100 Years of the Rundfunkchor Berlin – Moments and Insights Into the Choir’s History
1920s: Founding Era of the Rundfunkchor Berlin
The Beginnings
The era of radio broadcasting in Berlin began in 1923. At first, radio had only 1,000 subscribers—within a year, that number had multiplied a hundredfold. By the time the Rundfunkchor Berlin was founded in 1925, there were already 200,000 listeners. The choir performed major works in concert halls and opera houses, from which performances were broadcast. Opera and operetta featured on the repertoire, and the choir also sang at the Vox-Haus in Berlin—initially in a room of only ten square metres. Under the direction of Cornelis Bronsgeest, a new format was introduced for these broadcasts: the »Sendespiel« (Radio Play). Initially, musicians were engaged for individual hours in changing line-ups, but in the spring of 1925, the decision was made to establish a dedicated in-house ensemble. From then on, twenty permanent singers formed the »Chor der Berliner Funk-Stunde« (Chorus of the Berlin Funk-Stunde). Many came from the Grosse Volksoper, which had closed earlier in the year due to the Great Depression. The first choir director, Ludwig Preiss, had previously led the Volksoper’s choir.
1926: Moving to the Great Broadcasting Hall
In order to make better use of radio as a new medium through choral music, distinctive features were sought for the programme of the Funk-Stunde. The focus was mainly on the sacred form of the oratorio. The room in the Vox-Haus previously used for rehearsals, however, soon proved too small. In 1926, the choir therefore moved within the building to the »Großer Sendesaal« (Great Broadcasting Hall), with space for 150 people. Since Ludwig Preiss’s repertoire focused primarily on secular staged works, the search began for a new leader of distinguished reputation. This resulted in the appointment of the highly decorated conductor Hugo Rüdel. Under his direction, the choir soon performed works by Palestrina, Bach and Orlando di Lasso.
1929: Weill / Brecht, »Der Lindberghflug«
»The Atlantic Crossing«
A few years after its foundation, the Choir of the Berlin Funk-Stunde became involved in the birth of a new dramatic genre for radio – the radio opera. Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, the celebrated creative team whose »Dreigroschenoper« (The Threepenny Opera) had taken Berlin by storm just a year before, joined forces with Paul Hindemith to create a specially commissioned opera for radio focusing on the transatlantic solo flight of American Charles Lindbergh. The choir assumed a wide variety of roles in the work, even personifying the Atlantic fog. Later, Brecht removed Lindbergh’s name from the title due to the aviator’s ideological proximity to National Socialism, renaming the piece »Der Ozeanflug« (The Ocean Flight).
1931: Opening of the Haus des Rundfunks
Move to Masurenallee
As interest in radio grew, the Vox-Haus could no longer accommodate the increasing demands. For this reason, in 1927 the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft commissioned the architect Hans Poelzig to design a new broadcasting building, stipulating two large broadcasting halls among other requirements. For the choir, the new premises opened fresh perspectives, since the acoustics of the studio at Vox-Haus had often been criticised as inadadequate.
1933: Singing Under National Socialism
After the National Socialists came to power, everything changed for the ensemble. In April 1933, radio broadcasting was placed under the control of the Goebbels-led Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, and the choir was renamed the »Chor des Reichssenders Berlin« (Chorus of the Reichssender Berlin). Its conductor became Heinzkarl Weigl, a member of the NSDAP and later also of the SS. Weigl remained in this role until 1940, after which he moved to the Orchestra of the Reichssender. Seemingly innocuous entertainment formats such as »Deutsches Funk-Potpourri« (German Radio Potpourri), »Wir laden zum Tanz« (We Invite you to Dance), and »Großer Tanzabend« (Grand Ball) were now promoted. This was termed »Organisation des Optimismus« (Organisation of Optimism) in Goebbels’ propaganda language. However, the Reichssender also had a mission to provide »national education« – with broadcasts titled »Deutsche Erde – Deutsches Lied« (German Soil – German Song) and »Zum Tag des Deutschen Volkstums« (On German Folk Culture Day).
From 1933: »Arisierung« of Broadcasting
Jews Not Wanted
A list was drawn up of Jewish artists no longer welcome on the airwaves, among them composers such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Jacques Offenbach, or conductors like Selmar Meyrowitz and George Szell. Also on the list: the Jewish singer Joseph Schmidt, a major, dazzling figure of the late Weimar Republic, who sang in 38 radio operas on Berlin Radio between 1929 and 1933. In spring 1933 he was denied entry to the Haus des Rundfunks.
1940: New Chorus Director Hans-Georg Görner
In Service to the Nation
Between 1940 and 1942, Hans-Georg Görner was chorus director of the Reichssender Berlin, having previously led the Kammerchor des Deutschlandsenders (Chamber Choir of the German Radio). Görner may be described as a staunch National Socialist. In the archives of the Rundfunkchor Berlin is a document written by Görner entitled »The Tasks of Musical Broadcasting in the Great Days of the Present«, most likely from 1940/41. In it, Görner writes: »The cultivation of art is no longer an end in itself; it now serves the nation. (…) Never before in history has an entire people been allowed to sing along as their sons achieved victory on the battlefields. Only our generation is granted the privilege of sharing directly in these momentous events. (…) Thus, through the power of music, broadcasting became the shaper of a nation inflamed with happiness and triumph at heart.«
September 1942: Dissolution of All Radio Choirs
A Temporary End to Broadcasting Choirs
On 15 September 1942, the radio choirs at the German Reich broadcasters were dissolved. The measure was ordered by Heinrich Glasmeier, Intendant of National Socialist broadcasting. His aim was to establish a »Greater German and European Broadcasting Service« in Linz, Adolf Hitler’s favourite city. There, Glasmeier created a Bruckner Orchestra with its own choir – entirely to the Führer’s taste. The »Reichs-Bruckner-Chor« became the joint successor to all radio choirs, bringing together many former singers from the various ensembles.
From 1945: The Helmut Koch Era
Risen from the Ruins
Helmut Koch was a central figure for Berlin’s radio choirs in the post-war decades. From the early 1930s onward, the conductor and chorus master was a key player in Berlin’s musical life. From 1931 he lead several workers’ choirs, which he united three years later under the umbrella of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berliner Chöre (ABC choirs). From 1933, the repertoire of these choirs had to adapt to Nazi dictates. By the late 1930s, this situation had become unbearable for Koch – or so he later stated himself. He relinquished the choirs and went on to work for record companies.
In 1945, he began rebuilding the »Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks« (Berlin Radio Soloists’ Association), a vocal ensemble with which he rehearsed a cappella repertoire from the Renaissance to the modern era. Three years later he also founded the »Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks« (Berlin Radio Grand Choir). In the GDR, Koch received many honours, especially for his oratorio performances at the Handel Festival in Halle. With him on the podium, the radio choirs performed in Italy, France, England and many other countries. Koch remained chief conductor of the Solistenvereinigung and the Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks until shortly before his death in 1975.
1945: Post-War Era
Crossing Berlin by Bicycle
Helmut Koch was a pivotal figure for Berlin’s radio choirs in the decades following the war. Since the early 1930s, Koch had been a key presence in Berlin’s music scene as conductor and chorus master. Immediately after the war, Berlin Radio sought to resume choral activity and asked Koch to rebuild the choir. Koch travelled across Berlin by bicycle in search of surviving members of the choir, dissolved in 1942, and recruited new singers. He later recalled: »During the day I organised programmes for dance and entertainment music, and in the evenings I took care of serious music. One by one, I visited artists by bicycle, gathered them together, and founded the professional choir ›Madrigal-Vereinigung Wilmersdorf‹. I also took on the Berliner Solistenvereinigung and began making radio recordings around May/June 1945. Eventually, the Berliner Solistenvereinigung merged with the Madrigalchor, forming a new ensemble of 24 singers. In December 1945, this group received its contract as the ›Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks‹.«
1948: The »Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks« is Founded
80 Positions for a Large Choir
Long-standing chorus singer Werner Eberhardt wrote in the choir’s archive: »On 10 July 1948, the management of Berlin Radio held a meeting concerning the founding of a ›Large Radio Choir‹. SMAD (Soviet Military Administration) representative Lieutenant Trebljowa agreed that further neglect of folk songs, workers’ choir pieces and revolutionary or political songs would threaten the popularity of Berlin Radio among the masses. Administrator Mahle: Using the Solistenvereinigung for this purpose was not possible, as the association of vocal soloists was only suitable for chamber choir repertoire. A choir of between 65 and 80 members was planned, with salaries of 400–500 Reichsmarks each. However, Berlin Radio’s tense financial situation meant there was no money for the extra 80 positions. Mahle resolved to advocate for these positions and secure payment. Lieutenant Trebljowa promised support.«
1950s: GDR Ideology
Party Songs
In addition to classical choral repertoire, from the 1950s onwards »party songs« became a regular feature of the choir’s programmes. In 1950, at a celebration in the House of Soviet Culture, the ensemble performed the »Aufbaulied« (Building Song), »Lenin-Lied« (Lenin Song), and »Ehre dem großen Stalin« (Honour to the Great Stalin). The second Day of the Cooperative in 1952 featured the »Polnisches Aktivistenlied« (Polish Activist Song) and »Wir bauen Berlin« (We Are Building Berlin). On Teachers’ Day in 1955, the choir sang pieces such as »Das Lied der Gewerkschaften« (Song of the Trade Unions), »Das Eisenbahnerlied« (The Railwayman’s Song) and »Der berühmte Traktorist« (The Famous Tractor Driver).
