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Feldafing's church choir does not survive Corona - conductor Harald Feller honored

2022-12-17T07:13:27.009Z


Feldafing's church choir does not survive Corona - conductor Harald Feller honored Created: 12/17/2022, 08:00 By: Tobias Gmach Mayor Bernhard Sontheim (right) presented Prof. Harald Feller with the Gold Medal of Merit from the municipality of Feldafing at the municipal council meeting. © Andrea Jaksch The ambitious Feldafinger church choir, which has already performed in Paris, Vienna and Veni


Feldafing's church choir does not survive Corona - conductor Harald Feller honored

Created: 12/17/2022, 08:00

By: Tobias Gmach

Mayor Bernhard Sontheim (right) presented Prof. Harald Feller with the Gold Medal of Merit from the municipality of Feldafing at the municipal council meeting.

© Andrea Jaksch

The ambitious Feldafinger church choir, which has already performed in Paris, Vienna and Venice, did not survive the corona pandemic.

Its director, music professor Harald Feller, has now been awarded the community's Golden Medal of Merit for his decades of commitment.

Feldafing - It felt like a class reunion.

About a dozen singers from the Feldafinger church choir, which was dissolved in the Corona pandemic, attended the municipal council meeting on Tuesday.

Because of shared memories and because of a man: Prof. Harald Feller.

The 71-year-old has made a name for himself nationwide as an organist, composer and lecturer at the University of Music in Munich.

In Feldafing he led the church choir for decades – although he was only supposed to step in twice.

Mayor Bernhard Sontheim threw on the chain of office and awarded Feller the community's Golden Medal of Merit.

“They have always paid attention to quality.

They were intent on a high level.

And that's exactly what made the Feldafinger church choir so successful," said Sontheim.

In fact, Feller conducted the 40-strong group in the Sainte-Clotilde basilica in Paris, in the Strasbourg Minster, in the Church of San Salvador in Venice and in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

"The choir stimulated my creativity," said the 71-year-old in his speech, referring to the many world premieres, 13 original compositions and a full-length mystery play staged together with the theater group.

There was a dash of nostalgia in every movement – ​​not only because Feller retired as choirmaster, but because the entire choir has reached the end of its creative powers.

The pandemic, the long period the members weren't allowed to sing together is one reason for that.

The fact that some members are stepping down for reasons of age is another.

The choir would have had to be completely rebuilt - and Feller no longer wanted to take on this task.

First appearance with choir as organist in January 1972

In the municipal council, the native of Munich looked back at the beginnings.

In January 1972, Feller was to play his first service with the Catholic choir in the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche - on the recommendation of his organ professor at the time, Franz Lehrndorfer.

"I was presented with a picture of mostly Catholic amateur singers who performed every composition, regardless of the instrumental cast intended by the composer, with a local violinist and an organist, which struck me as quite strange," Feller said in his own way Choir leader in the high tones of the soprano "Just print, Madln" often did not achieve the desired success.

Just six months later – the choir director was seriously ill and died soon after – Feller stepped in on Easter Sunday.

At very short notice he organized a small orchestra with a soloist, consisting of family and friends.

Then he conducted publicly for the first time in his life.

Musikraum is not created in Feldafing - but in Italy

Something grew together, the choir improved due to Feller's high standards - even if that's why he wanted to give up in the meantime.

"When I left Feldafing in 1981 and moved to Germering for seven years, I never dreamed that the longest and best time with this choir was still ahead of me," he said.

Feller came back in 1989, stood in for a sick choir director and took over "temporarily" after his departure.

It should be more than 30 years.

The choir developed a repertoire that very few singing groups from small towns like Feldafing can boast of.

During the session, Feller began to list the composers.

He stopped at number 27 and said he could go on like this for a long time.

The music teacher, who also organizes organ excursions, stays with Feldafinger.

But he is now expanding his musical empire to Italy.

At first he wanted to erect a building for his instruments, for practicing and composing on his property.

The council was skeptical, but ultimately voted in favor.

It's all waste now.

The music room was created for financial reasons in a mountain village north of Lake Garda, Feller told Starnberger Merkur.

It should be a good place for new musical stories.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-12-17

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