Erinnerungen an eine großartige Tournee

Müde, aber wohlbehalten, glücklich und voller Eindrücke kamen sie am 24. August nachmittags wieder in St. Stephan an: Das 60 Mann(bzw. Frau) starke Orchester mit ihren Begeleitern und Leitern Frau Seifert, Pater Hermann, Herrn Graba, Herrn Kellermann und natürlich: Pater Anselm.
Die 10. Reise seit 1977 unseres Schülerorchesters in die USA war vorüber. Das absolvierte Programm war beachtlich: 8 Konzerte in 3 Wochen!
Hier die 3 Wochen im Detail:

1. Abflug München 12.00 Uhr.
   
   Treffpunkt 6.30 Uhr Stephansplatz. 2 Busse Ludwig Tours.
   Ankunft München ca. 9.00 Uhr. Terminal II.
   
   
2. Flug über Washington nach Chicago. Landung 18.40 Uhr.
   
   Einreiseformalitäten. Fahrt mit 2 Bussen nach Lisle, University.
   
   Adresse:
   Br.Columban Trojan
   5601 College Road
   Lisle, Illinois 60532. USA
   Tel: 001 630-969-6410
   Fax: 001 630-069-6426
   
   03. August: Naperville. Konzert
   Abends: Abbeychurch: Chor.
   04. August: Chicago: Navy Pier.
   Abends: Konzert in Daniel Hall.
   
   
   
   
3. 05. August: Busfahrt nach Dayton, Ohio.
   Ankunft ca.3.00 pm. Badezeug!.
   
   Adresse: Robert L.Wolff
   Professor& Programm Coordinator
   Manufacturing Engineering Technology
   University of Dayton
   300 College Park
   Dayton, Ohio 45469-0249 USA
   Tel: 001 937-229-2972
   Fax: 001 937-229-4975
   E-mail: Robert Wolff@notes.udayton.edu
   
   06. August: hostfamilies...
   07. August: hostfamilies... Kirche St.Mary: Gesänge acap.
   08. August. Sonntag. Konzert im Park.
   
   
4. 09. August: Busfahrt nach Dyer, Indiana.
   Ankunft nachmittags. Abends : Konzert.
   
   Adresse: Fr. Alfred Dettmer and Father.
   St.Maria Goretti Cath. Church
   500 Northgale Drive
   Dyer, Indiana 46311 USA
   E-mail: frdettmer@netnitco.net
   Tel: 001 219-865-8956
   Tel: 001 219-923-7571
   Fax: 001 219-322-1670
   
   
   10. August: hostfamilies... Chicago
   
   
5. 11. August: Busfahrt nach Illinois Beardstown, nahe Springfield.
   Abends: Konzert.
   
   12. August: Frei.
   
   Adresse: Fr. Weitzel
   St.Alexius Cath.Church
   215 W 5th Street
   Beardstown, Illinois 62618 USA
   Tel: 001 217-323-4345
   Fax: 001 217-323-5464
   
   
6. 
   13. August (Freitag) Busfahrt nach St.Louis.
   
   Abends: Konzert.
   
   Adresse: Dr. Don Wester
   Our Lady of Good Counsel, Cath.Church
   1160 St.Cyr Road
   St.Louis, Missouri 63137-1738 USA
   Tel: 001 314-867-1441
   Fax: 001 314-867-1442
   
   14. August: St.Louis-Stadt Cathedral, Arch.....
   15. August: Kirche: Chor... Nachmittag.....
   
   
7. 16. August (Montag): Busfahrt nach St.Meinrad, Indiana:
   Abends: Konzert.
   
   Adresse; Fr. Jeremy King OSB
   Saint Meinrad Archabbey
   Saint Meinrad, Indiana 47577-1010 USA
   E-mail: Jking@saintmeinrad.edu
   Tel: 001 812-357-6611
   Fax: 001 812-357-6551
   17. August (Dienstag): St.Meinrad-activities.
   
   
8. 18. August (Mittwoch): Busfahrt nach St.Vincent, Pennsylvania
   
   
   Adresse: Fr.Warren Murrman
   Saint Vincent Archabbey
   300 Fraser Road
   Latrobe, PA 15650-2686 USA
   Tel: 001 724-537-4593
   Fax: 001 724-539-2110
   19. August-(Donnerstag): Pittsburgh
   Abends: Konzert in St-Vincent.
   
