Byzantine men’s choir from the Overijssel region returns to the Dionysius parish church
Rheine. The audience in the packed Dionysius Church thanked the Byzantine Male Choir of the Overijssel region with a standing ovation on Sunday. At the invitation of the town twinning association Rheine, the singers were once again guests in Rheine for an autumn concert. Pastor Lemanski began by welcoming the guests from the Netherlands as bridge-builders who use their music to build bridges between people in many ways.
The numerous visitors were treated to a challenging program, expertly led by cantor Peter Petermann. He provided insights into the history of the works and the traditions from which they originate. Under the direction of Marian Stouwdam, the singers presented a musical journey through the musical world of Orthodoxy. The works “Amin, Amin” from the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, “Svatyi Bozhe” (Have mercy) and “Tjebe pojem” (We praise you) demonstrated the impressive range of the choir. Choirmaster Marian Stouwdam himself shone as a soloist on “Otche Nash” (Our Father).
During the interval, the saxophone ensemble from the music school Rheine under the direction of Lothar Eirmbter entertained the audience. Carolin Elmer, Jonte Puschmann and Mika Knöpper played two movements from the string quartet KV 160 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with Eirmber. The final piece was the saxophone Cabaret by Gilles Martin. The audience thanked them with much applause.
In the second part, the soloists Frits Roeloffzen and Ton Somhorst also had their turn. The patriotic “Bozhe velykyi jedynyi” (Prayer for Ukraine) was very touching. The choir dedicated this piece to the people affected by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The church was filled with a message of peace and hope.
At the end, the audience thanked the choir for the successful concert with much applause. The Byzantine Male Choir Overijssel was once again an excellent ambassador of music and understanding between peoples.