1952: The Haus des Rundfunks as a Soviet Enclave
State of Siege
After World War II, the Haus des Rundfunks in Masurenallee became a Soviet enclave within the British sector. Broadcasts by Berlin Radio were under Soviet control. The journalist Hans Hielscher, who recited poetry on Berlin Radio as a child, wrote later in Der Spiegel: »The final battle for the Haus des Rundfunks came at the beginning of June 1952, when English troops cordoned it off with barbed wire. Nobody was allowed in; anyone who left could not return. Over sixty employees remained and continued to work for weeks. The ›besieged‹ were hailed as heroes in the East German media and supplied by Soviet guards. During this period, GDR officials gradually replaced the broadcasts with content from the stations in Grünau and Nalepastraße, where children’s and pioneer radio now operated. By late August 1952, the Russians transported everything out of the Funkhaus that was needed in the East.«
1952: Move to the Soviet Sector
Opening of the Funkhaus Nalepastraße
In summer 1951, on the site of a former plywood factory in Nalepastraße, East Berlin, work began to convert the facilities into a radio centre. At the same time, much of the equipment at Masurenallee was dismantled. By mid-September 1952, the first studios in the new Funkhaus began broadcasting, although not all rooms were yet completed. After vacating the Haus des Rundfunks, the choir was forced to move from one rehearsal space to another, using cultural halls in factories, the Academy of Arts at Robert-Koch-Platz, and the Post Office on Oberwallstraße.
1955: Reopening of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden
A Glorious Messiah
During the Second World War, the Berlin Staatsoper had been destroyed by bombs twice: after the 1942 attack it had reopened relatively quickly, but following the second air raid in February 1945, reconstruction had dragged on. At first, East Berlin’s city authorities considered establishing a music school there, only deciding in favour of an opera house in 1951. The »Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin« (German State Opera of Berlin) finally opened on 4 September 1955. During the ensuing festival weeks, the Solistenvereinigung and the Sinfonieorchester des Berliner Rundfunks (Symphony Orchestra of Berlin Radio) performed Handel’s »Messiah« under Helmut Koch. The SED party newspaper Neues Deutschland reported on a »glorious« performance.
1957: Italy
In 1957, the Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks and the Solistenvereinigung visited the music festival in Perugia. Under the headline »Triumph of Artists from the GDR«, Neues Deutschland celebrated them on 29 September 1957: »At the international music festival ›Sagra musicale umbra‹, held these days in the Italian city of Perugia, our artists – as we have already reported – have received rapturous applause. Initially, at the intervention of the West Berlin Senate via the Bonn ambassador in Rome, artists from the GDR were refused entry; only later, following protests by the Italian hosts and the public, was permission granted. As a result, the opening concert, which had been entrusted to the Sinfonieorchester and Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks with the Solistenvereinigung des Deutschlandsenders under the direction of Franz Konwitschny, had to be postponed by 24 hours.«
October 1965: Metropol-Theater, Friedrichstraße, »Mansfelder Oratorium«
Heroes of Labour
One of the most successful propaganda works of the GDR was the »Mansfelder Oratorium« (Manfeld Oratorio, 1950): a hymn of praise to the steadfast miners of Mansfeld. A particularly acclaimed performance by the Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks and the Solistenvereinigung took place in October 1965 at the Metropol-Theater (today Admiralspalast). On 13 October 1965, the GDR newspaper Der Morgen hailed this »heroic song of labour« brought to the stage by the choir and praised the ensemble’s »good instinct« in reviving the work. Composer Ernst Hermann Meyer and librettist Stefan Hermlin were lauded for implementing the so-called »Bitterfeld Path« particularly successfully. In the late 1950s, the »Bitterfeld Path« aimed to draw workers closer to culture and to establish Socialist Realism as the guiding artistic doctrine.
1967: Tour of Italy
Handel and Carissimi in Italy
Under strict conditions, the Berliner Solistenvereinigung and the Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks were permitted to embark on a tour of Italy in 1967. The journey took the ensemble to Perugia, Città di Castello, Terni, Rome, Parma and Genoa. Together with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Helmut Koch, the choir performed Handel’s oratorios »Messiah« and »Semele« — the latter for the first time in Italy. The programme also featured »Jephte« by Giacomo Carissimi, an early Baroque work by the Italian composer.
1970s: Youth Dedications and Songs of Labour
Ingeborg Müller, then a singer with the Rundfunkchor Berlin, recalls: »In the GDR, we often performed at youth dedication ceremonies, even in small groups. Sometimes we sang for families. Above all, we performed songs celebrating labour, written by contemporary composers who also composed for our choir—Andre Asriel, Siegfried Matthus and Dietrich Erdmann.«
1970s: Live from the Synagogue in Rykestraße
»We Led the Sabbath Service«
»We alternated with the RIAS Kammerchor in the synagogue in Rykestraße, performing in a small so-called ›gig line-up‹ for the Sabbath service with Cantor Estrongo Nachama, simply singing at sight. Only a handful of singers from each voice group were involved in the respective services. The services were broadcast live on the radio every Friday. It was a joy to hear Estrongo Nachama sing. He was a gifted vocalist, and I have never again heard such a voice from a cantor. He had a wonderfully rich sound.« This recollection comes from Ingeborg Müller, then a singer with the Rundfunkchor Berlin.
1973: Trip to Finland
Dedicated Handel Tradition
In September 1973, the Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks and the Solistenvereinigung travelled to Finland. The Allgemeine Deutsche Nachrichtendienst (General German News Service) reported at the end: »The musical highlight of the Helsinki Festival was the performance of the ›Messiah‹ given by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, the Rundfunkchor and the Solistenvereinigung under the direction of Prof. Helmut Koch. For the Berlin radio ensembles, which have long distinguished themselves through their dedicated cultivation of Handel’s music, this was also their 30th performance of the ›Messiah‹. Prof. Helmut Koch stated that not only experts and festival organisers, but also Helsinki’s musically sophisticated audiences, lavished the artists from the GDR with the highest praise.« The Finnish press added its voice to this acclaim.
1974: Tour of Japan
Leaving for the »Capitalist Abroad«
For the »GDR Music Days« in Japan, the Rundfunkchor Berlin travelled to Osaka, Kurashiki, Nagoya and Tokyo in 1974. With the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Kurt Sanderling, the choir presented Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The newspaper »Neue Zeit« summed up the success of the GDR artists’ and ensembles’ guest performances in the capitalist abroad: »Three leading ensembles and 16 eminent soloists appeared at 87 events before some 170,000 spectators. « Not mentioned in the report is the number of choir members who used the tour as an opportunity to emigrate—a married couple decided to remain in Japan.
1974: Two Become One
The Rundfunkchor Berlin Gains Its Name
A significant union between two radio ensembles took place in 1974: the »Solistenvereinigung« and the »Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks« merged to become the Rundfunkchor Berlin – a name that remains to this day. This also brought the era of Helmut Koch to a close: he stepped down as chief conductor at the end of the 1973/74 season. His successor was Heinz Rögner, who at that time also led the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.
