After two years of waiting, the MGVfRAU – men’s choir 1860 and women’s choir Knittelfeld was back on stage.
Full house full of tradition
This time there was a lot going on once more in the Kulturhaus Knittelfeld. When the house was full, the moderator Mag. Andy welcomed the representatives of the Knittelfeld municipality – first and foremost Mr. Deputy Mayor Mag. Knauseder – as well as the associated clubs and choirs.
Under the overall musical direction of choir director Walter Bischof, the song recital started with “Knittelfelder Luft”.
The lyrics of the song, a homage to the singing club and the home town of Knittelfeld, were written by Mag. Andy and were actually written on the occasion of the choir’s 160th anniversary. The pandemic only made the “world premiere” possible this year.
The first part was devoted to folk songs. Manfred Waibel celebrated his premiere as a soloist with the song “Ih, wånn ih du war”. Irmgard Rohr was also able to inspire as a soloist in “Zirpat gråd lei da Grill” and Walter Bischof in “Hån tramt von dein Låchn”.
Before the break, the musical journey went energetically to Dalmatia with “Kad si bila mala Mare” and to Ticino with “Ticino e vino”.
The children’s choir of the Carinthian elementary school are the youngest stars of Knittelfeld
The second part of the concert began brilliantly. Together with the oldest and most traditional choir in Knittelfeld, 20 children from the children’s choir of the Carinthian elementary school in Knittelfeld took to the stage.
The youngest singers of the evening, conducted by Johanna Kaltenegger, enchanted the large audience with their enthusiasm for singing and obviously entertained them well.
In the song “Swinging on a Star”, which became a world hit when interpreted by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, among others, children are encouraged to “think outside the box”. In the fable-like lyrics of the song, the various characters such as fish, donkey and monkey were vividly portrayed by the children on stage.
And he also remembered the great French singer Gilbert Bécaud
chorus approached. “Where is love at home?” was the question and the song title, which sounded from the full stage.
Hits from Elvis to Conny Froboess
Big hits followed in the program, sung by The Platters, Doris Day, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Conny Froboess.
Jan Åkerman excelled on flute and saxophone in “Play me a little melody” written by Irving Berlin and the women’s choir “Sentimental Journey”.
“Lady Sunshine and Mr. Moon” and “Harbor Lights” preceded the next peak.
“Stuck on You” – I’m stuck on you – was Elvis Presley’s first number 1 hit following the US Army deployment in Europe. The visitors were already eagerly awaiting Walter Bischof in the role of Elvis and was rewarded with a corresponding amount of applause.
Finest string sounds
The evening was musically framed by the Fohnsdorf violin music. The trio consisting of the siblings Stefanie Kogler and Gerlinde Kauschitz as well as Clara Ploder inspired the audience with their fine and precise violin music with guitar accompaniment.
The repertoire ranged from Styrian and Irish folk sounds to Udo Jürgens’ “Greek Wine”.
Thanks to the municipality of Knittelfeld and the Kulturhaus team
A heartfelt thank you goes to the municipality of Knittelfeld and the Knittelfeld Cultural Office. The great support in the times of the pandemic and also during the concert evening by the team of the Kulturhaus made the work of the association a lot easier for the choir and also helped to make this successful song evening possible.
The MGVfRAU thanked all visitors and supporters of the concert and the association and invited the visitors to its next event, the Christmas concert on December 18th, 2022 in the Knittelfelder Friedhofskirche.
Contact:
www.mgvfrau-knittelfeld.at
chor@mgvfrau-knittelfeld.at
Chairman: Thomas Hollomey, 0676 / 73 69 930
