Crowds turn out for Dresden choir

6 April 2010

Over 300 people came to the Cathedral on Easter Monday to be part of a glorious concert of choral music from the Chamber Choir of the Dresden Frauenkirche, promoted by the Friends, which embraced a powerful message of ongoing friendship and hope for a more peaceful world.

The Kammerchor der Frauenkirche visited Coventry Cathedral at the start of a tour that will include performances at the great cathedral's of Peterborough, St Paul's , Christ Church Oxford and Canterbury.  Acting Dean Rev'd Canon Tim Pullen welcomed the choir and emphasised the bond of shared history and ongoing friendship between the City and Cathedrals of Dresden and Coventry. Under the direction of Mathias Grunert the choir performed glorious music by Mendelssohn, Bruckner, Stanford, Schutz.  As a powerful finale to the concert, the group moved to the art installation 'Where their footspteps left no trace'.  Artist Roy Ray introduced the work that includes panels on the destruction of both Coventry and Dresden. The choir then performed  "Wie liegt die Stadt so wüst und leer"  (how the city is so desolate and empty?)  by Rudolf Mauersberger,  a piece he wrote after the bombing of Dresden and that is heard in the Frauenkirche every year in February. 

At the end of the concert David Porter, Thre Cathedral Canon for Reconciliation Ministry presented a statuette of the 'Reconciliation' scuplture by Josephina Vasconcelos to Rev'd Holger Treutmann, who is responsible for co-ordinating the Peace and Reconciliation ministry at the Frauenkirche. 

At the end of the concert The Friends hosted a drinks reception by the West Screen to enable the audience and choir to mingle together.