1977: Alexander Borodin, »Fürst Igor« at the Palast der Republik
Berlin–Leningrad
To mark the 60th anniversary of the »Great Socialist October Revolution«, Alexander Borodin’s opera »Fürst Igor« (Prince Igor) was presented in June 1977 in a concert performance at the Palast der Republik. The concert was a German-Soviet collaboration. Soloists came from the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad; the Rundfunkchor Berlin was prepared by Leningrad conductor Robert Lutter, and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin played under Wolf-Dieter Hauschild. The paper Neue Zeit heard much »Russian colour«, thanks to the »full-blooded musicality and vocal power of the Soviet singers«.
1980: Sharing the Stage with Mikis Theodorakis
Enthusiasm and Gratitude
At the 10th Festival of Political Song, Mikis Theodorakis and Pablo Neruda performed together with the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Theodorakis wrote in the choir’s guestbook on 14 February 1980: »With enthusiasm and gratitude for the wonderful collaboration on Canto General.«
1984: Reopening of the Schauspielhaus am Gendarmenmarkt
A Venue for A Cappella Choral Works
On 7 October 1984, the rebuilt Schauspielhaus designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, which had been destroyed during the Second World War and reconstructed from the late 1970s, officially reopened its doors. Until then, the Rundfunkchor Berlin had alternated between performing at the Metropol-Theater, the Volksbühne and the Palast der Republik. Now, there was finally a concert hall whose acoustics and ambience were suitable for presenting a cappella repertoire.
1986: Victims of the GDR Regime
The Dismissal
For Klaus Silber, his years as a member of the Rundfunkchor Berlin were also marked by pain. He and his wife, as devout Christians, were not welcomed by the GDR regime. »We loved being in the choir, singing countless sacred pieces,« he recalls, »but we were persecuted, and even within the choir there was a powerful SED party group.« In 1986, his wife, who was ill, was refused essential Western medication. The couple applied to emigrate and were subsequently dismissed from the choir. »GDR radio was the party’s propaganda instrument; we didn’t belong. We were banned from our profession and working altogether. To make ends meet, we had to sell our possessions.« Their emigration was only approved in 1988. Following reunification, both were rehabilitated and rejoined the Rundfunkchor Berlin. »The most wonderful memories I have are of our international tours and performances with the Berliner Philharmoniker,« says Silber.
1982–1993: Chief Conductor Dietrich Knothe
A Meticulous Worker
Dietrich Knothe was known for saying he would happily »tear his ears to bits on high-quality works – and perhaps the singers’ nerves too.« In fact, Knothe, who led the Rundfunkchor Berlin from 1982 to 1993, was demanding, ambitious and single-minded in his approach. He occasionally clashed with GDR cultural policy: during his time with the Rundfunkchor Leipzig, he was summarily dismissed as chorus master in October 1962, when his choir left the hall before singing the national anthem at a Republic Day ceremony. The reason? A major piece was scheduled for a few days later, and Knothe needed the rehearsal time. »Dietrich Knothe transformed the Rundfunkchor Berlin into a true precision instrument,« observes Hans-Hermann Rehberg, chorus director from 1990 to 2022. »The choir already stood for a soulful sound, but under his direction, exactitude and meticulousness were added. Knothe ensured that the choir’s learning pace more than doubled compared to his predecessors.«
November 1988: The Ladies of the Rundfunkchor in West Berlin
Harbingers of Change
Not only did a »wind of change« sweep through pop music in Berlin in 1988 – it was also the moment when the Rundfunkchor Berlin began to travel regularly to the West of the republic. In November 1988, the women of the Rundfunkchor Berlin performed alongside the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Philharmonie in (West) Berlin. Gustav Holst’s »The Planets« was on the bill, conducted by Sir Colin Davis – an epochal evening and the prelude to a tour to Salzburg in 1989. Catherine Hense, singer with the Rundfunkchor Berlin since 1988, said: »I still remember how, as a student at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in the 1980s, I used to look out of the window – back then, the campus was still in Wilhelmstraße. We could see the Philharmonie, and between us lay the wall. I always thought: one day, I want to sing in that house. That wish came true in 1988. I was a bit overwhelmed by the bustle of the West, but performing at the Philharmonie was a dream.«
1989: The 9th of November
The Fall of the Wall
Werner Eberhardt, long-time member and archivist of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, recalls the day the Berlin Wall fell: »The women had the day off on 9 November 1989, while the men were at the Funkhaus in the evening recording Strauss’s ›Tageszeiten‹ under Alfred Walter. On television, there was an important press conference with Schabowski, and as our colleagues made their way to the Funkhaus, the announcement came that the Wall had been opened. The emotional spectrum ranged from disbelief to joy and doubt. The next morning, everyone looked exhausted – almost everyone had been out all night with family in West Berlin, or elsewhere, or at least glued to the television, following these seismic developments.«
1989: »The Berlin Celebration Concerts« with Leonard Bernstein
Hope, Unity, and Tolerance
In 1989, Leonard Bernstein came to the newly reunified city to conduct Beethoven’s »Ode to Joy« with the Rundfunkchor Berlin, other choirs and an international orchestra – first in East Berlin, then in West Berlin. Bernstein famously retitled Schiller’s lyrics from »Freude« (»Joy«) to »Freiheit« (»Freedom«). Margarete Bares, singer with the Rundfunkchor Berlin from 1966 to 2003, recalls:
»Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony had always had special significance in my life as a singer – I checked, and I sang it around 170 times! I felt honoured to perform the Ninth as one of 25 singers from the Rundfunkchor Berlin in that historic moment. Bernstein, a conductor of immense charisma, was a dream choice for these concerts. Schiller’s words reflected the mood after the fall of the Wall – hope, universality and a spirit of tolerance. There was incredible tension within the choir; we were highly motivated. Then Bernstein changed the text from ›Joy‹ to ›Freedom‹ – a liberty you grant the conductor in such circumstances. The audience quickly understood the message and rewarded Bernstein with rapturous applause. History was made.«
1989: The Reunification Concerts with Leonard Bernstein
Greetings from Unity
Rita Süssmuth, then President of the German Bundestag, visited one of the two Bernstein celebration concerts marking the fall of the Wall. On 24 December 1989, she wrote in the choir’s guestbook:
»All people will become brothers … Freedom, beautiful spark of the gods … What unites us can never again be divided. Sharing and understanding music together – led by L. Bernstein with the Rundfunkchor East-Berlin and many Europeans – an unforgettable evening … Thank you!«
October 1990: Benefit Concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker
The Unquestionable Best of the Reunited City
A holiday for the Rundfunkchor Berlin, now fully at home in reunified Berlin: at the end of October 1990, the choir joined the Berliner Philharmoniker for a benefit concert under Daniel Barenboim. Beethoven’s »Missa solemnis« was the sole work on the programme. Critic Klaus Geitel wrote in the Berliner Morgenpost on 1 November 1990: »The unquestionable best of the reunited city have come together on stage. And it is the choir who provides the unforgettable moments that evening. Singing with the utmost clarity and tireless energy, they deliver the challenging choral blocks with majestic force and brilliance.«
1990: Presidential Benefit Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
»I Know No Better Choir«
The then Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker wrote in the choir’s guestbook after two benefit concerts on 30 and 31 October 1990: »Gratefully indebted for two unforgettable evenings of the Missa solemnis. I know no better choir.«
1990–2022: From Singer to Chorus Director
The Rehberg Era
Hans-Hermann Rehberg, chorus director from 1990 to 2022, looks back on an era full of innovation and artistic highlights. The choir was awarded three Grammy prizes, realised performances of all Wagner operas, and pioneered interdisciplinary concert formats. He is especially proud of the »Broadening the Scope of Choral Music« initiative, which opened up new avenues for choral performance. The choir set trailblazing accents with projects such as Holst’s »Sāvitri« at Berghain. Rehberg considers Richard Strauss’s »Der Abend« as a summit of a cappella literature and looks back fondly on the moment the rehearsal ends, the audience fills the hall, and the choir’s sound brings the magic alive: »With Beethoven’s ›Missa solemnis‹, Henze’s Ninth Symphony and Brahms’s ›Ein deutsches Requiem‹, the Rundfunkchor Berlin is rivalled by none!«
1990: Upheaval and Uncertainty
The opening of the Wall was above all a liberation: in 1990, the Rundfunkchor Berlin received numerous engagements and collaborates with many different orchestras. At the same time, there was uncertainty: in June 1990 all four radio ensembles of the GDR in Berlin were dissolved. A high-stakes negotiation over future sponsorship began. Cuts also had to be accepted: while 87 singers had still been in the choir in the 1980s, it was now reduced to 64 members.
