The Vienna Boy's Choir

I saw many concerts, well 7 to be precise, by the 'Vienna Boy's Choir', between 1975 and 1990. I thought they were 'awesome'.

I revisited them in 2007, at a concert in Liverpool, UK.

I was not really impressed, in all honesty. I found nothing extra-special about the concert, the voices and the overall performance. It was like a 'demanded' performance and, after having heard King's College, Cambridge sing Faure's requiem the year before, it seemed apparent that the Vienna Boy's choir are not a reckoned, IMHO, as they were decades before.

Any thoughts? Is it possible King's College, Cambridge, now outclasses the VBC?

-m.

Originally posted by mikelom
I saw many concerts, well 7 to be precise, by the 'Vienna Boy's Choir', between 1975 and 1990. I thought they were 'awesome'.

I revisited them in 2007, at a concert in Liverpool, UK.

I was not really impressed, in all honesty. I found nothing extra-special about the concert, the voices and the overall performance. It was like a 'demanded' performance a ...[text shortened]... ny thoughts? Is it possible King's College, Cambridge, now outclasses the VBC?

-m.

Since the boys come and go and the directors come and go, it might just be a low year for them. My son sang in the 'singing boys of Pennsylvania' and went all over with them. He hated it. The director was a tyrant, a real 19th century type and eventually was proven to be abusing the boys physically and mentally, beating them on occasion, not sexual abuse but just like a 19th century grade school teacher. They were compared favorably to the VBC. They sounded great to me.

Originally posted by mikelom
I saw many concerts, well 7 to be precise, by the 'Vienna Boy's Choir', between 1975 and 1990. I thought they were 'awesome'.

I revisited them in 2007, at a concert in Liverpool, UK.

I was not really impressed, in all honesty. I found nothing extra-special about the concert, the voices and the overall performance. It was like a 'demanded' performance a ...[text shortened]... ny thoughts? Is it possible King's College, Cambridge, now outclasses the VBC?

-m.

England, IMHO tends to have better choirs than most other countries when it comes to boys choirs. Kings College Choir and Westminster Abbey Choir are better than most. However, it sometimes also depends on piece selection. Choral works are so demanding if you ask your singers to tackle a piece out of their league no director will squeeze great artistry out of a boys choir. VBC is not that bad either, just not as great as in decades past. I've always wondered why boys choir directors are always rumored to be tyrannical and if true why mistreat a boy. Much more to be caught with honey after all.