ARNOLD SCHOENBERG CHOIR (DIRECTOR: ERWIN ORTNER)
Founded in 1972 by artistic director Erwin Ortner, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir is one of Austria’s most multifaceted and sought-after vocal ensembles. Since 2006 the choir has served as the opera chorus in residence at the Theater an der Wien. Its repertoire ranges from the Renaissance and Baroque to the present day with a focus on contemporary music. The choir has a particular interest in a capella works, although its concert programmes also often include the great works for choir and orchestra.
Cornerstones of staged productions at the Theater an der Wien include operas such as Schubert’s Fierrabras (director: Ruth Berghaus, conductor: Claudio Abbado 1988, Wiener Festwochen), Janácek’s From the House of the Dead (director: Patrice Chéreau, conductor: Pierre Boulez, 2007, Wiener Festwochen), Handel’s Messiah (director: Claus Guth, conductor: Jean-Christophe Spinosi, 2009), and many other works. Of note is the International Opera Award-winning 2016 production of Britten’s Peter Grimes (director: Christof Loy, conductor: Cornelius Meister). In 2017, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir was named opera chorus of the year at the International Opera Awards in London.
International invitations have taken the choir to Asia and America, as well as across Europe and all over Austria where the ensemble is a popular attraction at festivals including Wiener Festwochen, Salzburg Festival, Wien Modern, Carinthischer Sommer and Styriarte Graz. In 2002, the nearly forty-year collaboration with Nikolaus Harnoncourt led to a Grammy for a recording of J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Further recordings with Harnoncourt include albums featuring the cantatas of J.S. Bach, one of which was nominated for a Grammy in 2010, the oratorios of Handel and Haydn, sacred music by W.A. Mozart, productions such as Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, as well as Harnoncourt’s final CD production, Beethoven’s Missa solemnis in 2016. The choir most recently self-released a recording of motets and sacred songs by Max Reger titled Die Nacht ist kommen (The Night Has Come).