1990: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9
Ringing in the New Year with the Ninth
For decades, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been an essential tradition of the Rundfunkchor Berlin. To celebrate the turn of the year, it is always performed together with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Yet, this work has sounded on many momentous occasions – not only at New Year’s Eve. The chorus has sung Schiller’s verses to Beethoven’s music at numerous moments of historic significance, including the official concert on the eve of German reunification on 2 October 1990.
1991: First Collaboration with Sir Simon Rattle
»With Deepest Thanks and Great Admiration«
At the beginning of 1991, the Rundfunkchor Berlin worked for the first time with Sir Simon Rattle. On 5 January, the choir sang Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 under his direction at the Konzerthaus Berlin with the Berliner Philharmoniker. »With deepest thanks and great admiration,« Rattle wrote in the choir’s guestbook.
1991: Tour of Japan
»Ode to Joy« in Hiroshima
Jörg Schneider, a member of the Rundfunkchor Berlin since 1989, recalls enthusiastically: »For me, the tour of Japan was a very special journey. I had never been to another continent and now I could experience Japanese culture first-hand. Together with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, we travelled from the north to the deep south across many islands. We alternated in performing Beethoven’s Ninth and Mozart’s Requiem plus ›Ave verum‹. Singing the ›Ode to Joy‹ in Hiroshima, after performing in the morning at the Peace Memorial, moved me profoundly and will remain unforgettable.«
September 1991: The First »Wessi« (West German) Joins the Rundfunkchor Berlin
New Possibilities and Freedoms
Michael Timm remembers: »It was an unusual, euphoric time, shaped by the new possibilities and freedoms suddenly available. My colleagues in the Rundfunkchor Berlin welcomed me very warmly. We rehearsed back then at the Funkhaus Nalepastraße in Oberschöneweide – for me, it was difficult to come to terms with the grey surroundings of the largely abandoned GDR broadcasting complex, even though the main studio, with its recording possibilities, was fantastic.«
1992: Change of Sponsorship
Interlude at Deutschlandsender Kultur
With the fall of the Wall, the German media landscape also changed. GDR broadcasting became obsolete with the end of the state, while Deutschlandfunk lost its role of transmitting information from West to East. The same applied to the US-controlled RIAS. For the Berlin radio ensembles, the question now was who will be their future sponsors. In this transitional phase, the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin moved to »Deutschlandsender Kultur« (German Cultural Broadcaster) in 1992, under the auspices of ZDF, with ARD joining later. Deutschlandsender Kultur, created after reunification from Deutschlandsender and Radio DDR II, continues to broadcast »on behalf of ARD and ZDF« from Funkhaus Nalepastraße. Which broadcasting institution the ensembles would belong to in the long term remained unclear. This interlude with Deutschlandsender Kultur lasted until the founding of the Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre gGmbH in 1994.
1994: Founding of the Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre gGmbH Berlin (ROC)
The Spirit of the »Wende Days«
On 1 January 1994, the Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre gGmbH was founded, ending the uncertainty that followed German reunification for Berlin’s radio ensembles. »The fall of the Wall, reunification and, finally, the incorporation into the ROC – three liberating blows for the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB). Due to their special status, they escaped being wound up. While there was initial rivalry between the RSB and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, also newly merged into the ROC, the choirs were spared this. The RIAS Kammerchor and the Rundfunkchor Berlin had distinct artistic profiles. The fall of the Wall and the ensuing organisational changes had an enormous psychological effect: the choir from East Berlin could now flourish. Its existence was secure; the unified city, the western part of Germany, and indeed the whole world were now open to it. The audience felt this new enthusiasm too. With their chorus director Hans-Hermann Rehberg, who had already managed the transition into the ROC, the singers developed new programmes, embarked on tours, and celebrated achievements they could previously only have dreamed of. Even today, I sense the »spirit of the Wende days« at concerts and in conversations with members of the choir – moments that led them to fresh successes. They could now fully enjoy their freedom, as citizens and as artists.« (Ernst Elitz, Chair of the Board of Trustees, ROC gGmbH, and Director of Deutschlandradio 1994–2009)
Since 1994: Collabroation with Conductor Marek Janowski
Artistic and Personal Affinity
The Rundfunkchor Berlin also enjoyed a regular collaboration with conductor Marek Janowski. He first conducted the choir in 1994 for a recording of Weber’s »Der Freischütz« (The Marksman) with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Many international tours follow. Janowski congratulated the Rundfunkchor Berlin warmly on its centenary: »It is both a pleasure and an honour for me to congratulate the Rundfunkchor Berlin on its hundredth anniversary. In many concerts with me in Berlin, Paris, Zurich, Geneva, Monte Carlo, Rome, the choir has always demonstrated its outstanding quality. Over the years (at least in my view), an artistic and human rapport has developed, which I look back on with great fondness. All the very best for the next hundred years!«
1994–2001: The Robin Gritton Era
The Test
From 1994 to 2001, British conductor Robin Gritton led the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Gritton reflects on his first meeting with the ensemble: »I first came into contact with the Rundfunkchor Berlin in the early 1990s. I was invited to visit, curious as I entered the studio at Nalepastraße. I remember being given a rather charming, simple, three-verse arrangement of a German folk song, a piece I’d never seen before, and was asked to rehearse it straight away. Only later did I learn it was a test. To this day, nobody has told me why this trap was set, but I quickly felt I had to do my utmost to find an interpretation that inspired the choir to beautiful singing. I must have passed, as soon after I was asked to become chief conductor. It took me some time to consider, but a year later I took up the post. Long live the Rundfunkchor Berlin!«
1997: Hans-Werner Henze, Symphony No. 9, World Premiere
Anti-Fascism
Hans Werner Henze described his Ninth Symphony as »an apotheosis of horror and pain«; the work bears the dedication: »To the heroes and martyrs of German anti-fascism«. The text, written by author Hans-Ulrich Treichel, is based on Anna Seghers’s novel »The Seventh Cross«, about the escape of seven prisoners from a concentration camp. As a choral symphony, the work assigns the choir a central role: it is precisely the human voices that convey the content and emotional impact of Henze’s text-centred music most directly. Together with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Rundfunkchor Berlin gave the world premiere of the Ninth on 11 September 1997 under Ingo Metzmacher. A second recording followed in 2009 with Marek Janowski and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.
1998: Australia and New Zealand Tour
»We Were Welcomed with a Maori Ceremony«
Jörg Schneider, a member of the Rundfunkchor Berlin since 1989, recalls: »I was immediately fascinated by the various Asian cultures during our stopover in Singapore. In Australia, we were invited to the Adelaide Festival and performed Rachmaninov’s ›Vespers‹ with Robin Gritton – always a wonderful work! When we reached New Zealand, we were greeted in Wellington with a Maori ceremony. The reception in the garden of the historic Government House was also impressive – a jazz band played, the governor himself took care of our well-being, and many Maori attended. We gave four concerts in Wellington, of which two were with a New Zealand choir, performing Schoenberg’s ›Gurre-Lieder‹.«
2000: Founding of the Association »Friends and Supporters of the Rundfunkchor Berlin«
Enthusiasm and Commitment
»In 100 years, the Rundfunkchor Berlin has thrilled its audiences countless times; for a quarter of a century, it has also been able to rely on the steady support of a circle of particularly committed fans of top-class choral music. Thanks to the funds raised, the now 450 Friends and Supporters have co-financed numerous innovative musical projects of the Rundfunkchor Berlin. A key focus of the support programme has always been nurturing the next generation of singers. This year we welcomed the 50th cohort to the Rundfunkchor’s Academy; many of its alumni are now permanent members of the ensemble. This is complemented by funding for the choir’s regular Schola workshops, which allow students from various universities to experience the work of the Rundfunkchor Berlin at close range.«
2001: Schoenberg’s »Gurre-Lieder« with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle at the Philharmonie
Raising the Roof of the Philharmonie
On this occasion, Eleonore Büning wrote in the FAZ (20 September 2001): »The three four-part male choirs and the eight-part mixed choir more than matched the orchestral forces. Their final ›Sun Hymn‹ seemed almost to raise the roof of the Philharmonie.«
2001: Tour of the USA
»We Felt Deep Gratitude«
Katrin Fischer, a member of the Rundfunkchor Berlin since 1989, recalls: »The tour of the USA was a great adventure. For 16 days we travelled back and forth across the United States, flying to a different city almost every other day, having a brief ›warm-up rehearsal‹ and then performing a concert. Most of the time we appeared in university concert halls on campus. Many in the audience were former emigrants, primarily from Germany and other European countries. I believe that with works by Mendelssohn, Brahms and Richard Strauss we were able to bring them a sense of ›sounds from home‹. I was particularly moved by the fact that some people travelled four hours just to hear us. We were warmly welcomed everywhere and felt deep gratitude. The tour concluded at New York’s Lincoln Center with Henze’s Ninth Symphony and Beethoven’s ›Choral Fantasy‹, conducted by Kurt Masur.«
2001–2015: The Simon Halsey Era
»Collective passion, inspiration and energy«
Simon Halsey’s tenure as chief conductor and artistic director of the Rundfunkchor Berlin from 2001 to 2015 marked a high point in the choir’s history. Under his direction, ground-breaking projects were launched, inspired by an outstanding ensemble. The choir distinguished itself through collective passion, discipline and a remarkable energy manifesting in musical excellence. With support from chorus director Hans-Hermann Rehberg, the choir’s sound was refined and numerous education initiatives were set in motion. This period was a zenith for the choir, setting the foundation for future successes. »A deep sense of shared musical striving – it’s a gift one never forgets,« said Halsey.
