KVT – A Grand Night’s A Cappella

KVT in tune with a magnificent group of German singers

Goethe and the Germans Government have continued their bright sparkling in the constellation that is the Hanoi cultural scene.

Last Saturday they introduced the Munich Chamber Choir to Hanoi in a prelude to the grand work they’ll perform at the Opera House next Thursday and Friday-after intensive workshops with the young Vietnamese voices from the National Opera and Ballet choir and from the Vietnam National Academy of Music. 

It’s one of those times that I’m spitting chips about because I’ll be In TP HCM and miss out on what promises to be an excellent program. A Beethoven Mass and a Choral Fantasy that will launch European Week in brilliant style

Anyway I was determined to catch the 16 voice choir sing at the intimate little auditorium at the National Academy of Music. So with a lot of A capella aficionados I braved the construction work at the National Music Academy and gingerly tiptoed across a debris strewn path, up some semi dark stairs and onto the brightly lit little theater that only had a slight whiff of concrete dust floating in the air.

And what a grand night it was with the sixteen voices (four each of soprano, mezzo, tenor and baritone) in fine fettle….all very able and sought after soloists in Germany and Europe who come together to perform as a chamber choir.

Saturday night’s program was pure A capella in the original Italian meaning…unaccompanied singing in the manner of the church or chapel….and gave us a program of 12 German choral works that spanned a 500 year period from the 16^th Century. The oldest work, ‘The Echo Song’ performed with half the choir members singing off stage, was pure delight’

It was difficult to have a favorite from such a collection of fine voices that blended perfectly and as soon as they began with J S Bach’s ‘O Praise the Lord, all ye heathen’, it was a case of all ears and satisfied smiles throughout the auditorium. My partner really loved the more recent, ‘Saw a boy a little rose’ (1928) by Poos, and because I’m still in my infatuation stage with counter tenors, I couldn’t go past Schumann’s ‘Minnesingers’ with its all male four part chorus.

They have a hectic Hanoi schedule and fly out to TPHCM the day after their final Hanoi performance and do another A capella offering there the same day….which is another spitting chips occasion for me as I’m back to Hanoi on the same day and our planes will probably pass somewhere near Danang. I’m still tempted to change the booking and catch them once more.

Image above from a performance at a Hanoi press conference (Photo by Hanoi Grapevine)

The Choir is conducted by youthful looking Phillip Amelung (born 1973) who has a background in conducting, both choral and orchestral, and who took over the reins of this choir in 2011 and has continued to maintain and extend its reputation as one of Germany’s best choirs and who showed us what a fine voice he has when the group encored with a well known Vietnamese folk song.

Not the patronizing type of encore some visiting musicians offer up. This was sung in beautifully voice orchestrated A cappella style that added a new dimension to the song’s beautiful simplicity.

Thanks again all of you wonderful Goethe people who continue to send such wonderful and varied cultural treasures our way!

And for free!