The Dresdner Kammerchor is one of the leading choirs in Germany. Since its foundation in 1985 by Hans-Christoph Rademann, it has become firmly established on the German and European musical scenes. With initiatives such as the first complete recording of Heinrich Schütz (since 2011) and a continuing interest in researching and promoting the musical legacy of central Germany, the choir helps shape the cultural identity of this region, working internationally as an ambassador for Dresden and Saxony. In collaboration with the Dresdner Barockorchester and other musical partners, numerous works have been rediscovered, performed and recorded. Recordings of works by Heinrich Schütz, Johann Adolf Hasse, Johann David Heinichen and Jan Dismas Zelenka have been honoured with numerous prizes including the German Record Critics’ Award.
Alongside the oratories and sacred works of Baroque masters such as Bach, Telemann and Händel, the choral-symphonic repertoire of the Classical and Romantic periods from Mozart via Mendelssohn to Brahms forms another main focus of the choir’s work. The Dresdner Kammerchor is also renowned for the performance of challenging a cappella literature from the 19th and 20th centuries by composers such as Max Reger, Alfred Schnittke, Ernst Krenek, Olivier Messiaen and Herman Berlinski.
The choir specializes in modern and contemporary music. This is reflected in numerous premieres, first performances, and new works commissioned by the choir. In 2009 Hans-Christoph Rademann and the Dresdner Kammerchor initiated the Dresden Chorwerkstatt fur Neue Musik. The choir was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for its services to contemporary music.
The Dresdner Kammerchor has received broad acclaim on its numerous concert trips in and outside Europe, i.e. USA, South Africa, India and China. The choir also receives regular invitations to international music festivals of great reputation like the Rheingau Musik Festival, Oude-Muziek-Festival Utrecht, Festivales Musicales Buenos Aires, Bachwoche Ansbach and Händelfestspiele Halle and Göttingen.
Frequent co-operations with renowned orchestras and conductors from Germany and abroad underscore the reputation of the choir. Among the most famous are the conductors René Jacobs, Sir Roger Norrington, Ádám Fischer, Riccardo Chailly, Herbert Blomstedt and the ensembles Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Concerto Köln and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Season 2016/17 – www.dresdner-kammerchor.de