2002–2015: Simon & Simon
A Symbiosis
Between 2002 and 2015, Sir Simon Rattle (chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker) and Simon Halsey (chorus director of the Rundfunkchor Berlin) formed a legendary »dream team« for Berlin’s classical scene. Their partnership birthed landmark musical projects, broke boundaries, and set new benchmarks. Intense collaborations with director Peter Sellars, especially on Bach’s works, led to an artistic development that challenged all involved. Rattle described the choir under Halsey as a collective without limits, capable of rare symbiosis through trust and generosity. »The Rundfunkchor Berlin and Simon Halsey – those words already sound like adventure,« noted Sir Simon Rattle.
2004: Carl Orff, »Carmina Burana« with the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Philharmonie Berlin
A Rich Palette of Colour
Carl Orff’s »Carmina Burana« is one of the most famous choral works of all time. Standing out from the multitude of performances therefore requires special effort. The two »Simons« – Rattle with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Halsey with the Rundfunkchor Berlin – clearly did not shy away from this in their collaboration. The orchestra unleashed a rich palette of colours, and the choir ranged from massive sonority (»O Fortuna«) to the featherlight touch of a spring breeze (»Ecce gratum«).
2005: Inauguration of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, with Junge Deutsche Philharmonie under Lothar Zagrosek
When Voices Fall
On 10 May 2005, Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was inaugurated. Wolfgang Rihm’s composition »Memoria – Drei Requiem-Bruchstücke« (Three Fragments of a Requiem) received its world premiere. In the FAZ, Eleonore Büning described the Rundfunkchor Berlin’s interpretation: »First the choir is deprived of its words, then of its voices; it whispers and gasps, breathing rhythmically in triple piano, until at the end its constricted throats erupt in a cry, heralded by a bright boy soprano.«
Since 2005: Broadening the Scope of Choral Music
»Simon was on fire right away«
Hans-Hermann Rehberg recalls the origins of the »Broadening the Scope of Choral Music« series: »It was about opening up a larger audience for a cappella music. Together with Simon Halsey, I considered what new concert formats could bring choral music to the world in fresh ways. Concerts where people applaud after every number – I always found that unbearable. One day, standing in the stripped-out Palast der Republik, I suddenly ›heard‹ music from Shchedrin’s ›Der versiegelte Engel‹ (The Sealed Angel) echoing through my mind! I didn’t have to persuade Simon for long to plan a project for this space –Simon was on fire right away.« The project’s name comes from Halsey, describing the long-term mission to open up new performance spaces for the Rundfunkchor Berlin – physically and musically. Ultimately, the planned performance in the Palast der Republik did not occur.
Since 2003: Sing-Along Concerts
A Festival for Choral Fans
Few concerts in the Berlin Philharmonie’s Grand Hall sell out as quickly as the annual Sing-Along Concert of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, an eagerly anticipated event for countless amateur singers. Initiated by Simon Halsey, the format debuted in 2003 on a more modest scale. Since 2005, 1,300 singing enthusiasts gather each year to perform a major work from the oratorio repertoire together with the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. A true celebration for choral fans of every kind!
2005: Rodion Shchedrin, »The Sealed Angel«
Dark, Warm, Pure
Rodion Shchedrin’s choral work »The Sealed Angel« was performed in May 2005 as the first project in the »Broadening the Scope of Choral Music« series, conducted by Stefan Parkman. The composer himself attended as his vocal liturgy, rooted in ancient Russian modes and spirituality, was performed with only a flute as accompaniment and complemented visually by dance theatre. The production marked the beginning of a long partnership with choreographer Lars Scheibner. »The Rundfunkchor Berlin sounds dark, warm, pure and convincingly Russian – even in the lowest male voices,« the choir was praised at the time by klassik.com.
Since 2006: Liederbörse (Song Exchange) – Sing-Along Concert for Schoolchildren
A Matter of the Heart
In April 2024, long-time choral director Maike Bühle conducted two Liederbörse concerts (Song Exchange). She said of the project: »It’s truly close to my heart to inspire young people to sing together and to immerse them in the fantastic world of choral music in all its remarkable diversity. To work as the conductor of the Liederbörse is pure fulfilment for me!«
2006: World Premiere at the Ultraschall Festival
»Angst«
Two climbers, a snowstorm in the Andes and a fateful decision – this is the core of Christian Jost’s choral opera »Angst« (Fear). The composer was inspired by the dramatic story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates in 1985: the two Britons attempted to conquer Siula Grande in Peru, but a storm turned their descent into a life-threatening ordeal. Yates lowered his partner Simpson on a rope until he faced a terrible choice: either be dragged to his death, or cut the rope to save his own life.
»When I read the story, I thought: this is our piece. There’s so much in it – the rope is the umbilical cord, the lifeline, the thread of fate! The 60-voice choir embodies, in compositional terms, the inner voices and thoughts of the two climbers in this extreme situation. For me, it was a unique project. It crucially shaped how I have used choirs in my later operas.«
2007: Igor Stravinsky, »Symphony of Psalms« with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Grammy Joy
Christine Lemke-Matwey wrote in the Tagesspiegel: »Berlin in Grammy bliss: For the second time since 2008, the Rundfunkchor Berlin with chief Simon Halsey and the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle together win the coveted trophy for ›Best Choral Recording‹. With Stravinsky’s ›Symphony of Psalms‹, they triumphed in Los Angeles over the London Symphony Orchestra and its choir. The Stravinsky CD (EMI) is based on three live concerts at the Berlin Philharmonie in late September 2007 and also includes his Symphony in C and the Symphony in Three Movements.«
2007: »The Veil of the Temple – Journey to the End of the Night«
A Night at the Museum
Stamina, perseverance and sharpened senses were required in May 2007 from some 800 attendees at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin. The performance of John Tavener’s »The Veil of the Temple«, staged by Dutch director Rogier Hardeman, ran through the night from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Five choirs took part; texts from all world religions resonated through the museum, as the work asks what role religious tradition plays in the search for transcendence. A waking dream!
2007 / 2008: German-Turkish Concert Series by ROC Berlin
Christian and Islamic Festival Songs
Opening up also meant addressing the migrant community more directly. Together with the Konservatorium für Türkische Musik Berlin (Conservatory of Turkish Music), ROC organised four concerts in the 2007/08 season in which German and Turkish musicians performed for both German and Turkish audiences. At a concert in Berlin’s Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche, the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Conservatory Choir sang Christian and Islamic festive and holiday songs side by side.
