{"id":16201,"date":"2024-12-24T13:37:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T18:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/?p=16201"},"modified":"2025-05-07T13:39:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T17:39:33","slug":"review-vienna-boys-choir-charms-athens-audience-with-christmas-in-vienna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/review-vienna-boys-choir-charms-athens-audience-with-christmas-in-vienna\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Vienna Boys Choir charms Athens audience with \u2018Christmas in Vienna\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Earrelevant<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Mark Gresham<\/p>\n

Widely regarded as one of the world\u2019s most prestigious choirs of their kind, the Vienna Boys Choir (Wiener S\u00e4ngerknaben) has captivated audiences for over 500 years. Their touring ensemble brought their renowned sound to Hodgson Concert Hall in Athens, Georgia, on December 18 with their tour concert entitled Christmas in Vienna. Under the direction of conductor and pianist Manolo Cagnin, the ensemble presented a richly varied program with works spanning several centuries and genres, a sweeping musical journey blending sacred choral works, classical masterpieces, traditional carols, and popular tunes.<\/p>\n

Though titled Christmas in Vienna, if one were not looking through the program list before the concert began, one might have initially wondered whether it was intended to celebrate the holiday season.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

The choir then shifted to jazz, film, and popular numbers: Oscar Peterson\u2019s Hymn to Freedom, Bruno Coulais\u2019 \u201cVois sur ton chemin\u201d from the movie Les choristes, and a pair of songs by Swedish pop quartet ABBA\u2019s Benny Anderson and Bj\u00f6rn Ulvaeus, \u201cThank You for the Music\u201d and \u201cMamma mia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00c1stor Piazzolla\u2019s Libertango, like the Mozart, was performed without lyrics in a transcription for treble voices but with piano, adding a surprising and lively twist to the program. Then the 1958 popular Italian song, \u201cNel blu dipinto di blu\u201d \u2013 familiarly known as \u201cVolare\u201d \u2013 concluded the concert\u2019s first half.<\/p>\n

Christmas, per se, would come after intermission.<\/p>\n

Opening the second half, Gaudete (from Piae Cantiones) set a jubilant tone with its lively rhythms and Renaissance flair. This energy carried into Karl Neuner\u2019s \u201cFr\u00f6liche Weihnacht \u00fcberall\u201d (\u201cMerry Christmas everywhere\u201d), a charming carol that radiated warmth and enthusiasm, and Joseph van Eybler\u2019s majestic Omnes de Saba venient (\u201cAll will come from Sheba\u201d). The Thuringian advent carol, \u201cMaria durch ein\u2019 Dornwald ging\u201d (\u201cMary walks amid the thorns\u201d) followed. Max Reger\u2019s Mari\u00e4 Wiegenlied (\u201cMary sits in the rose garden\u201d) offered a tender lullaby to the baby Jesus as Mary rocks him to sleep.<\/p>\n

Heinrich Reimann\u2019s Shepherds\u2019 Song and Andrew Carter\u2019s \u201cA Maiden Most Gentle\u201d brought pastoral charm to the program. The English carol \u201cGod Rest You Merry, Gentlemen\u201d and Adolphe Adam\u2019s \u201cO Holy Night, a popular centerpiece of classic Christmas repertoire, followed.<\/p>\n

As the program moved into lighter selections from movies, Jay Livingston\u2019s \u201cSilver Bells,\u201d from The Lemon Drop Kid, brought a cinematic nostalgia, while Howard Blake\u2019s \u201cWalking in the Air,\u201d from The Snowman, transported listeners into a dreamy winter landscape. The traditional Ukrainian New Year\u2019s carol Shchedryk (known in its Anglophone Christmas form as \u201cCarol of the Bells\u201d) added rhythmic brightness. Eduard Ebel\u2019s \u201cLeise rieselt der Schnee\u201d (\u201cQuietly Falls the Snow\u201d) painted an idyllic winter scene.<\/p>\n

A final medley of familiar tunes encapsulated the celebratory spirit of the season: \u201cO Tannenbaum,\u201d \u201cHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,\u201d and \u201cJingle Bells\u201d ended the program on a warm and joyous note.<\/p>\n

By blending centuries-old sacred works with modern carols, classical staples, and popular songs, the evening offered something for every listener.<\/p>\n

As the program drew to a close, a festive spirit lingered in the hall, and the choir performed a pair of encores. Even though only the program\u2019s second half was explicitly seasonal, for the gathered audience, the Vienna Boys Choir\u2019s Christmas in Vienna concert was an uplifting, heartwarming tribute to the holiday season.<\/p>\n

Read the full review.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Earrelevant By Mark Gresham Widely regarded as one of the world\u2019s most prestigious choirs of their kind, the Vienna Boys Choir (Wiener S\u00e4ngerknaben) has captivated audiences for over 500 years. Their touring ensemble brought their renowned sound to Hodgson Concert Hall in Athens, Georgia, on December 18 with their tour concert entitled Christmas in … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16202,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16201\/revisions\/16202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}