(Merry Christmas)


 
CD-Contents:  
   
  1    Vom Himmel hoch   (M. Luther / Arr. Juergen Pfiester) 1'15''
  2    Grosser Herr und starker Koenig   (J.S. Bach / Arr. Juergen Pfiester)
          Reuben Willcox, baritone		 4'48''
  3    Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich   (J.S. Bach / Arr. Juergen Pfiester) 2'05''
  4    Let the bright seraphim   (G.F. Haendel / Arr. David Artley)
          Annette Ruoff, soprano		 5'55''
  5    Fantasy over Adeste Fideles   (Juergen Pfiester) 5'53''
  6    God rest ye merry gentlemen   (Rob Roy McGregor) 1'32''
  7    Greensleeves   (Rob Roy McGregor) 2'15''
  8    Angels we have heard on high   (Rob Roy McGregor) 2'46''
        Exsultate, jubilate   (W.A. Mozart / Arr. Juergen Pfiester)
          Annette Ruoff, soprano		  
  9    Allegro 5'02''
10    Recitativo 0'49''
11    Andante 6'13''
12    Vivace 2'44''
13    German Christmas Songs (Medley)   (Ingo Luis) 7'09''
14    Jesu bleibet meine Freude   (J.S. Bach / Arr. Fred Mills) 3'26''
15    Choralfantasy over Tochter Zion   (Juergen Pfiester) 5'09''
16    American Christmas-Medley   (Ingo Luis) 5'47''
17    Sleigh Ride   (L. Anderson / Arr. Thomas Purdie) 2'47''
18    Jingle Bells   (Jochen Scheerer) 4'20''
19    Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht   (Franz Gruber / Arr. Arthur Frackenpohl) 4'00''
 

Total Time:   

74'31''
 

Soloists und guests:

Helmut Freitag, organ (1, 5, 15, 19); Juergen Pfiester, timpany (1);
Stiftskantorei Kaiserslautern, choir (1, 19); Reuben Willcox, baritone (2);
Florian Doerpholz, trumpet (2); Annette Ruoff, soprano (4, 9-12);
Thilo Berg, drumset (18); Jochen Scheerer, percussion, timpany, celesta (18)
 

 
 
Anticipation and waiting patiently is just as much a part of Christmas, as is unwrapping presents and the roasted Christmas goose. The long wait for this CD has finally come to an end. After the unwrapping you shall be rewarded for your patience with an opulent menu, a feast for the ears, full of variety and exquisite music, as usual, typical DAS RENNQUINTETT.

We have taken a lot of time to make this CD, as we wanted to present you with the entire palette of Christmas music, that we have been performing annually at our Christmas season concerts. From the live recordings during one of the concerts with organ and choir (applause for Helmut Freitag and the Kaiserslautern Stiftskantorei), to the whimsical jazzy Christmas medleys (thank you Ingo Luis and Jochen Scheerer for your fantastic arrangements), to the beautiful vocal pieces (masterfully interpreted by Annette Ruoff and Reuben Willcox) and finally to the reflective Bach choral (naturally from our 'master' arranger Juergen Pfiester) we offer you everything concerning the Christmas theme that DAS RENNQUINTETT has to give.

We wish you a lot of joy while listening and
 
 

 
Uwe Zaiser, trumpet

born 1956 in Stuttgart, after 'Abitur' 1975 studied with Heribert Rosenthal and Hans Wolf at the College of Music in Stuttgart, 1980 to 1983 principal trumpet with the Hamburger Symphoniker, since 1983 principal trumpet with the SWR Radio Orchestra.


Peter Leiner, trumpet

born 1962 in Landau (Pfalz), after 'Abitur' 1982 studied with Prof. Reinhold Loesch at the College of Music in Mannheim, since 1986 trumpeter with the SWR Radio Orchestra; in addition he teaches trumpet since 1993 at the College of Music in Saarbruecken, where he was granted professorship in 1997.


Jochen Scheerer, trombone

born 1956 in Trossingen, after 'Abitur' 1975 studied at the Colleges of Music in Stuttgart and Mannheim, 1980 to 1984 Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Ensemble Modern and Nationaltheater Mannheim, since 1984 principal trombone with the SWR Radio Orchestra.