2008 / 2011: Ernst Pepping, »Passionsbericht des Matthäus«
Trauma and Guilt
Six hundred white towels lay neatly stacked on stage. One by one, the singers of the Rundfunkchor Berlin stepped forward to scoop water from bowls and wash each other’s hands, while a video triptych in the background showed images of suffering and destruction. In director Hans-Werner Kroesinger’s staging, the questions of guilt, atonement and forgiveness, which Ernst Pepping placed at the centre of his »Passionsbericht des Matthäus« (St Matthew Passion), gained urgent visual force. »I often ask myself why this fantastic piece isn’t performed more often,« said conductor Stefan Parkman, who also recorded the work with the Rundfunkchor Berlin. »I believe the answer is simply: it’s extremely difficult to sing.« Pepping’s double-choir a cappella oratorio from 1950 also touched deep-seated traumas and suppressed feelings of guilt that haunted many Germans after 1945 – including the composer himself, who was not an active member of the Nazi party but was listed among Hitler’s »divinely gifted« artists.
2009: James MacMillan, »Johannes-Passion«
A True Feast for Singers
»I can’t use Luther chorales; they’re not part of my tradition,« explained James MacMillan, speaking about his »Johannes-Passion« (St John Passion), jointly commissioned by the Rundfunkchor Berlin, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As a devout Catholic, MacMillan instead weaved elements of Catholic Good Friday liturgy into the work. The distribution of roles between soloists and choir also differs from Bach: only Jesus is sung by a soloist; a small vocal ensemble serves as Evangelist, while all other characters are sung by the full chorus – making it a true feast for the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Under Simon Halsey, and in a choreography by Lars Scheibner, the choir gave the German premiere at the Konzerthaus Berlin in March 2009.
2009: Festival d’Aix-en-Provence
Like a School Trip
The Rundfunkchor Berlin presented an extensive programme at the 2009 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, working simultaneously on two operas: Wagner’s »Götterdämmerung« (Twilight oft he Gods) with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle, and Mozart’s »Idomeneo« with Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Marc Minkowski. During this six-week guest appearance, one of the longest in the choir’s history, the management team shared a house. Living and working under one roof with chief conductor Simon Halsey and chorus director Hans-Hermann Rehberg, everyone ate together and used the opportunity to discuss all aspects of choir life on a daily basis and plan for the future.
2009: Mozart, »Idomeneo«, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence
»They Pushed Us to Peak Performance«
Catherine Hense, a member of the Rundfunkchor Berlin since 1988, recalls: »›Idomeneo‹ was staged in the courtyard of a very old building with four sides, and the corridors around were integrated into the performance. ›Idomeneo‹ is Mozart’s most choral opera; I found the set design impressive, with three mobile iron structures moved around throughout. Alongside the soloists and us, there were outstanding dancers. Unlike the elegant, white evening dress of the elite society in ›Götterdämmerung‹, in ›Idomeneo‹ we were the common folk, in black clothing with faces painted white. The work with the directors and two superb conductors, Sir Simon Rattle and Marc Minkowski, pushed us to achieve our very best.«
2010: Gustav Holst, »Sāvitri« at Berghain
Dark, Gritty, Alluring
In 2010, the Rundfunkchor Berlin made a guest appearance at the techno mecca Berghain. Lars Scheibner directed Holst’s chamber opera »Sāvitri«. Long-time member Isabelle Voßkühler remembers: »I recall it was very dark and very gritty. Seeing Berghain from the inside was interesting – you don’t usually get in. I find it intriguing to bring classical music to unusual venues, though I’m not really a club type, so it took getting used to. I particularly remember singing our parts on a spiral staircase. And the production featured fantastic contortionists – they twisted and bent in extraordinary ways. All in all, an exciting experience.«
2010: Bach’s »Matthäus-Passion« with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Unique, Moving, Profound
Jörg Schneider, a member since 1989, reflects on special career moments: »Among my most precious experiences are the semi-staged performances of Bach’s ›St Matthew Passion‹, given in 2010 by Sir Simon Rattle and director Peter Sellars with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Sellars described the production pointedly: ›It’s not theatre, it’s a prayer, a meditation.‹ This kind of performance demanded and enriched everyone artistically and emotionally. Some years later – in 2014 – we took this production to London, Lucerne and New York. Those performances deeply strengthened the sense of community in the choir and our relationship with the Philharmoniker. The effect is still felt today.«
Since 2011: SING! – Choral School Project
A Choral School
The SING! educational programme, launched in 2011, focuses on Berlin’s primary schools. For three-year cycles, the Rundfunkchor Berlin sends choral directors to participating schools (averaging seven at a time), who sing weekly with children and provide musical training for teachers. The project’s aim is for regular singing to become an integral part of lessons even after it finishes, by qualifying non-music teachers. Mentors from the Rundfunkchor Berlin support SING! with frequent school visits. The highlight is the annual Liederbörse concert (Song Exchange) in the Philharmonie, at which the schoolchildren perform together with the Rundfunkchor Berlin.
2011: Anton Bruckner, Mass in F minor
Amen!
Anton Bruckner’s Mass in F minor is one of the works the Rundfunkchor Berlin has performed again and again over decades, with various orchestras and under very different conductors. Among all these performances, the one conducted by Herbert Blomstedt at the Berlin Philharmonie in 2011 stands out as a particular highlight. The Berliner Morgenpost wrote at the time: »A glorious evening. In this performance of Bruckner’s Mass in F minor under Blomstedt’s highly concentrated, deeply moving direction, the Rundfunkchor, alongside the Philharmoniker, sang so true to the spirit of the work that one felt tempted to call out ›Amen‹ rather than ›Bravo‹ at the end.«
2011: Works by Antonio Lotti, Thomas Tallis, and Gustav Mahler with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle
A Family
From Sir Simon Rattle’s guestbook entry, 18 September 2011: »Dear beloved Rundfunkchor! After Lotti, Tallis, Mahler – what to say really? Just that you manage the impossible by constantly developing. And that every time, we feel closer together – it is, with you, one of the most treasured musical relationships in my life. I feel privileged and happy that we are a family! With gratitude, love and deep respect, Simon Rattle.«
2011: Richard Strauss Walk-Through Concert
»Luminous, Colourful Singing«
The few works Richard Strauss wrote for unaccompanied choir are extraordinarily demanding and rarely performed. A rare opportunity to hear their vivid palette of colours live was offered by the Rundfunkchor Berlin in April 2011 with a walk-through concert at the Neues Museum – an unusual project within »Broadening the Scope of Choral Music«, as the music is, in effect, newly illuminated by this very special spatial context. The FAZ described of a »magnificent concert« and noted that »the luminous, colour-saturated songs (…) entered into festive dialogue with the Greek and Egyptian cultural treasures on display.«
2012: Sergei Rachmaninoff, »The Bells«, with the Berliner Philharmoniker
A Late-Romantic Feast of Colour
The collaboration between the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle has also unearthed lesser-known works. One such piece is Sergei Rachmaninoff’s choral symphony »The Bells« (1913), a late-Romantic feast of colour. The choir glowed, shimmered and burned softly – exactly as this onomatopoeic tone poem, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, demands. Even those who may found the work a touch too lush were likely to be won over by this choir in the end.
Since 2012: »human requiem«
Bringing the Work Close to the People
The »human requiem« has become a genuine classic for the Rundfunkchor Berlin; the piece, created by director Jochen Sandig and a team from Sasha Waltz & Guests, has been performed worldwide for years. Reflects Sandig: »My personal journey with this exceptional choir began in 2012 with the world premiere of ›human requiem‹ at Radialsystem, and it continues to this day. Back in 2006, together with Sasha Waltz, Folkert Uhde and other partners, I founded the venue at the Spree as a home for extraordinary projects in Berlin – a ›new space for the arts‹. Six years later, I wanted to fulfill a long-held wish: to realise Brahms’s ›Ein deutsches Requiem‹ as an expansive, scenic ritual. This project had to be born in Berlin. The concept matured over a long time. I always longed to bring this work especially close to people. Brahms called it his ›human requiem‹, so the title was clear. I am grateful to Sasha Waltz for encouraging me to direct, and to the Rundfunkchor Berlin for their trust. None of us could foresee what would come of it, and there were plenty of doubts. Together with Sasha Waltz & Guests, we embarked on the project – and something miraculous happened: the choir transformed us. It’s a transformation that constantly renews itself. The production has been on world tour, celebrated across Europe, Asia, America and Australia – the New York Times even called it the ›anthem of our time‹.«
2013: Mozart, »Die Zauberflöte«, with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle in Baden-Baden
A Truly Enchanting Magic Flute
For the opening of the 2013 Easter Festival in Baden-Baden, Sir Simon Rattle conducted Mozart’s »Die Zauberflöte« (Magic Flute) with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin. While Robert Carsen’s staging received mixed reviews from the press, the Rundfunkchor Berlin was unanimously praised. The Stuttgarter Nachrichten and Pforzheimer Zeitung both highlighted the »excellently singing« choir; the Mannheimer Morgen heard a »radiantly powerful« final chorus; and the Offenburger Tageblatt concluded more generally: »The Rundfunkchor Berlin proved that it is among the finest choirs not only in Germany.«
April 2014: World Premiere of »Lover« at Kraftwerk Berlin
Love Is All That Counts
Love dances, love drums, love defies, love comforts. In »Lover«, Christian Jost brought together the martial arts and dance collective U-Theatre Taiwan with the Rundfunkchor Berlin in a joint performance. Inspired by poems of American writer E. E. Cummings and ancient Chinese love poetry, Jost’s music-dance theatre piece told of the greatest emotion of all.
