Portrait
The Wilmersdorfer Kammerchor Berlin was founded by Christian Bährens in 1984, has about 40 members and is therefore able to perfom a cappella music of up to 8 or even more voices as well as oratories. The ensemble's special sound has been the result of the functional voice-training (in warm-up as well as during the whole rehearsal) which is the choral director's special interest.
The core of the repertoire is the sacred a cappella music form the 16th century to date, with pieces like the motets by Bach, Brahms, Bruckner and Schütz and pieces which are seldom to be heard, such as Byrd: Great Service, Eben: Cantico delle creature, Nystedt: Missa Brevis, Rheinberger: Cantus Missae, Victoria: Requiem and others.
Oratories whch we performed in the past where for instance Schütz' Musikalische Exequien, Dvorak's Stabat Mater (piano version), the Requiem settings by Campra, Mozart, Duruflé, Fauré and Brahms (piano version), Händel's Utrechter Te Deum&Jubilate, the Coronation Anthems and the Messiah, the great masses by Mozart (c minor) und Bach (b minor) and Bach's Christmas Oratory
The chamber choir regularly performs in Berlin churches and also in the Konzerthaus and in the Philharmonic Chamber Music Hall, e.g. with the thematic programmes English Choral Music from four centuries, Music for the night, Te Deum laudamus, Venetian Polychoral Music, European Folksongs and Reflexions - Music for Choir and Saxophone.
The ensemble has toured Denmark, Belgium, Finnland, Poland, Sweden and hosted in Berlin choirs from the USA, France, Belgium, Denmark and Brasil.
In 2020 the choir is preparing a memorial concert 8th May for the end of World War II. including Mozart's Requiem and Mauersberger's impressive Dresden motet Wie liegt die Stadt so wüst - for December we plan another programme with Advent and Christmas music including saxophone music.