Sjoen Scott, French horn

born 1959 in California (USA), studied at the Indiana University in Bloomington, 1980 to 1989 principal French horn with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, 1989 to 1992 principal French horn with the Opernhaus Zuerich, since 1992 principal French horn with the Sinfonieorchester des Saarlaendischen Rundfunks in Saarbruecken, since 1996 principal French horn with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz.


Ralf Rudolph, tuba

born 1962 in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, after 'Abitur' 1981 studied with Ruediger Augustin at the College of Music in Mannheim, since 1984 tuba player with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz in Ludwigshafen. Teaches tuba at the College of Music in Saarbruecken since 2001.


 

 
Annette Ruoff, soprano

born 1961 in Stuttgart, raised in Marbach on the Neckar, studied at the music colleges in Mannheim, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. Vocal teacher at the Badische Konservatorium in Karlsruhe and at the Mannheim/Heidelberg Music College. International solo performances with 'lied' and oratorios, CD and radio recordings; since 1994 member of the SWR-Vokalensemble Stuttgart. In 2000 her solo CD (BR 100 329) was released with baroque literature perfomed by the Ensemble Cantoclarino (soprano, trumpet and basso continuo).


Reuben Willcox, baritone

born in Devon, England, studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London, in New York at the Juilliard School and afterwards with Prof. Rudolf Piernay at the School of Opera, College of Music in Mannheim. Besides guest performances at divers opera houses (Cologne, Wiesbaden, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden a.o.) he became a member of the ensemble at the State Theater in Coburg in 1998. The Richard Wagner Foundation scholarship holder was the 1999 winner of the International Singing Competition "New Voices". Besides concert performances in the classical oratorio repertoire, he also has had various radio and television productions, ie. with the SWR Radio Orchestra and the Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra. Since the 2000/2001 season he is a ensemble member at the Opera in Bonn.


Helmut Freitag, organ

born 1960 in Bad Kreuznach (Rheinland-Pfalz), studied at the Colleges of Music in Saarbruecken, Duesseldorf and Geneva, receiving degrees in high school music education, protestant cantor and in piano and organ concert performance. His professors for organ were Prof. Luy and Prof. Rogg and his conducting diploma was received under the direction of Prof. Drewanz. 1988-1991 he was the director of the Kaiserslautern County Music School, since 1991 the regional cantor for the deanship of Kaiserslautern and Otterbach with residence at the Stiftskirche (Collegiate church) in Kaiserslautern. With this function he is also conductor of the choir Stiftskantorei Kaiserslautern. He began teaching vocal accompaniment in 1991 at the College of Music in Mannheim. In honor of his accomplishments in sacred music he was appointed church-music director in 2001.


Juergen Pfiester, composer

born 1955 in Landau (Pfalz), began his musical career at age 10 with the accordion and piano, also writing his first "compositions". Later his interest turned towards brass music, due to his involvement with the church brass ensemble. Then followed private lessons on the French horn, 'Abitur', military duty, composition studies at the College of Music in Freiburg, playing with divers ensembles and his work for the Palatinian Association of Church Brass Ensembles. He now resides in Rheinland-Pfalz and besides working as an instructor of church music and brass instrumentation, his main occupation is composer and arranger, mostly in the field of brass chamber music with all its various distinctions. The spectrum of his work ranges from simple pieces for beginner groups to brass instrumentals for church services or for "all-occasions" up to the pretentious concert works and compositions for professional brass ensembles.
Besides the many Pfiester arrangements on this CD there are also two original compositions for brass quintet and organ, Adeste fideles (from 1999) and Tochter Zion (from 2000). Both pieces were dedicated to DAS RENNQUINTETT, who also played their premiere performances.




CREDITS

Coproduction with the Suedwestrundfunk
Studiorecordings in 2000 and 2001
Live-recording December 2000 in the "Stiftskirche Kaiserslautern"
Recorded by: Sigurd Krumpfer, Rudolf Anslinger, Karl Haffner, Rainer Neumann
Reinhard Geller (live-recording)
Digital compilation: Sigurd Krumpfer, Reinhard Geller (live-recordings)
Mastering: Sigurd Krumpfer
Text: Uwe Zaiser, Peter Leiner
Translation: Bernadette and Jochen Scheerer
Production: Rudolf Bayer
Cover-photo: Jan Erik Posth


A very special thank you to the choir Stiftskantorei Kaiserslautern and their conductor Helmut Freitag for their dynamic support with the congregational songs!