Wiener Saengerrunde

„Wiener Saengerrunde“ is a Viennese mixed choir with over 50 members. Since its founding in 1978 by Karl-Hans Strassl the choir has built up a manifold repertory of songs and has achieved great success with its concerts. The choir is conducted now by Karl-Hans Strassl and his son Karl-Gerhard Strassl.

The repertory includes spiritual as well as profane songs. The profane works include each musical period of time and style. Referring to its home town Vienna (Austria) „Wiener Saengerrunde“ loves singing waltzes and polkas of Johann Strauß. Another great part of the repertory are folk tunes – those from foreign countries are always sung in the original languages. Furthermore the founder and choirmaster Karl-Hans Strassl highly keeps up the works of Leo Lehner. Living from 1900 to 1981 in Vienna, Leo Lehner was a great musician, conductor of many choirs and composer. Led by his motto – “everybody can sing” – he can be seen as the mentor of Karl-Hans Strassl and the „Wiener Saengerrunde“.Lehner´s adaptation of the Strauß-melodies for choir are very popular, his own compositions are demanding and maybe therefore seldom performed.

Spiritual works are mostly motets and hymns. Within the last ten years the choir started performing also bigger spiritual works: Ludwig van Beethoven, Mass in C-Major; Wolfgang A. Mozart, “Requiem”, “Krönungsmesse”; Joseph Haydn “Nelsonmesse”; Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy “Psalm 42”; Antonio Vivaldi “Magnificat”, “Gloria”; Georg. F. Händel “Coronation Anthems”. The audience were that overwhelmed that further performances of great spiritual music are already considered.

Concerning contemporary music the choir prefers works of Austrian composers, which are regionally well known, such as Heinz Kratochwil, Herbert Ortmayr, Herwig Reiter, Gerhard Fitzinger. The close relationship between some composers and the choir is manifested in many dedicated compositions.

„Wiener Saengerrunde“ has already sung more than 1080 times in public. On the one hand the choir sings profane concerts of many kinds (concerts dedicated to various themes like composers, Christmas; “social singing” in homes, hospitals and jails), on the other hand masses and spiritual concerts. The choir is often engaged to supply the musical background for public events such as opening of a congress or the awarding of a prize; it also serenades notables and friends of the choir.

Nineteen international tours have already led the „Wiener Saengerrunde“ abroad: to Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Finland, Estonia, Madeira (Portugal), Spain, Italy, Malta, Germany, South Africa, Ireland and China (Shanghai). In summer 2012 there will be the next trip to Norway.

„Wiener Saengerrunde“ is always looking forward to welcoming choirs in Vienna. It can help organizing concerts for visiting choirs and loves showing them the beauty of the capital city of music: Vienna.

Contact:

A – 1170 Wien, Ranftlgasse 21/3/12, Austria                                    

Tel/Fax: +43 1 408 82 35

e-mail: strassl@mdw.ac.at (1st conductor) or kh.strassl@utanet.at (2nd conductor)