Two weeks before Easter, the concert in the atmospheric collegiate church in Kyllburg opens up sound spaces from medieval Gregorian chant with the Requiem and interweaves them with modern sound elements. The "Lux Aeterna" by British composer Edward Elgar provides glimpses of light for moments of introspection from the famous Enigma Variations, rounded off by a polyphonic choral improvisation on a key issue of our time: peace. The performers are the Westeifel Chamber Choir under the direction of Christoph Schömig, accompanied on the organ by Sebastian Benetello. The mezzo-soprano is Claudia Schreiner and the baritone is Tim-Lukas Reuter. Admission to the concert is free. The choir asks for a voluntary donation afterwards.

The Westeifel Chamber Choir was founded in September 1997 by regional cantor Christoph Schömig. Under his artistic direction, the choir has developed into an ensemble with an extremely demanding and varied repertoire. It brings together singers from all over the Eifel region who dedicate themselves to challenging choral music

Background information:

Maurice Duruflé's "Requiem" could be described as a "lullaby of death" due to its gentleness. The half-hour work spans an arc from Gregorian chant to the 20th century - that alone makes it worth listening to. The Requiem was composed in 1947 and Maurice Duruflé strikes a life-affirming, comforting and contemplative tone. His Requiem ends with the seemingly ethereal movement "In paradisum". The composer is just as familiar with the tradition of Gregorian chant and the art of the so-called "old masters" as he is with the developments of the 20th century.

"Notre Père" op. 14 is a choral composition by Maurice Duruflé, which sets the "Our Father" in French as a sacred motet. It was published in 1977 for voice and organ and in 1978 for four-part choir a cappella. Duruflé dedicated the composition to his wife Marie-Madeleine Duruflé. It is his last published composition and his only work suitable for congregational singing.

The "Lux Aeterna" by Edward Elgar is a choral arrangement of the Nimrod variation from Elgar's Enigma Variations, written by the British composer John Cameron. "Nimrod" is the name of the ninth and best-known variation in Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, an orchestral work with 14 variations composed between 1898 and 1899.

Christian Hagitte is a church musician and sound engineer from Berlin and is responsible for the diverse musical arrangement of church services and the involvement of professional and, above all, amateur musicians in church services, Taizé devotions and concert projects. His "Peace for our world" is a choral improvisation that reflects the longing and often disharmonious polyphonic and contradictory polyphony in the search for peace along a leitmotif, as in an aperçu to the concert.

Requiem - sound spaces for eternal light

Admission free. A donation is requested after the concert;

The program

• Maurice Duruflé, Requiem
• Maurice Duruflé, Notre Père
• Edward Elgar/John Cameron, Lux Aeterna
• Christian Hagitte, Kyrie (Peace for our world)

Performers

• Claudia Scheiner, mezzo-soprano
• Tim-Lukas Reuter, baritone
• Sebastian Benetello, organ
• West Eifel Chamber Choir