For five years now carus music, the choir app, has helped choral singers with effective rehearsal preparation. This application, optimised for mobile devices (tablets and smartphones), combines the best from publisher and CD label.
The St. John Passion was performed under Bach’s direction in Leipzig at least four times, but each time in a different form. And not all versions survive complete, so decisions need to be made for each performance nowadays. Increasingly the 1725 version with the opening chorus “O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß” is performed. The omission of “Herr, unser Herrscher” in this performance version is coupled with new discoveries. We hear the part of the evangelist as it was sung back then in Leipzig. In addition, highly dramatic arias such as “Himmel reiße, Welt erbebe” are heard to their best advantage.
The Moonlight Sonata, the Appassionata, a violin sonata for choir? Is this really necessary? Isn’t there enough original music by Beethoven already? Isn’t there something slightly disrespectful about this? Karen Priebe’s background is as a pianist, and she is a professed fan of classical piano music, so she was both curious and a little sceptical when she first heard about the new Beethoven for choir CD. Naturally she first listened to the Kyrie based on the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, and was lost in reverie from the first measures. She has found her favorite piece!
