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The Kantorei St. Jacobi and the Kammerchor St. Jacobi choir are among the largest choirs in southern Lower Saxony and among the most demanding choirs in Göttingen. Both are engaged at regular intervals by the Göttinger Symphonie Orchester and the Internationalen Händel-Festspielen (e.g. GSO: Debussy: opera Le diable dans le beffroi, Johannes Brahms: Alto Rhapsody, Gustav Mahler: Sympnies N. 2 & No. 3, Franz Liszt: Faust Symphony - Handel Festival: Israel in Egypt, Alexander's Feast, Brockes Passion, HWV 48).
The goal of both choirs is the performance of demanding choral music in concerts and church services. In addition to well-known choral works such as Felix Mendelssohn's Paulus or J.S. Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium (BWV 248), they also like to perform unknown masterpieces of choral literature, in recent years e.g. great works by Johann Ludwig Bach, Eybler (a friend of W.A. Mozart), Lili Boulanger, Messiaen, Francis Poulenc and Zemlinsky.
The Kantorei St. Jacobi has around 100 members, including numerous students. The repertoire focuses on oratorios from the Baroque to the Romantic and Modern with orchestra as well as Romantic choral music. Special areas are rarely performed works from the 19th and 20th centuries, e.g. oratorios by César Franck (Les Béatitudes), Carl Loewe (Jan Hus), Max Reger (Requiem, Einsiedler) and Franz Schmidt (Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln). In addition, the choir sings about once a month in the service.
The Kammerchor St. Jacobi has around 40 members, including numerous students. The repertoire focuses on demanding a-cappella choral music from all eras, from Renaissance music to contemporary premieres. Another specialty is polyphonic choral music (e.g. Tallis: Spem in alium (40 voices), Felix Mendelssohn: Hora est (16 voices), Francis Poulenc: La figure humaine (12 voices).
Both choirs rehearse once a week in the Gemeindesaal St. Jacobi, and on special dates according to the rehearsal schedule. |
