One of the world’s original boybands, the Vienna Boys' Choir began in the fifteenth century as part of the Chapel of Maximilian of Habsburg. Maximilian was an Emperor on the move, and from the beginning touring has been an integral part of the choir’s ethos. Since becoming the Vienna Boys' Choir in 1924, the boys have sung in more than a hundred countries on close to a thousand tours.
They have visited the UK numerous times since their first London performance in 1934, and 2012 will mark their return to Britain after a 10 year absence. The tour will include eight dates in September and October 2012 with concerts in venues throughout England and Scotland, including a joint performance with the choir of King’s College, Cambridge.
To Gerald Wirth, the choir's Artistic Director, music is a language that needs to be developed, practised, and perfected. “The voice is the instrument we carry around with us. The better you know it, the more options you have at expressing yourself.” He believes that “singing touches a chord with practically everyone. We think we can make a difference. Singing is a great unifier, people who sing in choirs understand how to work as a team.” He believes in exposing the boys to as many different styles of music as possible and the choir’s repertoire spans from Gregorian chant to experimental music, and includes motets, lieder, masses, oratorios, symphonic works, children’s operas, and world music.
The rich musical tradition of their home city has inspired the music for the choir’s return to the UK, and with the programme ranging from maudlin Wiener Lieder to the lively polkas and waltzes of Johann and Josef Strauss, they have not sacrificed their commitment to varied repertoire. The choir are set to provide a journey through Viennese musical history, in which they have always played a central role, from their beginnings in the Chapel Imperial to contemporary Vienna.
Vienna has always attracted musicians from abroad: composers like Gluck, Mozart, Salieri, Beethoven and Bruckner were all drawn to the Imperial Court. Joseph and Michael Haydn were headhunted as choirboys in the mid-1700s, and in 1808, an 11-year-old Franz Schubert auditioned for a place. He stayed until he was 16, writing his first compositions while still in the choir. More recently, musicians such as Georg Kreisler and Billy Joel have been inspired by the city’s musical heritage.
In Schubert’s day, there were twenty choristers between the ages of eight and sixteen. Today’s choir has grown to around 100 boys between the ages of nine and fourteen, divided into four touring choirs named after iconic composers linked to the choir's history: Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Bruckner. While the Haydn choir visits the UK this year their counterparts tour Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Korea. The Vienna Boys’ Choir give around 300 concerts each year, attended by almost half a million spectators around the world.
29 September Town Hall, Leeds
30 September Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
2 October Cadogan Hall, London
4 October King’s College Chapel , Cambridge (joint concert with the choristers of King’s College choir)
5 October Town Hall, Birmingham
7 October Usher Hall, Edinburgh
8 October Music Hall, Aberdeen
