On 1st January 2020 Justin Doyle conducts the RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and soloists Julia Doyle Soprano, Tim Mead Altus, Thomas Hobbs Tenor and Roderick Williams Bass in a celebratory performance of Handel’s Messiah. Always a wonderful occasion, the New Year’s Day concert takes place in Berlin’s Philharmonie to a packed audience.
Justin introduces the concert on YouTube here.
Find our more about the concert from the RIAS website here.
Justin Doyle conducts the RIAS Kammerchor and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin in a new album release on the Harmonia Mundi label of Haydn’s Missa Cellensis.
Described by Nicholas Kenyon, reviewing the album in the Guardian newspaper, as “a glorious new recording” you can buy the album here and listen on spotify here.
Sold Out Berliner Dom concert
The Missa Salisburgensis is a highlight in the world of polyphonic music, and will be performed on 4th July by the RIAS Kammerchor, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Akamus) and Justin Doyle. It seems perfect for the Berliner Dom which resembles the Salzburg Cathedral, for which the piece was built, with its numerous galleries. With 53 vocal parts in 6 choirs and with full orchestra with 8 blazing trumpets this piece from 1682 is amazing.
“This work is not performed live often because it is very complex”, says Justin. “But I think it will be one of the most exciting and spectacular evenings.”
See a Facebook item from the choir and Justin here.
With choirs and orchestra placed around the building the audience will be completely surrounded by this opulent music. Between the movements of the Missa Salisburgensis will be works by Georg Muffat and Johann Stadlmeyer as well asmore Biber and Gregorian chant.
A great preview of the event from Concerti.de is here.
See more about the event on RIAS website here.
Justin has been leading the RIAS Kammerchor and regular collaborators The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Akamus) in performances of J.S. Bach’s Johannes Passion BVW245. Alongside Werner Güra (Evangelist) and Dominik Köninger (Christus) are soloists Marie-Sophie Pollak (Soprano), Benno Schachtner (Countertenor), Raphael Höhn (Tenor) and Matthias Winckhler (Bass-Baritone).
The schedule takes them to three prestigious venues: the Teatro Grande Brescia, the Prinzregententheater München, and the Konzerthaus Berlin Großer Saal.
Watch a video interview with Justin about what the piece means to him here.
A live performance of the opening movement conducted by René Jacobs in 2015 is here, which prepared for a full recording, released in 2016 which is on Spotify here.
Following the Passion performances Justin directs the Choir on 28th March in the Basilica di San Vittore, Varese (Italy) in music by Victoria and Vivancos. More details from the RIAS Kammerchor website here.
The RIAS Kammerchor under the direction of Chief Conductor Justin Doyle has released a new label of choral music by Benjamin Britten, on the Harmonia Mundi label. The repertoire concentrates on some of Britten’s most challenging repertoire, and led by Justin the results have been praised by the critics. The London Times said “Under the British director Justin Doyle, the impeccably drilled (and accented) Berlin RIAS chamber choir bring to these supremely idiomatic pieces a gratifying array of rich colours.”
Deutschlandfunk Kultur gave a similarly positive review: “..wenn der RIAS Kammerchor singt, wird stimmliche Perfektion in Brittens Dienst gestellt.”
You can buy the album from Amazon here and stream via Spotify here.
See the RIAS Kammerchor’s discography on the Harmonia Mundi label here.
Described as “Wunderbare wilde Oratorienwelt” by the Tagesspiegel the RIAS Kammerchor’s New Year’s Day concert of music by Handel was a huge hit. Performed at the Berlin Philharmonie with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin https://akamus.de/en and conducted by Justin, this concert of selected choruses and orchestral music was a fitting start to the year.
See and hear more about the concert here.
The concert will have a repeat on March 10th in the Auditorium Orchestre National de Lyon. Tickets available here.
A celebration of Handel
(photo: Matthias Heyde)
On January 1st 2019 Justin Doyle directs the RIAS Kammerchor and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin for a New Year celebration of the Genius of Handel. The concert features the choir singing some of Handel’s most famous Oratorio choruses, as well as orchestral music played by the fantastic Akademie.
Neujahrskonzert Genius Händel
Georg Friedrich Händel
„How excellent thy name, o Lord – Alleluia“ (Saul)
„See, the conq’ring hero comes – March“ (Judas Maccabaeus)
„Plague choruses“ (Israel in Egypt)
„For Sion lamentation make“ (Judas Maccabaeus)
„Wanton god of amorous fires“ (Hercules)
Ouvertüre (Alexander’s Feast)
„Wretched lovers“ (Acis and Galatea)
„Envy, eldest born of hell“ (Saul)
„Save us, o Lord“ (Esther)
„Fix’d in his everlasting seat“ (Samson)
„Populous cities“ (L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato)
„Recall, o King“ (Belshazzar)
„How strange their ends“ (Theodora)
„Dances“ (Alcina)
„The gods, who chosen blessings shed“ (Athalia)
„My heart is inditing“ (Esther)
The New Year concert in the Berlin Philharmonie is a regular fixture for Justin as Chief Conductor of the RIAS Kammerchor. Tickets are available here.
As Chief Conductor of the RIAS Kammerchor Justin will conduct the choir in the Berlin Philharmonie featuring show-stopping music by Poulenc and Britten. Poulenc’s challenging “Figure Humaine” and Britten’s “AMDG” will show the choir off at its best. Congratulations go to the choir who have won the ECHO Classik award for Ensemble of the Year 2017.
See more about the concert from a YouTube video here, and link to the concert details here.