Clytus Gottwald Hymn to life. Transcriptions for a cappella choir

The choral conductor, composer and musicologist Clytus Gottwald (1925 - 2023) made significant contributions to contemporary choral music. As editor for New Music at Südfunk Stuttgart and founder and director of the Schola Cantorum Stuttgart, he was in productive exchange with his contemporaries, Pierre Boulez, Mauricio Kagel, György Ligeti, Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen and many others. With his Schola Cantorum, a 16-voice chamber vocal ensemble, Gottwald decisively shaped the a cappella choral culture of the highest technical level that is taken for granted today. Clytus Gottwald's transcriptions of piano songs and instrumental pieces for unaccompanied choir are appreciated by choirs all over the world. Modelled on the style of Ligeti, his works set the highest of musical standards. Clytus Gottwald has received several awards for his services, including the Cultural Prize of Baden-Württemberg in 2009, the European Church Music Prize in 2012, and the Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2014. His importance for the development of contemporary choral music cannot be overestimated. Personal details

The choral conductor, composer and musicologist Clytus Gottwald (1925 - 2023) made significant contributions to contemporary choral music. As editor for New Music at Südfunk Stuttgart and founder and director of the Schola Cantorum Stuttgart, he was in productive exchange with his contemporaries, Pierre Boulez, Mauricio Kagel, György Ligeti, Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen and many others. With his Schola Cantorum, a 16-voice chamber vocal ensemble, Gottwald decisively shaped the a cappella choral culture of the highest technical level that is taken for granted today. Clytus Gottwald's transcriptions of piano songs and instrumental pieces for unaccompanied choir are appreciated by choirs all over the world. Modelled on the style of Ligeti, his works set the highest of musical standards. Clytus Gottwald has received several awards for his services, including the Cultural Prize of Baden-Württemberg in 2009, the European Church Music Prize in 2012, and the Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2014. His importance for the development of contemporary choral music cannot be overestimated. Personal details

The choral conductor, composer and musicologist Clytus Gottwald (1925 - 2023) made significant contributions to contemporary choral music. As editor for New Music at Südfunk Stuttgart and founder and director of the Schola Cantorum Stuttgart, he was in productive exchange with his contemporaries, Pierre Boulez, Mauricio Kagel, György Ligeti, Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen and many others. With his Schola Cantorum, a 16-voice chamber vocal ensemble, Gottwald decisively shaped the a cappella choral culture of the highest technical level that is taken for granted today. Clytus Gottwald's transcriptions of piano songs and instrumental pieces for unaccompanied choir are appreciated by choirs all over the world. Modelled on the style of Ligeti, his works set the highest of musical standards. Clytus Gottwald has received several awards for his services, including the Cultural Prize of Baden-Württemberg in 2009, the European Church Music Prize in 2012, and the Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2014. His importance for the development of contemporary choral music cannot be overestimated. Personal details

The KammerChor Saarbrücken, founded in 1990 by its conductor Georg Grün, quickly developed into one of the best choirs in Germany and likewise enjoys an outstanding international reputation. This has been confirmed through countless appear ances in Germany, in many European countries, the USA and Russia, CDs which have received critical acclaim, numerous radio record ings, and last, but not least, by the many prizes which the choir has won at international choral competitions and at the German choral competition in Regensburg in 1998. The choir performs works from all historical eras. In the field of early music it collaborates with professional ensembles and soloists who are dedicated to historical performance practice. Additional themes in its repertoire include the performance of romantic choral music, as well as an increasing number of world premiere performances of works written by composers exclusively for the ensemble. Personal details

Georg Grün studied church music, school music, Catholic theology, musicology, and conducting, and he taught music and courses on the Catholic religion for several years at a lycée for the arts. In 2000 he was appointed Professor of choral conducting at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim. He has also been very success ful as a conductor of the chamber choir at this school (it has won prizes at the choral competitions of Cork and Maribor). Grün is active both at home and abroad as a guest conductor, juror and lecturer. In October 2012 Georg Grün was appointed Professor for Choral Conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Saar. Personal details