearsals have been canceled.” The committed choir director, who took over the Schongau mountaineering choir this summer, works completely against her habit and other optimistic outlook on life, a little resigned.
“The mountaineering choir had planned several performances during the Advent season,” she says.
“An Alpine Advent singing in the Mariae Himmelfahrt parish church in Schongau and an Alpine Christmas in the Trinity Church in Schongau and in the Wieskirche.” Hofmann's eyes are on the fact that all of these appointments now have to be canceled.
Optimism prevails
When asked about the mood of her choir singers, she explains: “The prevailing opinion in all choirs is that it is just the way it is now, and we have to go through it. But at first I was upset. ”But her optimism finally got the upper hand:“ Now I'm planning for the coming year. At some point it will probably continue. "
In view of the latest developments, the Schongau City Choir is mainly relieved that the long postponed debut concert of the new choir director Markus Bauer took place in Rottenbuch at the end of October.
"We are so happy that we could still give our concert," explains choir speaker Monika Soyer-Bauer.
“The response from the audience was extremely positive.
And I also found the content-related discussion of the two Magnificat variants by Vivaldi and Kuhnau very exciting, ”explains the enthusiastic choir singer.
The concert in September was a success
The samples are now exposed for the time being.
“That is currently too dangerous for us,” confesses Soyer-Bauer.
"But we are still confident because the motivation in the choir is very high."
Gundula Kretschmar had not even planned a concert for Advent with her choir from the Weilheim Apostle Church: "Fortunately, we had our anniversary concert in September," explains the cantor.
“And it was foreseeable that big things would be difficult in Advent.
We had only planned to sing a couple of beautiful Advent motets in the service on the fourth Advent. "
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The Iffeldorfer KlangKunst-Chor recently rehearsed, among other things, Bach's Christmas Oratorio.
That is also performed - but without an audience.
© Closer
Instead, the big choir is paused for now. In the meantime, music continues in small ensembles with six singers each. "And with these we also equip the Advent and Christmas services," explains Kretschmar. Nevertheless, it is of course a shame for the singers of the big choir, who regret the renewed pause. “Not least because it was a very nice thing to finally be able to create a full choir sound together with many singers again; A very good development had just started again, ”says Kretschmar.
The singer and choir director Andrea Fessmann has also planned a lot for Advent: Bach's Christmas Oratorio in the Benediktbeuern Basilica and Saint-Säns' Christmas Oratorio and Christmas carols to sing along in the Iffeldorf community center with the KlangKunst Choir.
Both take place - but without an audience.
So the singers and musicians only act for their own enjoyment.
If necessary, just rehearse online
And the choir rehearsals with the KlangKunst continue: “Of course, we're not giving up,” says Fessmann, staying true to her combative stance during the entire pandemic.
“However, nobody really feels like singing online anymore.
The frustration limit has been reached.
But we keep singing wherever.
If necessary, stop online. "
Because although the concern for the health of everyone shapes the mood in the choir, they are happy “about every opportunity to sing live” and to be able to accept the “gift of music”.
“Music is food for the soul, it is heartwarming and certainly also good for the immune system,” is Fessmann's credo.
Günther Pfannkuch and his vocal ensemble Penzberg also had big plans: “We would have liked to have performed Joseph Haydn's 'Seasons' as part of the Penzberg rural concerts, because we had renowned soloists on board,” says Pfannkuch.
The frustration is already spreading
The vocal ensemble and the symphony orchestra in the Pfaffenwinkel had rehearsed the incredibly imaginative and fantastic work almost ready for a concert. Immediately before the choir rehearsal weekend, which had to be refined, it was unfortunately over for the well-known reasons. Pfannkuch finds it particularly frustrating that he has to postpone the "Seasons" for the second time: "Last summer the performance was planned in the Benediktbeuern Basilica".
For the time being, nothing more will take place this year.
And the choirmaster and conductor has "hopefully postponed Haydn to Sunday, July 17, 2022".
The concert break should not last that long: “On April 3rd we want to perform Mozart's Requiem.
And Bach's Christmas Oratorio is planned for the third Advent in 2022.
Hope dies last. "
The choir rehearsals are also suspended in Penzberg until further notice: “The rehearsals can only start again if you can work properly.
The main thing is that football can be played in a full stadium, ”says Pfannkuch, expressing his disappointment.
But the mood in the choir and orchestra is "very combative and committed".
Still, one has to say, because "the frustration is already growing increasingly wide".
Sabine Closer
