Chorus Viennensis is a male choir composed of former members of the Vienna Boys Choir. They champion works from the Renaissance through today’s pop music — and their Advent concerts are a must-see at Christmas. Michael Schneider, conductor and artistic director, and chairman Armin Radlherr talk about the group’s place in Viennese music culture.

In this episode, you’ll:

• Hear about Armin’s experience after leaving the Vienna Boys Choir

• Understand why Chorus Viennensis and its related group Choralscola der Wiener Hofkapelle were created

• Discover how Michael Haydn, Schubert, and Austrian culture impact their repertoire choices

• Listen to samples of the group singing

For the best experience, please watch the video at the top of the page.

Episode Transcript and Timestamps

DANIEL ADAM MALTZ: Grüß Sie from Vienna, Austria.

Welcome to Opus 12 of Classical Cake, the podcast where we discuss topics relating to Viennese classical music and Austrian culture — while enjoying one of Vienna's delicious cakes. I'm your host, Daniel Adam Maltz.

You've probably heard of the Vienna Boys Choir, but what happens to these boys when they become men?

My guests today are Armin Radlherr, a former member of the Vienna Boys Choir and chairman and current member of Chorus Viennensis. And, Michael Schneider, the artistic director and conductor of Chorus Viennensis.

Armin, Michael, thank you for joining me.

ARMIN RADLHERR: You're welcome.

MICHAEL SCHNEIDER: Thank you for the invitation.

Featured Cake: Topfen-Frucht Torte [0:43]

MALTZ: Our cake today is Topfen-Frucht Torte.

This cake features fruit filling sandwiched between two layers of cheesecake resting on top of an almond cake base.

It is finished with a decorative layer of apricot jam.

So, let's dig in...

SCHNEIDER: Thank you.

RADLHERR: Thank you.

SCHNEIDER: What was it? Almond?

MALTZ: Almond, it says, the cake layer.

SCHNEIDER: It's very good. It's very refreshing.

Singing possibilities after the Vienna Boys Choir [1:14]

MALTZ: In Opus 11, we talked with historian Dr. Tina Breckwoldt about the Vienna Boys Choir. I asked what happens after the boys leave. Armin, perhaps you can shed some more light on this...

RADLHERR: Well, after my time at the Vienna Boys' Choir, I knew there is this possibility to go to the Chorus Viennensis and also to the Schola of the Vienna Imperial Chapel. These are two ensembles for former members of the Vienna Boys Choir.

And, I knew that I wanted to sing in these ensembles. Therefore, I chose a school in Vienna so that it's possible to go to the rehearsals.

After the Vienna Boys Choir, I had a break of one year to make my voice... the mutation break. And after this break, I went to these two ensembles and asked, what do I have to do to [be] a member?

MALTZ: So you immediately, more or less, just after one year break, you immediately started singing in these ensembles.

RADLHERR: Exactly. In this break, I realized that I missed the singing. And, even at my time at the Vienna Boys Choir, I knew that later I wanted to sing.

SCHNEIDER: I think this is an important point. I experienced with a lot of singers that after the tours with the Vienna Boys Choir and a lot of singing, they stopped singing for some time — either because they have a mutational break or they just want to have a break maybe — but a lot of them want to go back to singing.

MALTZ: Well the Vienna Boys' Choir seems like a great establishment to foster this, you know, lifelong love of music making.

SCHNEIDER: I think so.

Changing perspectives [3:03]

MALTZ: And I saw your side-by-side photos on the website as a member of the Vienna Boys Choir and then as a member of Chorus Viennensis. How has your perspective of singing changed over the years?

RADLHERR: That's a good question. I think that what I have in mind in connection with singing always changes a bit. And in my time at the Vienna Boys Choir, I always wanted to sing solos, for example. And now, I'm not that motivated. I prefer to be a member of the choir. And if there is a solo, it's okay if somebody else sings.