»For many of us, and for me personally, this was a very special experience. The stark industrial architecture of Kraftwerk is an extraordinary setting for such a production, and the percussionists gave the work a unique impact. Later, we took ›Lover‹ on tour through Asia. I drew immense strength from that journey.« (Christian Jost)
Since 2015: The Gijs Leenaars Era
»Round and Dark«
Since 2015, Gijs Leenaars has taken the helm of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, leading its sound into a new dimension. With his approach of placing the body and breath at the core of singing, he has shaped the choir into a harmonious balance of depth and transparency. His highlights include emotionally charged projects such as the Christmas concert focused on Ukraine and the experimental staging of »human requiem«. Leenaars continually succeeds in combining the choir’s unique timbre with musical precision and innovative ideas.
»One must be able to sing beautifully round and dark, and yet still hit the top notes.« (Gijs Leenaars)
2015: Staged Christmas Concert at Berlin Cathedral
Flight and Foreignness
When planning began in 2013 for the Rundfunkchor Berlin’s first staged Christmas concert, nobody could have foreseen that the performance in Berlin Cathedral two years later would coincide with a fateful moment. In 2015, at the height of the refugee influx sparked by the Syrian civil war, the Christmas theme took on a very special resonance. »I wanted to explore how we deal with strangers and unfamiliar traditions,« explained director Jasmina Hadžiahmetović about her concept. The interplay of different cultures was mirrored in the programme: music by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Thomas Adès was interwoven with a world premiere – two choral cycles by Rainer Schnös, composed especially for the Rundfunkchor Berlin on texts by Syrian poet Monzer Masri.
2015: »Liberté« at Funkhaus Nalepastraße
Concert Marathon
For its 90th anniversary in 2015, the Rundfunkchor Berlin revisited its roots, returning to its former longstanding home in Berlin-Oberschöneweide for a grand celebration. Over the course of an afternoon and evening, the venerable halls of the Funkhaus Nalepastraße were filled with a marathon of concerts, taking audiences on a musical journey through the great building on the River Spree. The choir performed vocal music of the twentieth century in a variety of formations. The US organist Cameron Carpenter was featured as a star guest, arriving with his own instrument.
Since 2016: RundfunkchorLounge
Conversation and Song
Whether themed »The Art of Being Alone,« »Apocalypse« as the guiding idea for an evening, or asking provocatively »Cheers?« in a programme devoted to alcohol, the RundfunkchorLounge has grown from a chamber music series into a fixture in Berlin’s musical life since its start in 2016 – featuring thought-provoking guests and surprising music. After several years at Silent Green, the series moved in 2022 from Wedding to Heimathafen Neukölln.
September 2017: #weilwirdichlieben
In Praise of Public Transport
What unusual verses was the Rundfunkchor Berlin singing here? »We even travel all the way to Spandau,« rings out in a bright soprano; in a canon, »Bus is better than no bus« can be heard; a female trio sings: »Fare dodging costs even more.« Yes, it was all about public transport, all about the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG, Berlin Transport Services). In 2017, the Rundfunkchor Berlin joined #weilwirdichlieben (#becauseweloveyou), the BVG’s celebrated advertising campaign. In short clips, choir members sang some of the quirkiest exchanges between the BVG and its passengers.
September 2017: Pierre Boulez Saal, »LUTHER – dancing with the gods«
Persevering Through All Doubt
In 2017, the year of Luther, the Rundfunkchor Berlin created »LUTHER – dancing with the gods«, a unique production blending classical music, abstract forms and modern theatrical artistry. Under the direction of Robert Wilson, the choir collaborated with renowned actors such as Jürgen Holtz and Lydia Koniordou. The production brought together Luther’s table talk, Protestant chorales, Bach’s motets and works by Steve Reich—a profound experience in the architecturally spectacular Pierre Boulez Saal. Wilson lauded the choir for its openness and extraordinary grasp of abstract forms.
»Perhaps ›LUTHER‹ was a theatrical reflection on what moves someone to believe in a bold new idea for change even in the face of all doubt.« (Director Robert Wilson)
2018
Ludwig van Beethoven, »Missa solemnis«
Noise Production
»Technically speaking, the ›Missa solemnis‹ is almost unsingable,« mused principal conductor Gijs Leenaars in a video interview. And bass singer Rainer Schnös added: »The difficulty lies in the piece being very long, with few breaks, and most of it being extremely loud and extremely high.« In preparation for the year of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary, this »Missa impossible« became the starting point for an elaborate multimedia mission in 2018 – one that continued to bear fruit and is still not entirely complete today. When the mass was finally performed in October 2018, improvisation was required: after weeks of intense rehearsal, Gijs Leenaars fell ill shortly before the concert. Fortunately, Marek Janowski – who had conducted the work many times – could step in at short notice. The performance proved a triumph for him and for the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Or, as choir member David Stingl put it: »It’s great fun to produce so much noise in such a huge crowd!«
2019
Kirill Petrenko’s Inaugural Concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker
»Impressive, Almost Euphoric!«
Kirill Petrenko’s debut as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker was marked in August 2019 with a monumental open-air concert for 35,000 people at the Brandenburg Gate, featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Choir member Catherine Hense remembers: »Thousands of Berliners welcomed the ›newcomer‹ to the city – you could feel a strong bond between the artists and the public. It was impressive, almost euphoric!«
2020: »THE WORLD TO COME«, Concert Trail at SchwuZ
»Missa« in the Warehouse
The major Beethoven anniversary year 2020 unfortunately coincided with the most critical phase of the coronavirus pandemic. For choirs, joint rehearsals became almost impossible and countless planned performances of Beethoven’s »Missa solemnis« were cancelled. Nevertheless, the Rundfunkchor Berlin managed to realise a very special project inspired by the »Missa«: »THE WORLD TO COME«. For this production, involving many artists from other musical genres, the underground vaults of Neukölln’s Vollgutlager (Warehouse) and neighbouring club SchwuZ were transformed into performance spaces. Pandemic restrictions made organisation far more complicated than originally envisaged. »We tried to turn necessity into a virtue,« explained director Tilman Hecker: »Instead of the concert installation we had planned, we created a small festival with ten different performance sites and stages.« This large-scale, socially distanced concert trail, with masks and spacing, became one of the defining musical experiences of 2020 for many visitors.
March 2020
Start of the Coronavirus Pandemic
»How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings«
Where people sing, aerosols spread in large quantities – so choirs were particularly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Rundfunkchor Berlin was forced to pause; in spring 2020, concerts were cancelled, and the Festival of Choral Cultures also fell victim to the virus. Yet singing continued – online. In the »Sing Along Concert online«, a coproduction between the choral organisation Interkultur and the Rundfunkchor Berlin, former chief conductor Simon Halsey rehearsed Brahms’s »Ein deutsches Requiem« (A German Requiem) with interested singers from around the globe via Zoom. Particularly apt for a time of domestic isolation was the fourth movement of Brahms’s Requiem, »Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth! / Meine Seele verlanget und sehnet sich nach den Vorhöfen des Herrn / mein Leib und Seele freuen sich in dem lebendigen Gott / Wohl denen, die in deinem Hause wohnen, die loben dich immerdar.« (How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! / My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord /my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. / Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.)
