Landmarks Calmus Ensemble

• Leonard Cohen (1934 - 2016):
• 1Here It Is (Arr. J. Garcia)03:44
• 2Everybody Knows (Arr. L. Böhme)04:21
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): 7 Chansons, FP 81 (Excerpts):
• 37 Chansons, FP 81 (Excerpts): No. 1, La blanche neige01:03
• 47 Chansons, FP 81 (Excerpts): No. 2, A peine défigurée01:30
• 57 Chansons, FP 81 (Excerpts): No. 5, Belle et ressemblante02:02
• Federico Ruiz (b. 1948):
• 6El Santigua’o02:53
• Veljo Tormis (1930 - 2017): 13 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts):
• 713 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 1, Laulu voim01:27
• 813 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 6, Härjad ootavad pühi01:12
• 913 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 7, Sakste soim00:50
• 1013 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 10, Pihlapuu01:13
• 1113 Eesti lüürilist rahvalaulu (Excerpts): No. 11, Vaeslapsed laanes01:47
• Georg Kreisler (1922 - 2011):
• 12Der Leisten (Arr. L. Böhme)03:43
• 13Ich hab ka Lust (Arr. L. Böhme)03:49
• Mordechai Gebirtig (1877 - 1942):
• 14S'brent (Arr. S. Groß)03:03
• 15Dos lidl fun goldenem Land (Arr. P. Lawson)04:21
• Paul Moravec (b. 1957): Sacred Love Songs (Excerpts):
• 16Sacred Love Songs (Excerpts): No. 1, Love Endures All Things01:22
• 17Sacred Love Songs (Excerpts): No. 2, Set Me As a Seal02:26
• 18Sacred Love Songs (Excerpts): No. 5, Greater Love02:48
• Aylton Escobar (b. 1943):
• 19Sabiá, coração de uma viola03:55
• Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (b. 1963): 2 Modern Madrigals:
• 202 Modern Madrigals: No. 1, Come Live with Me02:29
• 212 Modern Madrigals: No. 2, The Silver Swan01:48
• 22Practical Arrangement (Arr. N. Crellin)04:47
• 23Moon over Bourbon Street (Arr. N. Crellin)04:00
• Total Runtime01:00:33

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