If the reaction of the audience is any measure, the concert was an impressive success. The choir and the musicians of the Henry-Uebel-Trio were honored with standing ovations.
The first part of the program was dedicated to the songs, or one can almost say "Gassenhauer" (popular song), of Udo Jürgens. Erhard Zeh, the conductor of the choir, took part as a soloist as well as a the leader of the group. He was supported by Jürgen Thieß, who accompanied him with his guitar and voice. Later in the evening Jürgen Thieß also joined featured soloist Sandy Williams along with the Henry-Uebel-Trio.
Listeners responded enthusiastically with frequent applause. However not all pieces seemed to be suited for a big choir. For example in this performance the intensity of the song "Merci, Chérie" as a piece for a male voice drifted too much into concerto form through the dominance of the femal voices of the choir. The indisputable highlight before the intermission was once more "Ich war noch niemals in New York" (I have never been to New York), almost an Austrian hallmark by now..
Bernd Vollmer as emcee, on point as always, guided the program with confidence and style. Listeners learned that Udo Jürgens became a pop singer solely for financial reasons. He is alleged to have said that his career was a "waste product born out of necessity".
Hit songs of the super group ABBA filled the second part of the evening. Vollmer shared the secret of the backwards "B" in the band's early logo: during a photo shoot for the youth magazine "Bravo" with the band members holding large individual letters spelling the band's name, the person holding up the first B held it in reverse by accident. While the choir kept a low profile dressed in red and black during the Jürgens hits they were allowed to glitter in gold and silver during the ABBA songs. The performers interpreted the Swedish group's mega hits from "Waterloo", their winning title at the Grand Prix, to "Money, Money" and "Mamma Mia" with great energy and spirit. Soloist Sandy Williams gave a powerful rock-n-roll touch to songs like "Does Your Mother Know" and the encore offering "Thank You for the Music". On occasion Katharina Sperling and Sara Müller stepped in as backup singers.
Henry Uebel at the piano, Conny Hossfels on bass, and Enzo Bellini on drums accompanied the choir very effectively, as they have in the past. This time choir member Jürgen Thieß sporadically complemented the trio with his guitar to form a quartet. The choir performance was enhanced with presentations on a multimedia screen with Thomas Knorr's hand on the PC. After much applause Erhard Zeh re-appeared to lead the encores in style wearing a white bath robe following Jürgens own custom of finishing his concerts that way. The evening ended with champagne, cookies, and goulash soup. |