2021: Sound Walk
Boom of the Walk
Strolling through the Tiergarten while listening to the Rundfunkchor Berlin – that became possible in May 2021, despite the pandemic, thanks to a sound trail devised by cultural manager Carolin Trispel. Selected works by Mozart, Brahms, Schumann, Philip Mayers, Bruno Maderna and others were accessible via QR codes placed along the route. Trispel explained at the time: »The Rundfunkchor Berlin’s production activity has been made difficult by the pandemic, with hygiene measures and short-time work. So we looked for ways to bring the choir’s singing to people in the city in new forms. Since there are already many wonderful recordings of the Rundfunkchor Berlin at Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Sony, and walking experienced such a boom over the last year, the idea of a sound walk soon emerged, showcasing these recordings.«
2022: Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 2
All-Time Favourite
»Why have you lived? Why have you suffered? Is it all just one big, terrible joke?« These are, in Mahler’s own words, the central questions in his Second Symphony. Often called the »Resurrection Symphony«, it is based on Friedrich Klopstock’s poem »Die Auferstehung« (Resurrection), which inspired Mahler’s vast closing movement. For that finale alone, Mahler‘s Second Symphony is a showpiece for any choir – and an all-time favourite of the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Particularly memorable and moving for everyone present was the performance with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Gustavo Dudamel on 26 February 2022 – two days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
2022: »Time Travellers«
»Finally Experience the Whole Story«
With the transdisciplinary project »Time Travellers«, the Rundfunkchor Berlin embarked on a journey through time in 2022. The concept was developed by artists Nick and Clemens Prokop. They wrote: »What an exciting experience to design ›Time Travellers‹ entirely around an ensemble of the Rundfunkchor Berlin’s calibre. And yet, the adventure remains unfinished business: due to lockdowns, the first version still lies unseen on our servers. The second version, newly conceived and retold, marks the end of the pandemic time travel – an incredible achievement by the conductors, choir and management under difficult circumstances. Good things come in threes: our wish, for ourselves and the Rundfunkchor Berlin, is finally to experience the full story.«
Since 2022: Rachel-Sophia Dries Appointed Chorus Director
»You Are All Welcome – Regardless of Experience, Income or Background«
Since 2022, under the leadership of Rachel-Sophia Dries, the Rundfunkchor Berlin has set new priorities to break down barriers in classical music. Community projects, sing-along concerts and collaborations with other art forms have opened the choir to a wider audience. A particular focus for the new director is fostering a sense of belonging and making the classical scene more diverse and participatory. Initiatives such as a competition for groundbreaking concert formats are driving the development of innovative approaches to animate more people for choral music.
»You are all welcome – regardless of experience, income or background.« (Rachel-Sophia Dries)
2022: TV Project with Megaloh
»A Mosaic of Many Colours«
In December 2022, the Rundfunkchor Berlin joined rapper Megaloh in performing a newly arranged Christmas classic, »Stille Nacht, eisige Nacht« (Silent Night, Freezing Night), as an Advent surprise for the Berlin association InteGREATer e. V. The project was initiated by broadcaster rbb.
Rundfunkchor Berlin: How do you remember working with the choir?
Uchenna van Capelleveen (Megaloh): »Very fondly! I think of kind people united by a shared love of music. I was delighted that we went to Moabit together – that’s the Berlin district where I grew up. We were able to bring music to the kids and teenagers there and send a clear message that they matter and are seen. Coordinating a project with so many people isn’t easy, but I think it worked really well!«
What impressed you most about the project?
»I was struck by how large and diverse the choir is. As a layperson, you tend to imagine a choir as a homogeneous mass creating a single big voice. But up close you see a beautiful mosaic image made up of many important, colourful pieces.«
Classical choral music and rap don’t seem to have much in common at first glance. How did you experience the combination of choral sound and rap?
»One key pillar of rap is sampling, where all kinds of music can be unearthed and reassembled to fit a beat – so the power of a choir in a hip-hop context wasn’t completely foreign to me. In our specific case, though, we dispensed with the beat and relied solely on voices to make all the music, even though ›Stille Nacht, eisige Nacht‹ uses a rhythm that’s rather unusual in a rap context. Many thanks for the wonderful collaboration!«
2022: Solidarity Concert for Ukraine
»The Most Important Signal Was Solidarity«
On 15 March 2022, the Rundfunkchor Berlin, together with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, gave a solidarity concert for Ukraine, which had recently been invaded by Russia. Hosted by Germany’s Minister of State for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth: »The most important signal was deep solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We made it clear that those in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in Germany are not alone: they are part of a European community of values built on freedom and democracy.«
Already on 5 March 2022, just nine days after the outbreak of war, the Rundfunkchor Berlin demonstrated its solidarity in an action outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, gathering in front of the building on Unter den Linden to sing a Ukrainian folk song and the Ukrainian national anthem.
2022: Verdi, »Quattro pezzi sacri«
Maximum Intensity
Verdi’s late work »Quattro pezzi sacri« has a long performance history with the Rundfunkchor Berlin. In these four pieces, two of them a cappella, a choir can display the full range of its musical capabilities. The Rundfunkchor Berlin and Gijs Leenaars demonstrated this impressively in their 2022 Sony recording. Rondo magazine wrote: »In the ›Stabat Mater‹, choir and musicians send shivers down the spine as the sound swells to a moment of maximum intensity, then gently fades away.«
2023: Verdi, »Messa da Requiem«
A Special Experience
Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem has been a regular feature of the Rundfunkchor Berlin’s repertoire for decades, but each performance remains unique. In 2023, a particularly special experience for both choir and audience arose from a collaboration with Christian Spuck, the incoming director of Staatsballett Berlin, who staged a choreographed version of Verdi’s Requiem with the choir.
2023: Sergei Rachmaninoff, »Ganznächtliche Vigil«
A Plea for Peace
What a beatboxer is to a drummer, the choir sometimes is to the bells in Rachmaninoff’s »Ganznächtliche Vigil« (All-Night Vigil): the composer uses vocal techniques to evoke the sound of church bells and even an organ in this multifaceted a cappella work. Above all, however, the piece is rooted in the religious rituals of the Russian Orthodox Church. Within the Rundfunkchor Berlin, a tradition has emerged of programming »All-Night Vigil« whenever there is a major Rachmaninoff anniversary. In 2023, the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth, the work was performed at Musikfest Berlin. Chief conductor Gijs Leenaars saw an additional layer of meaning in the choice: »The plea for peace contained in the ›All-Night Vigil‹ is more important today than ever.«
2023: »Kaltes Berlin«
Herbert Grönemeyer heard the Rundfunkchor Berlin in Robert Wilson’s Bach production »LUTHER dancing with the gods« and was so impressed that a few years later, in 2023, he invited the choir to perform »Kaltes Berlin« (Cold Berlin) with him at the Christmas market in the Kulturbrauerei. Gijs Leenaars recalls: »When the call came from the agency, it was immediately clear we had to do it, even though, just before Christmas, our schedule was actually completely full. We made it work outside our normal services.« And this Advent performance was not meant to be the last collaboration …
2023 / 2024: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, »Elias«
Elijah to Sing Along
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s great oratorio »Elias« (Elijah) is a staple of the repertoire for many church choirs and amateur ensembles in Germany and around the world. The Rundfunkchor Berlin, by contrast, has had only occasional opportunities to perform the work. In 2023, however, a particularly impressive performance took place, with Christian Gerhaher as Elijah and Kirill Petrenko conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker. Just one year later, Mendelssohn’s most popular oratorio appeared in a very special way in the season programme: on 28 April 2024, »Elias« was sung by 1,300 voices in the long-sold-out Sing-Along Concert – conducted by our Honorary Conductor Simon Halsey.
2025: 100 Years of the Rundfunkchor
Where History Meets the Future
Both retrospection and outlook, tradition and modernity – these are the poles between which the present is stretched, as highlighted in the four jubilee concerts of the 2024/25 season.
A jubilee is also a moment to take stock: what has been achieved, where do we want to go? Believing that music belongs to everyone, in 2024 the Rundfunkchor Berlin launched a competition to generate new concert formats and promote greater accessibility in society.
The shared passion for choral music unites us. Now, with pride, we look back on a century of music! We don’t know your situation – but we do know that the times are challenging. Still, we look forward with anticipation to many moments and stories yet to come, which we will experience and shape together.
