Speak of crowd pleasers! This is a usual response to Musica Viva concerts under the direction of All Souls Minister of Music Walter Klauss. Founded more than 28 years ago, Musica Viva presents a highly acclaimed concert series at the Church every year. Just recently, Wally and the choir returned from an especially successful nine-day European tour to Leipzig, Dresden and Prague. Twenty four patrons accompanied the twenty-eight member choir and Wally, Julie Brannon, Wally’s assistant, and Choir Manager Shel de Satnick, According to patrons Bill Bechman and Marion Stano, the experience was, “marvelous and without parallel.”

Musica Viva with Concerto Vocale in the Petruskirche (St. Peter's Church) in Leipzig.

Musica Viva’s first concert was at St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche) in Leipzig where Johann Sebastian Bach was choir and music master and where he is buried. “It was incredible to be standing in a place where Bach worked,” said Wally. Although there was no time to play the organ on this trip, on an earlier visit, Wally gave an organ recital at St. Thomas Church. Musica Viva sang at a Noonday concert. The a cappella program included two motets by Anton Brückner and two motets by Maurice Duruflé. The choir also sang at Evensong later in the day. At another concert in Leipzig, Musica Viva was joined by a German choir. Selections for double chorus by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Heinrich Schütz were presented as well as part of the full a cappella program sung at each of the remaining venues. This includes works by Bruckner, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Felix Mendelsohn, American Folk Songs and African-American Spirituals.

At the third venue, the Saxon farming village of Polditz, Wally, the full choir and all the patrons were greeted by the mayor and were treated to a splendid dinner of local specialties. A tour of the medieval town, the castle, the fortress and other ancient sites was included in the festivities. The overflow audience at the Musica Viva concert in the Old Church (Kirche Altleisnig zu Polditz) attracted music lovers from the entire region, well beyond the town’s borders. In Dresden, the concert was held at the Three Kings Church (Dreikönigskirche), severely damaged in World War II. The Church’s restoration was completed only recently, more than 60 years after the end of the war. The parishioners invited a number of disabled people to enjoy the concert as their guests. The final concert was at the Municipal House (Obecní dům) in Prague, an Art Nouveau building with several concert halls including the Sladkovského sál where Musica Viva performed.

Musica Viva in triumphant concert in Polditz.

An English-speaking guide steeped in the region’s history accompanied the All Souls contingent during their entire stay. One of the places they visited was Potsdam, the magnificent summer residence of Frederick the Great. A compendium of regal buildings, vast acreage, art collections and gardens, it was also the site of a WWII meeting of the “Big Three:” Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Josef Stalin. Potsdam was also the place where Frederick the Great challenged Bach to write a fugue based on a musical theme the Kaiser played for him. Equally enjoyable, was a trip to Meissen and other historic and well-known places.

Peace monument in Meissen

The patrons dined and stayed at the same hotels as the choir and attended every concert. Each of the 27 patrons donated $1,500 to Musica Viva in addition to all their travel expenses. Three patrons did not take the trip. As it was, the tour was oversubscribed and several applicants could not be included. For some of the patrons it was a repeat performance. They traveled with Wally’s concert entourage two years ago to Paris and environs. Wally expressed an interest in planning a similar trip to Italy within the next two years.

	Dresden’s famed Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) recently rebuilt after being destroyed by bombing in World War II.