Choeurs a cappella - Frank Martin et ses contemporains Zürcher Sing-Akademie & Florian Helgath

• Frank Martin (1890 - 1974): Verse à boire:
• 1 Martin: Verse à boire 02:43
• So wuensch ich ihr ein gute Nacht:
• 2 Martin: So wuensch ich ihr ein gute Nacht 03:35
• Ma Belle:
• 3 Martin: Ma Belle 01:50
• Ode:
• 4 Martin: Ode 01:31
• Heinrich Sutermeister (1910 - 1995): Sonntag auf dem Zuercher See:
• 5 Sutermeister: Sonntag auf dem Zuercher See 03:10
• Frank Martin: En revenant d'Auvergne:
• 6 Martin: En revenant d'Auvergne 02:21
• Chant de la petite ville:
• 7 Martin: Chant de la petite ville 02:17
• Bernard Reichel (1901 - 1992): Le Voilier:
• 8 Reichel: Le Voilier 01:32
• Frank Martin: Le Coucou:
• 9 Martin: Le Coucou 02:40
• Janeton:
• 10 Martin: Janeton 01:16
• Raffaele D'Alessandro (1911 - 1959): Marche:
• 11 D'Alessandro: Marche 01:18
• Frank Martin: Sonnet:
• 12 Martin: Sonnet 02:39
• Complainte des Vieux:
• 13 Martin: Complainte des Vieux 03:23
• Campagnarde:
• 14 Martin: Campagnarde 03:07
• Si loin:
• 15 Vuataz: Si loin 04:05
• Le petit village:
• 16 Martin: Le petit village 02:28
• Nous sommes trois souverains princes:
• 17 Martin: Nous sommes trois souverains princes 01:42
• André-François Marescotti (1902 - 1995): Avez-vous vu Jesus Christ:
• 18 Marescotti: Avez-vous vu Jesus Christ 01:29
• Frank Martin: Es ist ein Schnitter:
• 19 Martin: Es ist ein Schnitter 02:18
• Jean Binet (1893 - 1960): L'Étang:
• 20 Binet: L'Étang 03:07
• Frank Martin: Petite église:
• 21 Martin: Petite église 04:06
• Si Charlotte avait voulu…:
• 22 Martin: Si Charlotte avait voulu… 01:31
• Henri Gagnebin (1886 - 1977): Chançon:
• 23 Gagnebin: Chançon 02:19
• Frank Martin: Trimousette:
• 24 Martin: Trimousette 03:02
• Quand la Mer rouge apparut:
• 25 Martin: Quand la Mer rouge apparut 01:22
• Carlo Hemmerling (1903 - 1967): La Vigne fleurit:
• 26 Hemmerling: La Vigne fleurit 02:25
• Frank Martin: Campagnarde:
• 27 Martin: Campagnarde 03:23
• Fernande Peyrot (1888 - 1978): Trois choeurs No 1:
• 28 Peyrot: Trois choeurs No 1 01:24
• Frank Martin: Canon:
• 29 Martin: Canon 03:26
• Chançon en Canon:
• 30 Martin: Chançon en Canon 02:48
• Total Runtime 01:14:17

Info for Choeurs a cappella - Frank Martin et ses contemporains

The art of choral composition had become an estab­lished tradition in Switzerland by the 19th Century at the latest. It is no wonder, therefore, that the genre accompanied Frank Martin throughout his creative life, from the motet Pourquoi voient-ils le jour? written in 1909 when he was just 19 years old, until his final cantata, Et la vie l’emporta, composed in 1974, a few months before his death. It inspired some of his most notable masterpieces (the Mass for Double Choir, Le vin herbé, In Terra Pax, Golgotha, among others), but he also produced a wealth of exquisite small-scale choral works.

This recording pays homage to these lesser-known creations: a treasure trove of miniatures, most of which have never previously been recorded. Many of these works reveal Martin’s French-Swiss heritage, such as Le petit village, whose text is by Ramuz, or his settings of works by Roland Stähli, a poet from the Jura region (Janeton, Si Charlotte avait voulu); it can also be traced in his musical interpretations of Ronsard (Ode, Sonnet, Canon) and Paul-Jean Toulet (Le Coucou), as well as Martin’s numerous French folksong arrangements (Campagnarde, En revenant d’Auvergne, among others). We encounter the German folksong tradition in pieces such as Es ist ein Schnitter, which discloses Martin’s predilection for poetry from the other bank of the Rhine and evokes compositions such as Cornet, after text by Rilke, and Monologues de Jedermann, after Hofmannstahl.

