Artistic praise of Mary
University of Music Chamber Choir also sings in Cologne Cathedral on Advent tour
In a few days, the renowned Chamber Choir of the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar will set off on its traditional Advent tour. Between November 30 and December 18, the choir, conducted by Prof. Jürgen Puschbeck, will give a total of six performances, traveling from east to west: to Schneeberg in the Ore Mountains, Zwickau, Cologne, Herne, Wuppertal – and finally, on Thursday, December 18, at 7:30 p.m., to the Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Weimar.
“The audience can look forward to a colorful program of romantic and contemporary pre-Christmas choral music,” explains choir director Jürgen Puschbeck. “In addition, there will be arrangements of German and international Christmas carols conducted by students.”
The vocal program performed by the approximately 50 choir members will be complemented by three instrumental intermezzos: clarinetist Anissa Albrecht and cellist Karima Albrecht will play Carl Stamitz's “Duetto” Op. 27 No. 1, Nicolas Bacri's “Night Music” Op. 73, and Guillaume Connesson's “Disco Toccata.”
At the heart of all Advent concerts is the longest choral work, lasting 18 minutes: the “Basque Magnificat” by Javier Busto (*1949). The demanding art song is sung in Latin and presents a welcome challenge for the chamber choir. The text is identical to the German-language Marian hymn in Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's motet “Mein Herz erhebet Gott, den Herrn” (My Heart Exalts God, the Lord), Op. 69 No. 3, which will also be performed.
Other program items include Johannes Brahms' choral variation “O Heiland reiß die Himmel auf” (O Savior, tear open the heavens), Benjamin Britten's “A Hymn to the Virgin,” and “König der Könige” (King of Kings) by Gustav Brandt. International Christmas carols include “Christmas Day” by Gustav Holst (Great Britain), “Ka Waiata ki a Maria” by Richard Puanaki (New Zealand), and “La Peregrinación” from Argentina.
The Advent tour kicks off with concerts on Sunday, November 30, at 3:00 p.m. in St. Georg Church in Schneeberg and at 6:00 p.m. in Christuskirche Planitz in Zwickau. The tour then heads to the Rhineland and Ruhr region in mid-December with performances by the chamber choir at the Dreikönigenschrein in Cologne Cathedral (December 12, 8:00 p.m.), St. Dreifaltigkeit Church in Herne (December 13, 6:00 p.m.) and Lutherkirche Ronsdorf near Wuppertal (December 14, 3:00 p.m.). The chamber choir will bring the tour to a musical close on December 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Weimar.
[26 November 2025]