Atlanta Voices Triumph in Berlin

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus made a triumphant second appearance with the Berlin Philharmonic

By Wanda Yang Temko

Berlin, Germany – Nearly five years ago our Principal Guest Conductor, Donald Runnicles, took us to Berlin to help him make his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic. That week of rehearsals and concerts of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem was transformative for many of the choristers. Not knowing how we, a group of volunteer singers, would fare on the world stage with the best orchestra in the world, we were humbled by the Berlin Philharmonic's reaction to us at that first rehearsal. After a protracted choral diminuendo to a whisper, we could hear the players whispering, “Wow.” The Berlin Philharmonic and audiences showed their approval unabashedly, filling us with admiration, elation, and tears of appreciation, and the reviews afterward sang our praises loudly. We made ourselves a tough act to follow, so needless to say there was some trepidation as to how we would fare the second time around.

After a week of rigorous rehearsals and concerts with our home orchestra, the ASO Chorus left for Berlin ready to face the challenge. In the magical acoustic of the Berlin Philharmonie we deployed our full arsenal of choral nuance and skill, striving to deliver what the Berlioz Requiem required. As Maestro Runnicles pointed out, Berlioz was very interested in contrasts, from the thunderous noises of hell to the sweet sounds of angels, and we had to bring our “A” game to Berlin to truly bring this work to life. Expectations were high from our orchestra partners, the Berlin Philharmonic, and we knew that in the Philharmonie, where clarity, warmth, and luxurious reverberance were available in abundance, we would shine. Each night the Berlin Philharmonic turned around to acknowledge our contribution, and we were grateful. The audiences' enthusiastic applause, demanding four or more bows from the performers, filled us once again, with tears of pride. For some of us, it felt like a job well done, and for others, it renewed a sense of our own musicianship, that we could make music at the highest level no matter our pay scale.

At a reception after Thursday night's performance, Maestro Runnicles talked about how the first invitation in 2003 resulted from a chat he was having with his friend, Sir Simon Rattle (the Music Director of the Berlin Phiharmonic), in Sausalito, and years later we celebrated a second triumphant week of collaboration. He ended by simply saying, “You rock!,” and I think we did.