Pärt, Poulenc & Stravinsky: Works for Choir & Orchestra (Live) Genia Kühmeier, Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra & Mariss Jansons

• Arvo Pärt (b. 1935): Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra):
• 1 Pärt: Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra): I. Kyrie [Live] 03:34
• 2 Pärt: Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra): II. Gloria [Live] 03:53
• 3 Pärt: Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra): III. Alleluiavers I [Live] 00:52
• 4 Pärt: Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra): IV. Alleluiavers II [Live] 01:14
• 5 Pärt: Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra): V. Veni sancte spiritus [Live] 05:32
• 6 Pärt: Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra): VI. Credo [Live] 04:20
• 7 Pärt: Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra): VII. Sanctus [Live] 02:47
• 8 Pärt: Berliner Messe (Version for Choir & String Orchestra): VIII. Agnus Dei [Live] 02:31
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Stabat Mater, FP 148:
• 9 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: I. Stabat mater dolorosa (Live) 03:38
• 10 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: II. Cujus animam gementem (Live) 01:06
• 11 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: III. O quam tristis (Live) 02:46
• 12 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: IV. Quæ mœrebat (Live) 01:18
• 13 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: V. Quis est homo (Live) 01:33
• 14 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: VI. Vidit suum (Live) 03:21
• 15 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: VII. Eja mater (Live) 01:11
• 16 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: VIII. Fac ut ardeat (Live) 02:38
• 17 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: IX. Sancta mater (Live) 03:21
• 18 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: X. Fac ut portem (Live) 03:41
• 19 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: XI. Inflammatus et accensus (Live) 02:02
• 20 Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: XII. Quando corpus (Live) 04:37
• Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971): Symphony of Psalms, K052:
• 21 Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms, K052: I. Exaudi orationem meam (Live) 03:14
• 22 Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms, K052: II. Expectans expectavi dominum (Live) 06:14
• 23 Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms, K052: III. Alleluja (Live) 12:42
• Total Runtime 01:18:05

Info for Pärt, Poulenc & Stravinsky: Works for Choir & Orchestra (Live)

Three great choral and orchestral works of the 20th century are gathered together in outstanding interpretations on the new production from BR-KLASSIK: Arvo Pärt's "Berlin Mass" for choir and string orchestra from 1990, Francis Poulenc's "Stabat mater" for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra from 1950 and Igor Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms" for choir and orchestra from 1930. Soprano Genia Kühmeier, the incomparable Bavarian Radio Choir and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra - two sound bodies of undisputed world class! - under the direction of Mariss Jansons guarantee the highest listening pleasure.

Genia Kühmeier, soprano
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Mariss Jansons, conductor

Mariss Jansons
Jansons’s earliest memories were of his father, the conductor Arvid Jansons, conducting opera and ballet: ‘As a very small boy, three years old, I was always observing… I went to my father’s rehearsals. When I came home, I put my book on the table and started to conduct. I changed my trousers because they were for rehearsal, not for concert. I played at being artistic director, drawing up programmes for subscription seasons.’ He learned to play the violin in Riga, and in 1957 entered the Leningrad Conservatory, where he studied conducting with Rabinovich, as well as the piano and violin. He made his public conducting debut prior to graduating with honours and then studied with Hans Swarowsky at the Vienna Academy of Music from 1969 to 1972. Having been assistant to Herbert von Karajan at Salzburg in 1969 and 1970, Jansons took first prize at the International von Karajan Foundation Conducting Competition in 1971 and in the same year was appointed associate conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, working with the orchestra’s distinguished chief conductor Evgeny Mravinsky. The influence of this period in his career was great, especially in terms of standards and expectations. ‘The atmosphere was so pressured,’ he has recalled. ‘Mravinsky demanded such high standards, everybody was afraid to fall below. There was Richter, Gilels, (David) Oistrakh—such quality.’

