Georg Taube joined the Rundfunkchor Berlin in 1981. Born into an old-established and music-loving parson’s family in southern Thuringia, he considered it a matter of course to sing in the children’s and church choir. When he ultimately decided to study theology in Leipzig, he rounded off his theological studies by continuing to appear as a soloist in numerous church concerts. After graduation he enrolled for a vocal training course at Leipzig’s College of Music that lasted from 1976 to 1981. Simultaneously, he was under contract to the Musikalische Komödie in Leipzig as a choral tenor.
Taube described his move to the Rundfunkchor Berlin as the wisest decision of my life. He felt that the repertoire of a musical theatre was too small for him. Moreover, the opportunity to work with the legendary choirmaster Dietrich Knothe, whom he held in the highest regard both as a musician and as a person, was the highlight of his career. He still vividly remembers a rehearsal of Siegfried Matthus’ Laudate Pacem,in the course of which Knothe spotted a single wrong note in a 36-part episode depicting the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
What Taube likes about Simon Halsey is that the British conductor continues to fine-hone the intonation of the choir and that he encourages the singers to listen to each other. Taube’s favourite piece is the by Johannes Brahms because of its theological message.
The Rundfunkchor concert of which Taube has the fondest memories is a performance of Brahms’s Deutsches Requiem under Herbert Kegel at the Teatro Real de Madrid. This was the first time he saw the Spanish capital.
