A Trip to Vienna

The name “Vienna Boys Choir” is somewhat of a misnomer today.  Though the Vienna Hofmusikkapelle is still based in Vienna, the boys that sing in the choir come from all over the world and are not all genuine Viennese children – one of the singers today even comes from Virginia!  That being said, I find the history of the group very interesting.  Did you know that these young boys used to be shielded away from public eye, only to perform for the imperial court?  This was the case all the way up until 1918!  Though that is almost 100 years ago, it’s relatively recent in a historical perspective.  Today, the boys are split up into groups of 25 and travel the world to perform for the general population.

In hindsight, I don’t think I’ve ever really heard an extensive repertoire of Vienna Boys Choir music and I definitely have never been to one of their concerts before.  So why did I feel such a need to buy tickets for this performance?  When I hear “Vienna,” the first thing that comes to my head is lovely classical music.  I mean, just last year for one of my high school concerts, we devoted an entire concert to Viennese and Austrian composers!  It is also the Christmas season, and I associate this time of year with magnificent works such as Handel’s Messiah (I remember being in awe when I went to see it at Tilles Center with my parents many years back).  So, when I combine expectations of Vienna and epics such as the Messiah, I thought this particular performance might be somewhere in between.

Don’t get me wrong, the boys were absolutely adorable and they were great singers.  I think it’s amazing how young boys, from the ages of 10 to 14 years, could be trained to be so focused and serious – as opposed to some youngsters I’ve seen around the New York area, bouncing off the walls!

The choir’s strong suit is definitely religious choral music.  I state this, though it seems obvious, because there were some pieces tonight that were not as well executed.  For example, right before the intermission, the choir performed Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.  The soloist by no means had any emotional backing to the singing of the words – this is a huge performance piece and not something to be sung in a tame voice – and there were also some technical difficulties.  An adorable young man – probably no older than 12 years, was meant to be playing the electric guitar along with Kerem Sezen (Choirmaster and pianist), but the amplification was faulty.  Even though his fingers were really working those strings, we couldn’t hear any of it!

But, as I said, they were absolutely fabulous when it came to more religious and somber pieces.  Their harmonies were spot on, so unbelievable for such young children!  An example of one of my favorites from the night was David John Fischer’s Carol (Mary Laid Her Child).

You wouldn’t believe how small some of the children were on stage!  At one point, Kerem Sezen sang with a select bunch of boys and had one of the smallest singers “conduct” them while another was playing the piano (the “part time” pianist boy, who sang solo at times as well, was my favorite, by the way!).  I put conduct in quotes because he was so not on beat, but it was adorable nonetheless.

Overall, for $15 (thanks to Edward DiSpaltro the Interim Managing Director, I was able to get my rightfully deserved QC student discount!) I think it was a great outing to have with my mom.  It was also a nice concert for children to attend, and there were many youngsters in the audience.  I think a performance by the Vienna Boys Choir is a terrific outing for youngsters and a great example of how even little children can accomplish something so grand.

Vienna Boys Choir
Christmas in Vienna
December 15, 2012
Colden Auditorium

Marina B. Nebro