In 1979 Jansons was appointed to his first chief conductorship, taking charge of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, whose standards he raised significantly. With this orchestra he made many recordings including a highly praised cycle of the Tchaikovsky symphonies, and toured extensively throughout Europe (including appearances at the Salzburg Festival and at the Promenade Concerts in London) and the Far East, both activities greatly enhanced the reputations of conductor and orchestra. He became the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra’s associate principal conductor in 1985, a position which he retained until 1999. In addition to his work in the USSR and Norway, Jansons was also active during this time in Great Britain, conducting the BBC National Symphony Orchestra of Wales frequently, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he was principal guest conductor from 1992 to 1997. As with most conductors of Jansons’s calibre, the work involved with these permanent positions was combined with guest appearances with most of the major European and American orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras. He also maintained the distinguished Russian tradition of teaching conducting when in 1995 he became professor of conducting at the St Petersburg Conservatory, as his father had been before him.

Jansons’s career took a decisive step forward in 1997 when he became the chief conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in succession to Lorin Maazel. Here too he dramatically improved the standards of the orchestra, an achievement which was acknowledged on its numerous foreign tours even though the orchestra had to work hard at home to increase audience levels. In 1996 Jansons suffered a heart attack while conducting a performance of La Bohème in Oslo and as a result had to take more care of his health. In 2002 he therefore decided not to renew his contract with the Pittsburgh Orchestra after the end of the 2003–2004 concert season and reduced his work in North America, thus cutting down considerably on travelling. He accepted instead the appointments of chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, once again in succession to Maazel, with effect from the autumn of 2003, and of chief conductor of the Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra from the autumn of 2004.

In style, Jansons’s conducting was a powerful combination of discipline and inspiration. At his best, he had the ability to invest scores with a range of colour and timbre achieved by very few other conductors. He was extremely demanding of orchestral players without being autocratic or overbearing and tried many different approaches to interpretation. Intensive rehearsal produces readings in which the level of musical nuance and subtlety is unusually high: at the same time Jansons was not wholly predictable in performance and often used the inspiration of the moment to make fresh demands upon his players. The associate concert-master of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has commented on this: ‘Mariss expects intuitive playing and aspires to changing the playing nightly. He expects a kind of musical intuition and a personal involvement.’ The purpose of this approach is to go beyond the notes to a deeper experience: to quote Jansons himself, ‘Imagination is what players expect from a conductor. You must give them what is behind the notes—which is atmosphere, imagination and content. To play the notes is not interesting. But what it means, the cosmic level at which they are detached from problems of playing, that is my job as a conductor.’ The results of this approach are performances that are spontaneous, imaginative and at best very moving, while at the same time being technically highly assured. Jansons himself was clear about his overall objective in performance: ‘Most important for me is that during a performance there is a temperature, because then the public will jump from their seats and after the concert will say, “It was a great experience.” If they come and hear nice tunes but are not touched and excited by the performance, this is very dangerous.’

Jansons’s early recordings appeared mainly on the Chandos label, but he signed an exclusive contract with EMI in 1986 and had since recorded an extensive repertoire with several different orchestras for this company. Highlights of his discography include the complete Tchaikovsky symphonies with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the complete Rachmaninov symphonies with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and several notable readings of the Shostakovich symphonies with various orchestras. Several of his recordings have received international awards: that of Shostakovich’s Symphony No 7 with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra won an Edison Award in 1989 and his interpretation of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra won the Dutch Luister Award.

Genia Kühmeier
was born in Salzburg and initially studied music and vocal teaching at the Hochschule "Mozarteum" in Salzburg before continuing her studies for solo voice at the University for Music in Vienna as a student of KS Margarita Lilova and KS Marjana Lipovsek. Further coaching with both continues to take place on a regular basis.

In January 2002, Genia Kühmeier was awarded the first price at the 8th International Mozart Competition in Salzburg which was the beginning for an international career in which she already worked with such conductors as William Christie, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Colin Davis, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniel Harding, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mariss Jansons, Paavo Järvi, Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagano, Sir Roger Norrington, Mark Minkowski, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Franz Welser-Möst and Christian Thielemann.

From 2003-2006 Genia Kühmeier was a member of the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera, where she received the "Eberhard Waechter - Medaille" for her interpretation of Inès/LA FAVORITE. She further appeared in such roles as Pamina/DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, First Flower Maiden/PARSIFAL, Adina/L'ELISIR D'AMORE, First Maid/DAPHNE, Marzelline/FIDELIO, Zdenka/ARABELLA, Micaela/CARMEN and her highly acclaimed Ilia/IDOMENEO in a new production of the Vienna State Opera at the Theater an der Wien. Genia will return for future engagements.

