Schiller Conference Presents Concert with ‘Beautiful Cultural Diversity’

July 18—A highlight of the Schiller Institute conference was the concert on Saturday night, July 12, titled “The Beauty of Cultural Diversity.” The performers were both professional musicians and members and friends of the Schiller Institute, from many countries and ages from 25 up to 90 years. The combination really radiated cultural diversity, with a Swedish-Finnish soprano, an Albanian-Danish-German soprano, an American tenor, a Chinese baritone, a young Dutch-Russian-German pianist and the Schiller-Institute chorus bringing together singers from Paris, Copenhagen, several German cities and the U.S., directed by a French and a German member. A professional conductor from Berlin, who had years ago led a Schiller Institute performance, helped in the preparation and joined the chorus.

The concert was a little over an hour long, beginning and concluding with the chorus, whose members were excited to sing together again after a long pause.

There were many positive reactions from the audience. Two of the professionals praised the “profound sound” of the chorus. Three young people from France, with no previous acquaintance with Classical music, were enthusiastic, and one of them expressed wishing to learn to sing.

There was an arc between the opening, with the Second Movement of Haydn’s great cantata The Creation, ending on beautiful harmonies to the words “A New World Sprang Up,” and the end, with two songs about freedom, the spiritual “Oh, Freedom” and the famous German “Thoughts Are Free” (Die Gedanken sind frei). The audience showed gratitude for the performances with great and long applause.

The full program:

Joseph Haydn—From The Creation: Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle … Und eine neue Welt (Now vanish before the holy beams … A new created world)

Choir of the Schiller Institute, conducted by Werner Hartmann,

John Sigerson, tenor, Martin Kaptein, piano

Lola A. Gjoka—Eja Vashe (“Come, girl”), Albanian song

The Brocade Lute, Chinese song

Kanding Love Song, Chinese duet

Feride Gillesberg, soprano, Fan Xu, baritone, Martin Kaptein, piano

Robert Schumann—From the Heine Songs, Op. 24

Es treibt mich hin, es treibt mich her (“It drives me here, it drives me there”)

Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden (“Beautiful cradle of my sorrows”)

Anfangs wollt’ ich fast verzagen (“At first I almost despaired”)

Mit Myrten und Rosen (“With myrtle and roses”)

John Sigerson, tenor, Martin Kaptein, piano

Alexander Siloti—Prelude in B minor after J.S. Bach

Sergei Rachmaninoff—Prelude in G major, Op. 32,5

Martin Kaptein, piano

Franz Schubert—Die Götter Griechenlands (“The Gods of Greece”)

Peter I. Tchaikovsky—Adieux Forets (“Farewell, Mountains”), Aria of Johanna

Giuseppe Verdi—Ave Maria from Othello

Leena Malkki, soprano, Werner Hartmann, piano

“Oh Freedom,” Negro Spiritual

“Die Gedanken sind frei” (Thoughts Are Free), German folksong

Chorus of the Schiller Institute, conducted by Johanna Clerc