Recorded at the former place of work
To mark the 40th anniversary of Johann Baptist Hilber's death, the Ensemble Corund is presenting a CD of his choral works. The recordings were made in Lucerne's Hofkirche and will also be presented there.
Johann Baptist Hilber, born in Wil in 1891, reached musical maturity in Lucerne as director of the Frohsinn male choir, the Pauluschor, the municipal mixed choir, the Festwochenchor and as director of the Lucerne Cantonal Choral Society. Among other things, he served on the boards of the International Society for New Music and the International Society for the Renewal of Catholic Church Music. In 1942, together with Walter Strebi, he founded the church music department at the conservatory, and in 1952 the Swiss Church Music School in Lucerne - he was the director of both institutions.
He found his musical vocation in Catholic church music. From 1934 onwards, he had the ideal field of activity for this as the collegiate choirmaster at the Hofkirche St. Leodegar in Lucerne. The music for church services that he composed until 1960 was based on the Renaissance music of Palestrina, Lotti and others. It is harmonically simple and uncomplicated, characterized by a deep, true religiosity. Hilber's works are still an integral part of the repertoire of countless choirs today. The new CD with Ensemble Corund, which the professional Lucerne vocal ensemble recorded this summer, is a testament to their quality.
The CD launch will take place on Friday, August 30, 2013, the 40th anniversary of Hilber's death, at 5 p.m. in the Hofkirche Lucerne. The program will include musical performances by the Ensemble Corund (conducted by Stephen Smith) with Wolfgang Sieber on the organ.
