Landmarks Calmus Ensemble

• Leonard Cohen (1934 - 2016):
• 1 Here It Is (Arr. J. Garcia) 03:44
• 2 Everybody Knows (Arr. L. Böhme) 04:21
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): 7 Chansons, FP 81 (Excerpts):
• 3 7 Chansons, FP 81 (Excerpts): No. 1, La blanche neige 01:03
• 4 7 Chansons, FP 81 (Excerpts): No. 2, A peine défigurée 01:30
• 5 7 Chansons, FP 81 (Excerpts): No. 5, Belle et ressemblante 02:02
• Federico Ruiz (b. 1948):
• 6 El Santigua’o 02:53
• Veljo Tormis (1930 - 2017): 13 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts):
• 7 13 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 1, Laulu voim 01:27
• 8 13 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 6, Härjad ootavad pühi 01:12
• 9 13 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 7, Sakste soim 00:50
• 10 13 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 10, Pihlapuu 01:13
• 11 13 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 11, Vaeslapsed laanes 01:47
• Georg Kreisler (1922 - 2011):
• 12 Der Leisten (Arr. L. Böhme) 03:43
• 13 Ich hab ka Lust (Arr. L. Böhme) 03:49
• Mordechai Gebirtig (1877 - 1942):
• 14 S'brent (Arr. S. Groß) 03:03
• 15 Dos lidl fun goldenem Land (Arr. P. Lawson) 04:21
• Paul Moravec (b. 1957): Sacred Love Songs (Excerpts):
• 16 Sacred Love Songs (Excerpts): No. 1, Love Endures All Things 01:22
• 17 Sacred Love Songs (Excerpts): No. 2, Set Me As a Seal 02:26
• 18 Sacred Love Songs (Excerpts): No. 5, Greater Love 02:48
• Aylton Escobar (b. 1943):
• 19 Sabiá, coração de uma viola 03:55
• Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (b. 1963): 2 Modern Madrigals:
• 20 2 Modern Madrigals: No. 1, Come Live with Me 02:29
• 21 2 Modern Madrigals: No. 2, The Silver Swan 01:48
• 22 Practical Arrangement (Arr. N. Crellin) 04:47
• 23 Moon over Bourbon Street (Arr. N. Crellin) 04:00
• Total Runtime 01:00:33

Info for Landmarks

A “landmark” is an object in a landscape or a turning-point, a milestone, symbol, or orientation point. Calmus performs ten “vocal landmarks” on its new CD – works by ten composers from ten different countries. Musical borders open here, and styles mix. Songwriters encounter the avantgarde, folk meets jazz, South American rhythms pulsate alongside Yiddish melodies. You soon realise that it is actually a very short journey from minimal music to pop, and how classical harmonies and jazz sounds interweave. You will recognize masters such as Francis Poulenc, Leonard Cohen, Georg Kreisler, and Sting, but you are guaranteed to discover new songs such as the Krakow singer-songwriter Mordechaj Gebirtig, and the South American composers Federico Ruiz and Aylton Escobar. With landmarks Calmus has created a kind of “sounding globalisation”. The music reflects a society which recalls the past and interprets it anew, which is receptive, and sometimes reflective, but also laughs and dances and swings!

Anja Pöche, soprano
Stefan Kahle, alto
Tobias Pöche, tenor
Ludwig Böhme, baritone
Manuel Helmeke, bass

Calmus Ensemble
Homogeneity, precision, lightness and wit - these are the hallmarks of the Calmus Ensemble and make the quintet one of Germany's most successful vocal groups. The wide range of tonal colors, the joy of music-making that the musicians convey on stage, their sound culture and their varied and imaginative programs never fail to inspire. As a result, the five musicians from Leipzig have won a whole series of international prizes and competitions - most recently the OPUS Klassik 2019 "Best Choral Work Recording". With 50 to 60 concerts a year, Calmus is always a welcome guest throughout Europe and up to three times a year in the USA.

The repertoire range of Calmus is almost unlimited: influenced by the tradition of the Thomaner and other great German boys' choirs, the singers are naturally at home in the vocal music of the Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic periods, but music of our own time is also of great concern to them. They have commissioned and premiered numerous compositions over the years, including works by Paul Moravec (Pulitzer Price Winner), Mathew Rosenblum, Bernd Franke, Steffen Schleiermacher, Wolfram Buchenberg, Bill Dobbins, Mia Makaroff, Dan Dediu, and Harald Banter. They also enjoy singing and arranging pop, folk and jazz, as evidenced by numerous sheet music publications.

Partnerships with colleagues such as the MDR Symphony Orchestra (Weill, Seven Deadly Sins), the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, the Hamburg Ratsmusik, the Bigband of the Hessischer Rundfunk, the Capella de la torre, amarcord (Disputation) or Elke Heidenreich (Nachtgedanken) further enrich Calmus' repertoire and already two projects connect Calmus with the Lautten Compagney Berlin ("BachArkaden" / "Mitten im Leben").

Calmus dedicates a part of his time to the promotion of young musicians: teaching, workshops and jury activities are part of their daily routine, at home in Leipzig and on the road, e.g. as artist in residence at the STIMMEN Festival Lörrach or at the Bachwoche Stuttgart, very often also in the USA. No wonder that Calmus has more and more fans all over the world.

Booklet for Landmarks