MALTZ: [You’ve] become more of a team player.

RADLHERR: Exactly.

The Chorus Viennensis backstory [3:43]

MALTZ: So why was Chorus Viennensis founded? And what is its mission?

RADLHERR: The Chorus Viennensis and also the Choralschola, [were] founded in 1952. After the end of the Hapsburg monarchy, the rector liked the idea that boys sing together with men these traditional masses that they have [sung for] 400 years. He wanted that this goes on.

And the same person — three decades — later realized that there are young men after the mutation that are motivated to sing. And he liked Gregorian chant a lot and wanted that these former members of the Vienna Boys Choir have a possibility to sing.

And, in the same year, the Chorus Viennensis was founded because the Vienna Boys Choir always got requests to perform pieces with [mens] voices.

Chorus Viennensis today [5:15]

MALTZ: In what capacity does Chorus Viennensis perform today?

SCHNEIDER: We have a big variety of sizes for the ensemble. It depends a little bit on our requests where to sing, but we – sometimes we sing eight to 12 people, or 16, 22, or 50 people.

Like last year we did Busoni’s Klavierkonzert in 2019 with the Bruckner Orchestra. We had almost 50 men singing that piece. So it depends a little bit on the literature we sing, on the repertoire. It also depends on the occasion where we are booked for.

MALTZ: Well the variety has got to be nice. To have the option to do lots of different things has got to be a rewarding experience.

SCHNEIDER: Yeah, it is. But it's also then hard because we have this pool of people and we ask them — Do you have time? Can you perform for this project?

But if there are only 16 people [required] then, of course, it's hard to also say to some, sorry, you're not booked for this project.

So it's also a little hard thing for me because, of course, I would like to have everyone who wants to sing.

I think that's a little bit different from our choir to other choirs — that we have different capacity of people and projects and not always the same choir.

MALTZ: Well there are worse problems to have, I can think. [Laughter] That's not really a problem.

Repertoire [6:45]

What repertoire do the choirs sing and how is it chosen?

SCHNEIDER: I think we've a great variety of repertoire and we love to focus on the traditional and original repertoire. So not only on arrangements, but really on compositions for male choir.

RADLHERR: But that started in the 1970s.

In the beginning, it was only singing together with the Vienna Boys Choir, works for mixed choir, but the choir started at around 1970 to look what's in for male voices.

SCHNEIDER: And that also explains the big variety of our repertoire because we know all the big masses and we also sing and try to focus on the original male repertoire — starting probably with Michael Haydn and Schubert, of course.

RADLHERR: There is a lot romantic.

SCHNEIDER: Yeah.

RADLHERR: It's maybe the most important era for male voice repertoire.

SCHNEIDER: But, of course, also we arrange things.

I think we have no limits to any kind of music. We have sung very modern music. We have sung a very classical music and we have sung Renaissance music. I think we have been somehow in every genre, basically.

I think there is also always a great interest in the singers to have a big variety and not only be stuck in one field. And I think that's also why our singers like to sing with us, because it is always something new. Absolutely.

Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle [8:54]

MALTZ: So, Chorus Viennensis and the Choralschola der Wiener Hofkapelle are closely related. What are the differences between the two groups?

RADLHERR: On the one hand, there are two different artistic directors and the ensembles are quite different. The Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle mainly sings Gregorian chants. So, much [older] music. And it's only one voice and we usually sing without a conductor. So, it's important to hear together. And, in addition, we have different notes.

MALTZ: You mean like reading the old manuscripts?

RADLHERR: Exactly. It's just four lines – and not typical notes as we know it from songbooks.

MALTZ: Yeah. Interesting. What is the importance of adding it to services in the modern era?

RADLHERR: The Choralschola mainly sings in the Vienna Imperial Chapel and, there, it's important to show the tradition of this place and how it was hundreds of years ago.

