The Games have been opened!
Yesterday evening the “2nd European Choir Games & Grand Prix of Nations” have been festively opened in the Johanniskirche in Magdeburg. Regional and international choirs welcomed their audience and put everybody in the mood for the upcoming competitions and concerts with a manifold concert program.
The first choir on stage, the Kinder- und Jugendchor Magdeburg, welcomed the international audience. Conducted by Astrid Schubert the young Singers have performed the songs „Der Uhrmacherladen“ by Rainer Lischka and „Pinguine“ of the cantat „Besuch im Zoo“ by Hans Sandig. It was a great performance! After that the Procession of the participating nations with the flags and country signs started, accompanied by the ceremonial music written by the Latvian composer Zigmars Liepiņš. This music was composed and presented firstly at the World Choir Games 2014 in Riga. Also in Magdeburg the music perfectly accompanied the ceremonial act. The flags and signs were carried by children from the host city Magdeburg and the Barnsley Youth Choir. Thank you for that!
Following the procession the Lord Mayor of the City of Magdeburg, Dr. Lutz Trümper, the Minister for Education and Cultural Affairs of Saxony-Anhalt, Stephan Dorgerloh, and the INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch welcomed the international audience.
The Minister Stephan Dorgerloh quoted the German poet Johann Gottfried Seume with the wonderful, suitable and well-known verses:
„Where there is singing, there you may safely settle down, without fear whatever religion rules in this country; Where there is singing, no one will be bereft; For villains don’t know any songs.“
The Vokalkreis des Telemann-Konservatorium Magdeburg continued the concert program and due to the heat yesterday they brought some air wheels on stage - a well thought-out plan! "Coral Cantus Firmus" from Brazil brought rises of temperature on stage with south-american rhythm and dances. And "The Blue Notes´Guys" from Spain inspired the public with the arranged songs “The longest Time” and “Hit the Road Jack”.
Slowly it began to dawn, so the lights in the Johanniskirche were showed to advantage. When the Rundfunk-Jugendchor Wernigerode presented their repertoire, the weather outside immediately changed: Flashs and thunders accompanied the ambitious program. With some imagination you just saw the nature by hearing the music, during the brilliant sound spheres of “Lux aurumque”, composed by Erics Whitacre - an impressive soundtrack for the weather conditions.
But the thunderstorm just stayed for a short time: The Nigerian choir "Lagos City Chorale" entered the stage and animated the audience with African songs. A selection of singers from the Kinder- und Jugendchor Magdeburg closed the ceremony with an entertaining show with hats and thanked the international public as representatives of the city of Magdeburg in a musical way.
As you can see, it was a colorful mix of choral music and we hope you enjoyed it as we did. We are looking forward to the next days full of international music!
More impressions and updates can be found on Facebook and the instagram hashtag #ecg2015!
