MDR Rundfunkchor, Frank Pschichholz, Mechthild Winter, Katharina Holzhey
Biography MDR Rundfunkchor, Frank Pschichholz, Mechthild Winter, Katharina Holzhey
The MDR radio choir
is not only the largest and most traditional choir in public broadcasting, but is also considered one of the most sought-after ensembles of its kind worldwide. Conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Kurt Masur, Colin Davis, Claudio Abbado, Simon Rattle, Neville Marriner , Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel, Bernard Haitink and Riccardo Muti have paid tribute to the choir. The singers perform regularly with the MDR Symphony Orchestra and Dennis Russell Davies. Other artistic partners include the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Andris Nelsons, the Dresden Philharmonic and the Basel Symphony Orchestra under Marek Janowski, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under Alain Altinoglu.
The fact that the ensemble is not only an excellent partner for the most important orchestras is proven with much acclaimed a cappella interpretations, with the repertoire spanning almost a millennium of music history. As a special ensemble for contemporary music, the 73 choristers have also made a name for themselves through numerous premieres and first performances. In the summer of 2020, the choir attracted particular attention with the virtual premiere of the MDR commissioned work Islands by Michael Langemann. From 2015 to 2019, the Estonian conductor Risto Joost was the artistic director of the MDR radio choir. He was succeeded in January 2020 by Philipp Ahmann, who was already associated with the choir as a guest conductor and who has shaped the choir's musical profile in recent years with a cappella programs and CD recordings, among other things. Among his predecessors are names such as Herbert Kegel, Gert Frischmuth and Howard Arman, who also developed the extremely successful format of the night songs. The ensemble has recorded almost 200 records and CDs, many of which have won awards. The singers received the International Classical Music Award 2017 for the recording of Max Reger's motets op. 110 and the Diapason d'Or for the recording of Rachmaninoff's Vespers conducted by Risto Joost in March 2018. Most recently, a recording with motets by Anton Bruckner and Michael Haydn, conducted by Philipp Ahmann, was released on the Pentatone label in March 2021. Hear it through the European Broadcasting Union, as well as on tours and guest performances around the world ...
