ausallerwelt / culture
None other vowel formation depends on such a negative reputation as the men's choir. It shows how the Saarland Chamber Choirs Ensemble 85, that men singing may well emerge from the haze of Vereinsmeierei and sentimental pseudo-romance.
Lieber on the Vespa than in evening dress: Ensemble 85 with motorbikes, sunglasses and sun flowers. Photo: private
A men's choir? Who among beer-soaked singing parties, socializing and a stocky always sees the same program, will have troubles of the Saarland Ensemble to 85 in this drawer. The 16 men, led by Martin Folz in the packed Irminenkirche Trier their anniversary tour started, have from the beginning and now understood for 25 years, males singing different. You have opened up for her new repertoire, have put on discipline, vocal and musical skills. In 2009 she won the choir competition a 1st Saarland Price and ended up in this year at the German Choir Competition in Dortmund on 3rd place The ensemble of 85 is not professional formation. In an interview with the TV is one of Martin Folz to the professions of the choir members: engineers, doctors, chimney sweeps, miners, and finally ends up with a backhoe driver, of course, deep bass singing. The summary: "An average of the Saarland society." What the singers 25 years ago brought together not a high-cultural elite feeling, but the hunger was for something new. And the dissatisfaction with the men's choirs at that time. The "Ensemble 85" and Martin Folz have cultivated so that a new male choir aesthetic. The light, shining powerful tenor sound that profound, but moving bass, unforced forte and fully voiced piano, to the art of keeping in a more than hour-long program with different style, the voltage - in the foregoing that this choir set characters for younger ensembles. As the competition Dortmund showed, there are more and more of them. "In Dortmund we were the senior men's chamber choir," says Folz. Male choir has a future - of which Martin Folz is convinced. The conductor, who, like no other, engaged in cross-border culture - radiates down to the hair tips optimism. "A great development" is this - been away from traditional men's choir, whose decline after 1960 can not be stopped, whether to small, dedicated, skilled and ambitious ensemble. Away from the sentimental "well before the gates", through to history and style of wide variety of repertoire. On the anniversary tour, which takes place after the opener in Trier Saarland, they sing music in the wide margin between the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque and Modern. A "request program" to the choir - with the once fashionable spirituals, gospel and folk songs. Their time is over, says Martin Folz. But also: "The classic men's choral repertoire is coming back." Which means: The romantic male choir music has a future. Provided it does not combine with Vereinsmeierei, but with artistic ambitions. Choir soon Name: Ensemble 85 Type: Men's Choir Program: querbeet Director: Martin Folz (former head of Spee chorus) Active singers: 16 Founded: 1985 in the Saarland as a "family choir" to a wedding projects in the city sounded the river in Saarbrucken, Maria Magdalena Saarland State Theatre Awards: 1 Prize at the Saarland Choir Competition 2009, 3rd Prize at the German Choir Competition 2010 Contact: phone 0651/1455575, in the Internet at http://www.ensemble-85.de/ and by mail to: info@ensemble-85.de