   
9. 20. August (Freitag): Busfahrt nach Washington.
   Washington: Stadtbesichtigung: Capitol, Memorials, Museum
   Adresse: Motel 6, Capitol Heights
   Tel: 001 301-499-0800
   Fax: 001 301-808-7253
   
   
10. 21. August (Samstag): Busfahrt nach East Brunswick, New Jersey
    
    Letzte Adresse: Motel 6
    Carmen Parra
    244 State Rd #18
    East Brunswick, NJ 08816
    Tel: 001 732-390-4545
    Fax: 001 732-390-5414
    
    22. August (Sonntag): New York. Frei.
    Nachmittags 3.00 pm Besuch des Musicals "42nd Street" im THEATRE DIRECT INTERNATIONAL
    1650 Broadway, Suite 910
    New York, NY 10019
    
    Abends: Rückfahrt nach East Brunswick.
    
    
11. 23. August Montag:
    Busfahrt nach New York. 12.00 Uhr Rundfahrt mit Führer.
    Nach 4 pm Fahrt zum J.F.Kennedy Air Port.
    Rückflug mit Lufthansa: 8 pm nach München.
    24. August, Landung: 10.00 Uhr.
    Rückfahrt nach Augsburg. Ankunft ab 12 Uhr.
    
    Ende der Reise. Ferien.
    
    
    

Vom Konzert in St. Meinrad erreichte uns bereits zwei Tage nach der Aufführung eine E-Mail mit einer Konzertkritik, die hier im Wortlaut wiedergegeben werden soll:

Orchestra of St Stephan's Benedictine Gymnasium , Augsburg, Germany.
US Tour, 2004: Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana 8/17/04 Review by Arthur Sealy OSB, a novice monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey and formerly a music lecturer in Dublin, Ireland.

Their tour thus far had taken them to Chicago, St Louis and Dayton, Iowa. From the very first notes this orchestra of 60 players (aged 12-19) set the tone for a wonderful evening of music. Two concertos by Austrian composer, W. A. Mozart (1756-91) began the program. The first, K191, in Bb Major is the only surviving Bassoon Concerto of at least four composed by Mozart. Composed in 1774, this concerto, one of very few written for the instrument, is an underrated work. The performance here from the opening orchestral exposition was confident with the assistant conductor for the evening taking a proportionate tempo well suited to the acoustics of the Archabbey Church. A very homogenous sound in the strings and excellent tuning in the wind balanced nicely with the basso section of the orchestra. There was some finely balanced dialogue between the solo and tutti here, and consistently good playing by Ms Julia Lich in the semiquaver (sixteenth-note) passages. The cadenza for K191, uses the whole range of the bassoon's compass; what a delight to hear the bass sounds resonate through the arches of the building! The re-entry for the coda section was perfectly co-coordinated bringing a seamless performance to a very satisfactory conclusion. The audience was ready for more!

K495 was next, Mozart's fourth horn concerto in E flat, from which we heard the final movement, a real 'classical lollipop', and familiar to audiences everywhere. The horn soloist, Bastian Schmid brought out some interesting contrasts of dynamics, with the orchestra displaying some very controlled playing. Mr. Schmid enjoys excellent command of the horn, often described as the orchestra's most difficult instrument. I particularly enjoyed the nicely shaped ritardando before the final 'A' section that completed the ABACA structure of this rondo. Again, there was lots of fine balance here between soloist and tutti. The tapping of desks by the strings during the applause - a universal sign of appreciation by orchestra members - is worthy of mention here.

Schubert's Rondo for Violin in A major is a very delicate work, requiring great sensitivity by the soloist. Katharina Scwamm proved worthy of the challenge. Its cantilena-like subject provided a nice contrasting mood to the opening Mozart offerings. A piece like this can only work if the conductor trusts the soloist completely, which was the case here. While the playing of the opening bars by the orchestra alone seemed a little heavy, the ensemble seemed to respond with a lighter touch to Ms Schwamm's engaging playing as the work progressed. This is a piece that makes virtuoso demands of the soloist. To my ear, it was note perfect, played with a graceful confidence that delighted the audience. Ms Schwamm, together with all of the soloists in this evening's program, and their peers in the rest of the orchestra, enjoy bright futures in music, should they choose such a career. This is a real tribute to their dedication in practice, the hard work of their teachers and Pater Anselm Mayer, OSB in Augsburg, and the German education system which values such excellence in the arts.

