As of: February 5, 2024, 1:02 p.m
By: Andrea Gräpel
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Impressive performance: the Herrschinger Choir Cantilena under the direction of Elisabeth Schmidt and the Crash Band of the Music Teachers Association.
© Andrea Jaksch
What was that?
The Herrschinger Choir Cantilena, accompanied by the Crash Band of the Music Teachers' Association and Birgit Henke on the piano, made its concert on Saturday evening in the House of Bavarian Agriculture not just a homage to the musical "Hair", but an event - and an event unexpected visitor magnet.
Herrsching
– About 500 people flocked to Rieder Straße on Saturday to experience the “Let the sunshine in” concert by the Herrsching choir Cantilena and the Crash Band in the House of Bavarian Agriculture – with free admission.
But the hall only had space for 260 visitors.
Many people still watched the performance - including from the foyer, but many also had to leave.
It is not known how many people have already turned around because there was no more parking space in the area.
The spark jumped with the first note of “Aquarius”.
The choir - aged between 19 and 81 - exuded the spirit of the 60s and 70s not only acoustically but also visually.
At second glance, he didn't differ much from many of the audience members, who were sitting in the audience wearing fashionable, colorfully printed pants and peace necklaces.
So many things were similar to the time when the musical was made.
A time of youth protest against mainstream, against gender roles, against war and against racism.
Poetry slammer Leni Gwinner from Widdersberg summed up how relevant these topics are today in words that connected the selected titles.
Sometimes more detailed, sometimes short like this: “Peace is a path that everyone can take.
He can start small, with a smile for example.” It sounds so simple.
The approximately 50-strong choir under the direction of Elisabeth Schmidt, the band with bandleader Christoph Zöller and Birgit Henke on the piano increased from song to song and from solo to solo, starting with Dennis Pfaff, the singer of the Crash Band, up to Tenor Wolfgang Schmidt, who portrayed the esoteric Woof Daschund with wonderfully expansive gestures and a voluminous Om.
Elisabeth Schmidt not only relied on her husband for the solos, but also on the entire family.
Everyone was on stage with the choir.
The daughters Apollonia and Magdalena caused storms of enthusiasm in their duet.
Elisabeth Schmidt herself sang “Air”.
Last but not least, this time the choir director also enlisted her son Ludwig (19) - himself a singer in a band, who rocked the stage together with Dennis Pfaff and not only shone vocally, but also as a wonderfully shrill drag queen.
The concert under the title “Let the sunshine in” came close to today with the lyrics from the past and the lyrics by Leni Gwinner.
She read from her “Conversation of the Gods” about humans: “At first I thought that something had gone wrong and that he had some kind of brain damage.
But over time it has become clear that he is already intelligent.
But he can't use it properly... although it looked promising for a while... What he could achieve if he would just live in peace and justice."
The undisputed highlight was the audience itself – also for the choir.
Everyone knows the refrain from “Aquarius” and “Let the sunhine in,” and everyone sang it along to the big finale over and over again.
“That was really moving,” said Elisabeth Schmidt.
It gave me goosebumps.
She never expected this, nor that so many people would come.
“Actually, I always know everyone.” Not this time.
“That was beyond all expectations,” she said yesterday, still overwhelmed.
Otherwise there wouldn't have been just this one concert date.
She was asked whether a repeat would be possible: “Very much, but not this year.”