The part of Pamina became Genia Kühmeier's signature role which she has performed at the Wiener Staatsoper, Ruhr-Triennale, Bayerische Staatsoper, Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden and at her highly acclaimed opera debut at the Salzburg Festival under the artistic direction of Riccardo Muti in 2005 and in the new production of Pierre Audi in 2006. In 2008 she returned to Salzburg with this role and concerts of Brahms' REQUIEM, both led by Riccardo Muti.

Further highlights of her young carreer include her debut at the Scala in Milan in December 2002 in the role of Diane/IPHIGÉNIE EN AULIDE under the baton of Riccardo Muti. She returned to the Scala in Milan for the reopening of the Operahouse in December 2004 as Asterio in Salieri's L'EUROPA RICONOSCIUTA under the artistic direction of Riccardo Muti. In January 2005 she sang the role of Ilia in a concert performance of Mozart's IDOMENEO under the baton of Daniel Harding within the Mozart-Festival in Salzburg.

During the last seasons Genia Kühmeier had several debuts such as at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in Mozart's FINTA GIARDINIERA and at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in Bizet's CARMEN as well as the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Recent debuts include Ilia at the San Francisco Opera, Micaela in Los Angeles and at the Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam.

In 2009/10 and 2010/11 Genia Kühmeier sings Zdenka/ARABELLA and Pamina/DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE at the Wiener Staatsoper, Micaela/CARMEN and Pamina at the Bayerische Staatsoper as well as Pamina at the Met and the Scala in Milano. Further she performs the role of Euridice in Gluck's ORFEO ED EIRIDICE at the Salzburg Festival under the baton of Riccardo Muti.

Genia Kühmeier is a frequent guest of renowned concert halls and festivals such as the Wiener Musikverein, Salzburg Summer and Easter Festival, the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, RuhrTriennale, styriarte, Rheingaufestival as well as the Lucerne Festival and performed with orchestras such as the Wiener and Berliner Philharmoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestre National de France, Concentus Musicus Wien and Camerata Salzburg.

Recent engagements have included concerts with Brahms' REQUIEM with the Vienna Philharmonic under Nikolaus Harnoncourt and with the Staatskapelle Dresden and Sir Colin Davis as well as with Sir Charles Mackerras, Haydn's CREATION with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle at the Easter Festival in Salzburg as well as with the Concentus Musicus and Nikolaus Harnoncourt Haydn's SEASONS at the styriarte Festival Graz.

Concert engagements of the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons include Pergolesi's STABAT MATER with Bernarda Fink and the Berliner Barock Solisten in Luzern and the final terzett of Strauss' ROSENKAVALIER with the Staatskapelle Dresden on tour. Further plans include Mahler's 2nd SYMPHONY under Mariss Jansons in Munich and under Marek Janowski in Geneva as well as Bach's B-MINOR MASS under Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Wiener Musikverein.

In recital Genia Kühmeier appeared at the Salzburg Mozarteum, Vienna Musikverein, Innsbruck and at the Schubertiade Festival in Schwarzenberg. Next season, she will take part in quartet recitals of Brahms' LIEBESLIEDERWALZER on tour throughout Europe and USA.

Her discography includes Mozarts ZAUBERFLÖTE with Riccardo Muti (on DVD from the Salzburg Festival, released by Decca), Haydn's CREATION with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants (EMI), a solo-recital album with lieder by Mozart, Schubert, Dvorák and Strauss (ORF), Schubert's AUF DEM STROME (Naxos), a special DVD of Mozart's ZAUBERFLÖTE for children produced at the Wiener Staatsoper with Seiji Ozawa as well as the Rosenkavalier Final, which has been recorded for DVD and CD on the occasion of the 50th anniversary after the reopening of the Wiener Staatsoper. Haydn's JAHRESZEITEN with Concentus Musicus and Nikolaus Harnoncourt as well as Brahm's REQUIEM with Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Booklet for Pärt, Poulenc & Stravinsky: Works for Choir & Orchestra (Live)