With Austria represented by Mozart and Schubert, it was now time for a German composer. The soloist for Karl Reinecke's Ballade for Flute was Caroline Ziepler, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a reception for the orchestra in the Alumni Commons following the concert. Non-German audiences are more familiar with Reinecke's first piano concerto, op.72. This ballade with which I had been previously unfamiliar, has a somber opening by brass and timpani quickly followed by the strings. The solo flute's entry is in similar vein. It is a thoughtful introspective piece, with Reinecke juxtaposing the strings with the horns. There was some beautiful interplay between Ms Ziepler and her colleagues in the wind and brass sections (particularly with the clarinet, the performer whose name alludes me, but whom I also met at the reception afterwards). A middle section provided a contrasting mood - this was certainly an evening where the audience was brought through the full spectrum of German affeckten - with some tricky descending chromatic scale combinations between the solo and homophonic tutti parts. Ms Riepler's reading of this work displayed great control in breathing and a good sense of phrasing. This somewhat introspective performance was not necessarily a bad thing, as it suited the overall mood of the piece. It was as if Reinecke had written it just for her.

Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), himself a violin virtuoso known to his contemporary composers Bruch and Saint-Saëns among others who dedicated works to him, is known to audiences worldwide for his Zigeunerwiesen (Gypsy Airs). The soloist here, Steffi Falk, displayed some extraordinary technique in the use of harmonics, left-hand pizzicato, and rapid changes of hand position, which the piece requires. Here the conductor must bow to the soloist for timing, as no fixed tempi exist, with performances varying from one to the next. Pater Mayer at the helm of the orchestra allowed his young soloist ample opportunity to revel in her luscious full-length bowing, and myriad allargandos and ritardandos. This was a delightful performance where some of the tutti pizzicato sections (beautifully in unison) reminded me of America's composer Aaron Copland. Ms Falk took the final section at an energetic pace, where the orchestra remained controlled and solid in its support for her energetic flourish to the end, a true display of virtuosity, and awesome to behold it in one so young.

The second half of the concert began with Five Liturgical Songs, settings of the psalms by P. Anselm himself. Half of the players abandoned their instruments and cleared their throats for another bravura performance, this time choral. The performance here was memorable for the maturity of production in these young voices, exquisite intonation, and fine diction, with careful attention to the placing of consonants and broad vowel sounds. Mayer's compositional style is essentially modal, grounded in his 'ancient' Benedictine plainchant tradition, working as he does in a 'modern' musical language. The pieces collectively demonstrated a diversity of writing styles such as layering of vocal sounds one over the other and use of open fifths. The final piece of this set was the most interesting 'rhythmically'. However, it was the complicated 'soloistic' writing of the wind parts, beautifully executed, in the penultimate piece of the set, and the awesome improvisations provided by the drummer here that caught my attention. I was taken back in my own mind to times past when I would enjoy hearing Jazz drummers play clubs in Dublin!

The final offering: Schubert's Unfinished Symphony. Why it remains unfinished (with only two instead of the customary four movements) is a mystery. The most likely theory is that had been begun in 1822, at a difficult time in Schubert's life, and for him to return to finish it would have been too painful a reminder of that annus horribilis. It is interesting that Schubert here uses the key of B minor. While none of the myriad symphonies by Mozart and Haydn are in that key, Schubert uses it elsewhere only for songs that that have an angst-related mood. The haunting unaccompanied cello opening sets the mood straight away. There was no question of skilled musicianship here by the players. I was particularly impressed by the homogenous string sound, in sections where there is no room for passengers, where each must play his or her part. The only question was whether these young players were old enough to appreciate the depths of despair that accompanied Schubert's writing of the piece. It is one thing to play the notes; another to play with feeling. These young players certainly rose to the challenge.

The delightful encore, which ended the evening, was the orchestra's homage to their American audience. Sinatra's Strangers In The Night showed the orchestra, at the end of an evening of demanding playing, still full of energy, versatile in any and every style, just enjoying being together with their new American friends.

Fotonachweis: Pater Anselm, Micheal Kolb

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08.07.2005 21:53:21 Uhr