A few weeks ago no one would have dreamed that a European country would soon be invaded and a war of conquest would be waged with incredible ferocity by its eastern neighbour. Countless people are fleeing to safe neighbouring countries or to Germany. Everywhere the willingness to help is enormous and the singers of the Stuttgarter Oratorienchor also take a great interest in the suffering that the Ukrainian population is experiencing.
2022 – 1847 = 175
The Stuttgarter Oratorienchor e.V. has been 175 years old since 24 February! In 1847, the “Verein für klassische Kirchenmusik” (= Association for Classical Church Music) was constituted and the choir set itself the task of cultivating sacred vocal music. In the first decades, it repeatedly performed works by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, a German Jewish composer. One can imagine without effort how big the impact of the political situation in the years 1933 -1945 was on the choir’s life. Finally, in 1937, the decision was made to rename the choir into “Stuttgarter Oratorienchor”. They believed that this name would somehow reconcile the choir’s own musical traditions with the regime’s restrictive understanding of art. Of course, the pause in rehearsals and concerts enforced by world war II is not comparable to the cultural lull during the pandemic. However, the need to sing concerts or to enjoy wonderful music as a visitor again at last was and is equally strong.