The compositions that form this recording span the composer’s entire compositional life, from 1912 (Ode and Sonnet) until 1961 (Verse à boire). They include a particularly rich vein of output from 1944, when he was president of the Association of Swiss Musicians, a year that yielded many compositions for Swiss choral societies. They present a simple and direct expression compared to the tormented tones of his major com­positions, although these, too, contain moments of grand choral transparency.

Martin’s writing never fails to engage directly with the listener. At every turn there are harmonic subtleties and surprises : even the most humble of his arrange­ments bears the distinctive stamp of his compositional language.

In order to place Martin’s choral music in a national context, this programme includes works by his con­temporaries – and for the main part also his friends: Heinrich Sutermeister, Raffaele d’Alessandro, Roger Vuataz, André-François Marescotti, Jean Binet, Henri Gagnebin, Carlo Hemmerling (who composed Fête des Vignerons in 1955), as well as the undervalued Fernande Peyrot (1888-1978); their contributions form a halo around their great contemporary and testify to the unity of spirit of this extraordinary group of composers.

Zürcher Sing-Akademie
Florian Helgath, artistic director

Florian Helgath
has established himself as one of the leading choral conductors of this generation. He has been Artistic Director of ChorWerk Ruhr since 2011 and was appointed Artistic Director of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie in 2017. With these two ensembles he explores choral music from all eras, ranging from a cappella repertoire to the vast choral works of the symphonic genre.

Florian Helgath regularly appears as guest conductor with many leading vocal ensembles and has collaborated with renowned orchestras. He has performed in many major concert halls, and at festivals including the Berliner Festspiele, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Audi Sommerkonzerte, Eclat Festival Neue Musik Stuttgart and Thüringer Bachwochen. He has developed a particular connection with the Ruhrtriennale; his projects for this festival include numerous contemporary music theatre productions.

His discography includes a number of prize-winning recordings: his interpretations have achieved accolades including the ICMA and ECHO Klassik, as well as Grammy nomination.

Florian Helgath’s formative musical experiences took place in his native town, where he was a member of the Regensburger Domspatzen; he continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in München. Among his most influential teachers were Michael Gläser, Stefan Parkman, and Dan Olof Stenlund.

He achieved international successes as prize-winner at competitions including the Eric Ericson Award in Sweden (2006) and the International Competition for Young Choral Conductors in Budapest (2007).

From 2009 to 2015 Florian Helgath was conductor of the Danish Radio Choir and Artistic DIrector of the Via Nova Choir Munich from 2008 to 2016. With this ensemble he conducted numerous acclaimed world premieres and was awarded national and international prizes.

In October 2020 Florian Helgath was appointed professor at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne for choral conducting, since spring 2024 he has held a professorship at the Munich University of Music and Theatre.

The Zürcher Sing-Akademie
is renowned for its versatility and flexibility, performing at the highest level in both chamber and symphonic settings. The Swiss choir collaborates with many eminent orchestras within Switzerland and internationally, and boasts an extensive symphonic repertoire. The ensemble also frequently presents a cappella programmes and plays a prominent part in the promotion of Swiss composers, both historical and contemporary.

Central to its ethos is the continued development of the choral landscape: the Zürcher Sing-Akademie frequently commissions new works and has given many première performances. Florian Helgath has been conductor and artistic director of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie since 2017.

Since its formation in 2011, the choir has collaborated with numerous conductors including Bernard Haitink, David Zinman, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Roger Norrington, Pablo Heras-Casado, Neeme Järvi, Giovanni Antonini, Paavo Järvi, and René Jacobs.

Concert tours have taken the Zürcher Sing-Akademie to Germany, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Taiwan, China, and as well as many European cities. In addition to its long association with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the choir regularly performs with acclaimed ensembles such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Kammerorchester Basel, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Hofkapelle München, and the baroque orchestra La Scintilla. In joint projects with the Freiburger Barockorchester, the choir is performing in major concert halls in Europe, such as the Philharmonie de Paris, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Philharmonie Berlin and Konzerthaus Freiburg.

Many of the ensembles CD recordings have won acclaim in the form of prestigious awards. The most recent additions to its discography are Haydn’s “Stabat Mater” with the Kammerorchester Basel for Pentatone, conducted by René Jacobs and Mendelssohn’s «Sommernachtstraum» and «Lobgesang» with the Tonhalle Orchestera Zurich, conducted by Paavo Järvi and released at Alpha.

Booklet for Choeurs a cappella - Frank Martin et ses contemporains