Wilten Boys' Choir

The Wiltener boys from Innsbruck are among the most traditional and most famous boys' choirs in Europe. Its history dates back to the 13th century. The forerunner of the Vienna Boys' Choir were after reports from well-known historians of Emperor Maximilian I established with Singknaben from Wilten. The tradition of Wiltener was during all these centuries only sometimes interrupted by Kriegswirrnisse, for example during the Second World War. According to the same justified Norbert Gerhold from Langenlois and Wiltener Canons Otto Karasek OPraem the chorus again.

Gerhold led the choir until 1982 and was on numerous successful recordings and major tours, inter alia, refer to Denmark, Israel and Japan. In 1983, the Innsbruck Armin Koelbl as artistic director, he was succeeded in 1986 Howard Arman from London. This founded in 1991 with members of the choir boys Wiltener the Innsbruck Capell boys. Johannes Stecher then took over the management of the Wiltener boys and built the choir systematically at an excellent sound body.

Current training situation

Today the choir has about 160 members, divided into five groups - are partly formed in cooperation with the Tyrolean State Conservatory - from the junior choirs on the concert choirs up to the men's voices. Johannes Stecher Head of the Department Wiltener boy in Tyrolean State Conservatory. He is assisted by the vocal teachers Britta Stroeher, Martin Senfter, John Puchleitner as well as the newcomers Vincent Arnold and Jan Golubkow.

The choir members attend different schools in Innsbruck and surroundings and come depending on the age one to three times per week to the samples or for singing lessons to Wilten. The youngest members of the choir are about five years old.

Repertoire

This is changed and expanded since the choir members - as with children's choirs otherwise possible - very quickly change and go from the soprano or alto registers in the tenor or bass. The choir has a lot of ancient sacred music from the Renaissance through the Baroque to the Classical and Romantic periods.

An important part of the repertoire are old Tyrolean composers, as well as Heinrich Schütz, Johann Sebastian Bach and Anton Bruckner. Nevertheless, the chorus refers to many shots already from the area with masses and oratorios of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn. As Tyrolean chorus you feel of course, the tradition of authentic folk song verpflichetet. And so there are yodelling and folk songs from the Alps and spiritual folk songs, especially during Advent and Christmas, the choir programs often again. Very popular and are popular choral programs with the Wiltenern containing edits in the field of operetta and film music.

The area of ​​opera occupies a prominent position. At the Tyrolean State Theatre, in Bregenz, in Italy, at the Salzburg and Tyrolean Festival, the Vienna Boys' Choir Been several times to listen to the part in the following works: The Magic Flute (Mozart ), Carmen ( Bizet ), Tosca ( Puccini ), Lohengrin (Wagner ) Parsifal (Wagner), Der Rosenkavalier ( Strauss), Werther ( Massenet ), Persephone ( Stravinsky ), the Child and the magic World ( Ravel ), the Cunning Little Vixen ( Janacek ), A Midsummer Night's Dream ( Britten ), The Turn of the Screw ( Britten ), Cadence Macbeth ( Zehm ), Turandot ( Puccini ), Macbeth (Verdi ), Albert Herring ( Britten ), Shylock! ( Kanyar / Fassbaender ) etc.

Concerts and tours

In recent years, the choir has grown continuously and could greatly improve its quality. The choir has performed especially in the German -speaking world. In addition, however, also great concert tours are organized all over the world. This took the young singer for example to China, Japan, Israel, Romania, Denmark, France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Recurrent annual fixed points are the performance of the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach together with the baroque orchestra Academia Jacobus Stainer on the Saturday before Christmas in the Basilica Wilten in Innsbruck, the popular Christmas concert " Christmas in Tirol" in the longest night of the year, on December 21, in the Sanctuary Götzens (Tirol ). Every two years, the Mother 's Day concert and a benefit concert organized " Children for Children " at the Congress Innsbruck.

Former Wiltener boys

Numerous former Wiltener boys have chosen a career as a singer:

Also conductors, voice teachers, music teachers and church musicians have emerged from the chorus:

  • Michael Mader (Conductor)

Discography

CD ( and DVD) Christmas Oratorio JS Bach, choir and soloists of the Wiltener boys, Academia Jacobus Stainer, John Stecher (Director ), Daniel Schmutzhard (bass ), Paul Schweinester (tenor ), ( Gramola )

  • DVD Wiltener boys / Academia Jacobus Stainer ( Vivaldi Gloria, Bach cantatas Christ lag and weeping, wailing, Fearing, Hesitating )
  • The Wiltener boys in Innsbruck's Hofkirche ( Gramola )
  • Laudate Dominum ( Gramola )
  • Orff: Carmina Burana ( Gramola )
  • J. Haydn: The Creation
  • J. Haydn: Mass in Mariazell
  • W. A. Mozart: Credo Messe
  • If Tyrolean Buabm sing ( Traditional folk songs from Tyrol and the Alps )
  • Christmas with the boys Wiltener
  • Laughter and tears
  • Silent Night - Christmas with the Boys Choir Wiltener
  • Joseph Haydn St. Nicholas Mass ( out of print)
  • W. A. Mozart Coronation Mass ( out of print)
Range (music) Maximilian I.
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