MALTZ: Yeah. During the last Lange Nacht der Kirchen event, we witnessed monks doing a Gregorian chant ritual from the 12th century to say goodbye to the day. And it's something that they do every night, and they only let you see this one night a year. It's just incredibly moving and peaceful to see this thing that's so old that ties us back to these eras. That's great.

Advent concerts by Chorus Viennensis [10:33]

Tell us about your Advent concerts and what audiences learn about Austrian culture from them.

SCHNEIDER: Our Advent concerts are now very traditional and an important concert date in the year in Vienna. Usually it's performed with a speaker and another musician or another ensemble. Usually we have three concerts.

And, as Austria is in some kind very traditional, especially in Christmas time and in Advent time, it's very traditional.

We, of course, sing traditional Austrian songs, but also we try to do some modern music which focus on Advent or Christmas themes. And we sing those.

Now for the next years, we have emphasis on the nine regions of Austria to focus on their folk music part.

MALTZ: It's really interesting, especially for me as American, to hear these geographic differences. I don't think that's something that exists so much in a newer country like the United States.

It's just from a different part or a little bit higher elevation or lower -- there's quite a difference. It's really interesting.

SCHNEIDER: I completely agree with you and, I have to say, I really, on the other side, I really like the American Christmas music because it's usually always very happy.

In the end, we always try to have a really nice and kind of traditional, but very mood setting concert for the audience for the Advent.

MALTZ: Right. It's a really special time of year here.

RADLHERR: And the Advent concerts are the highlight of our choir, somehow, for most of the singers. In the beginning, it was one concert. But, for more than 10 years now, we need three concerts in the Imperial Chapel to...

MALTZ: ...satisfy demand.

RADLHERR: Yes.

Celebrating Austrian composers [12:43]

MALTZ: You talked earlier about performing a lot of work from Michael Haydn. And, you're also recognized for performing Schubert. So, what is your bond with these Austrian composers?

RADLHERR: Schubert is very important. He was also singing in the Vienna Imperial Chapel. Also at the Vienna Boys' Choir – it just was a different name in this time.

But we like Schubert a lot because he brought a lot for male voices – and great repertoire. The choir recorded for the big Schubert year, 1997, three CDs with only man voice compositions. So it's a kind of permanent relationship to Schubert.

MALTZ: Yeah, it's easy to have a relationship with these people who had similar experiences and were here. And you can see what inspired them and the same things that inspire us to make music.

SCHNEIDER: Absolutely. I think the thing with Schubert is also, as he was one of the greatest songwriters in history. It's such a nice thing that he also wrote a lot of pieces for male choir. And I think that's also why it's so interesting for us.

Variety of genres [14:00]

MALTZ: Chorus Viennensis has performed music from many different cultural traditions and eras. I noticed recordings and performances ranging from The Lion Sleeps Tonight, sacred Jewish music, Schubert, and even Viennese heurigen drinking songs. Is it your mission to learn and spread different types of vocal music to your audience?

SCHNEIDER: I think yes. Like mentioned before, we like to sing all the genres, all the varieties. And, I think also nowadays as education, and also with pop culture changing, and we have a lot of young singers, we also have to keep their interests. We can not only sing Renaissance music.

So like in recent time, we had a concert where we even performed [a] song from Drunken Sailor in an arrangement, up to…

RADLHERR: Pop songs in arrangements for male choir.

SCHNEIDER: We had a concert where we even performed a song by Nick Cave. So yeah, I think our mission is to explore, to find new repertoire, and also to [champion] the male choir tradition.

MALTZ: Well, that is a wonderful mission, I think.

Suggested resources to learn more [15:46]

Every Sunday, the Imperial Chapel hosts a mass featuring members of Chorus Viennensis, the Vienna Boys Choir, the Men's Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, and the Vienna Philharmonic. Regardless of your faith, it's truly a one-of-a-kind experience and I recommend it highly.

Go to chorusviennensis.at for performance schedules and recordings.