Cologne West German Radio Chorus

The WDR Radio Choir is a professional choir based at the WDR Funkhaus in Cologne. Its repertoire ranges from a cappella pieces to orchestral, including symphonic works, film and computer music, opera and contemporary experimental music. The choir works in collaboration with the WDR orchestras, and is often requested to appear with national and international orchestras for major concerts.

It has given over 170 premieres and first performances of works by composers such as Schoenberg, Henze, Stockhausen, Nono, Boulez, Zimmermann, Penderecki, Xenakis, Berio, Höller, Zender, Eötvös, Hosokawa, Pagh-Paan, Tüür and Mundry. Over the last seven decades, Bernhard Zimmermann, Herbert Schernus, Helmuth Froschauer, Anton Marik, Rupert Huber and Stefan Parkman have served as chief conductor, succeeded in the 2020–21 season by Nicolas Fink. Simon Halsey has been principal guest conductor since the 2023–24 season.

www.wdr-rundfunkchor.de

Cologne West German Radio Chorus
Photo: Ben Knabe

Album Title ▲ Category Label Cat. No.
100 CHRISTMAS MEDITATION Chamber Music, Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Concerto, Instrumental, Orchestral, Vocal Capriccio C7371
100 MASTERPIECES OF SACRED CHORAL MUSIC Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Concerto Capriccio C7155
BARTÓK, B.: Wooden Prince Suite (The) / Concerto for Orchestra / STRAVINSKY, I.: Pulcinella (Michael Gielen Edition, Vol. 5 (1967-2014)) Ballet, Choral - Sacred, Concerto, Orchestral, Spoken Commentary, Vocal Ensemble SWR Classic SWR19023CD
BRUCH, M.: Weihnachts Musik (Christmas Music) (Froschauer) Choral - Sacred, Concerto, Orchestral Capriccio C10870
CAPRICCIO 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY - 40 Greatest Recordings Ballet, Chamber Music, Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Concerto, Film and TV Music, Instrumental, Opera, Orchestral, Vocal Capriccio C5470
Choral Music - BORTNIANSKY, D. / SCHUBERT, F. / MENDELSSOHN, Felix / SILCHER, F. / GRIEG, E. / BRAHMS, J. / ABT, F.W. / BRUCH, M. Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Opera Capriccio C51177
Choral Music (100 Masterpieces) Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Opera, Orchestral Capriccio C49565
Choral Music (Sacred) - HANDEL, G.F. / MOZART, W.A. / HAYDN, J. / BEETHOVEN, L. van / BACH, J.S. / MENDELSSOHN, Felix / BRUCKNER, A. Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Orchestral Capriccio C49333
CHRISTMAS MEDITATION Chamber Music, Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Concerto, Instrumental, Orchestral, Vocal Capriccio C7073
CLASSIC MOODS - MOZART, W.A. / SILCHER, F. / SCHUBERT, F. / MENDELSSOHN, Felix / HAYDN, J. / BRUCKNER, A. / BRAHMS, J. / BRUCH, M. Choral - Sacred Capriccio C18406
CLASSIC MOODS - PERGOLESI, G.B. / BACH, J.S. / HANDEL, G.F. / BACH, C.P.E. / MOZART, W.A. / HAYDN, J. / DONIZETTI, G. / MENDELSSOHN, Felix Choral - Sacred, Vocal Capriccio C18416
COMPOSERS IN EXILE - ZEMLINSKY, A. von / SCHREKER, F. / SCHULHOFF, E. / ULLMANN, V. / HINDEMITH, P. / SCHOENBERG, A. / MILHAUD, D. Chamber Music, Choral - Secular, Instrumental, Opera, Orchestral Capriccio C67097-99
DVOŘÁK, A.: Great Composers in Words and Music Chamber Music, Choral - Sacred, Concerto, Non-Fiction, Opera, Orchestral, Vocal Naxos 8.578368
DVOŘÁK, A.: King and Charcoal Burner [Opera] (Jenis, Mikuláš, Breedt, Cologne West German Radio Chorus and Symphony, G. Albrecht) Opera Orfeo C678062H
DVOŘÁK, A.: Svatá Ludmila (St. Ludmilla) [Oratorio] (Aghová, Breedt, Beczala, Cologne West German Radio Chorus and Orchestra, G. Albrecht) Choral - Sacred Orfeo C513992H
DVOŘÁK, A.: Vanda [Opera] (Romanko, Tchistjakova, Straka, Daniluk, Cologne West German Radio Chorus and Symphony, Albrecht) Opera Orfeo C149003F
GOSSEC, F.-J.: Grande Messe des Morts (Schernus) Choral - Sacred Capriccio C10616
GOSSEC, F.-J.: Grande Messe des Morts (Schernus) Choral - Sacred Capriccio C71043
HENZE, H.W.: Floss der Medusa (Das) (Nylund, Schöne, P. Stein, South West German Radio Vocal Ensemble and Symphony, Eötvös) Choral - Secular SWR Classic SWR19082CD
HERMANN PREY EDITION (5-CD Box Set) Chamber Music, Opera, Operetta, Vocal Capriccio C7202
LORTZING, A.: Undine [Opera] (Krause) Opera Capriccio C51195
MENDELSSOHN, Felix: Midsummer Night's Dream (A) [Incidental Music] Orchestral Capriccio C60125
MESSEN (Masses) - MOZART, W.A. / HAYDN, G.F. / SCHUBERT, F. / WEBER, C.-M. von / BEETHOVEN, L.V. / CHERUBINI, L. / GOUNOD, C.-F. Choral - Sacred Capriccio C7161
MIDNIGHT LOUNGE - Chill Out Classics and Meditation Chamber Music, Choral - Secular, Concerto, Film and TV Music, Instrumental, Opera, Operetta, Orchestral, Vocal Capriccio C49326
MOZART, W.A.: Clemenza di Tito (La) [Opera] (Gedda, H. Zadek, Malanuik, Cologne Radio Chorus and Orchestra, Keilberth) (1955) Opera Capriccio C67159
MOZART, W.A.: Mass in C Minor / Requiem (Bertini) Choral - Sacred Phoenix Edition Phoenix116
MOZART, W.A.: Masses (Complete), Vol. 1 - K. 262, 317 (Cologne West German Radio Chorus, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Poppen) Choral - Sacred Naxos 8.574270
MOZART, W.A.: Masses (Complete), Vol. 2 - K. 258, 427 (Cologne West German Radio Chorus, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Poppen) Choral - Sacred Naxos 8.574417
MOZART, W.A.: Masses (Complete), Vol. 3 - K. 167, 194, 275 (Cologne West German Radio Chorus, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Poppen) Choral - Sacred Naxos 8.574514
NESSLER, V.: Trompeter von Säckingen (Der) [Opera] (Prey, Hawlata, Späth, Hagen, Cologne West German Radio Chorus and Orchestra, Froschauer) Opera Capriccio C5187
OFFENBACH, J.: Brigands (Les) [Operetta] (Sung in German) (Steinberg) Operetta Capriccio C60090
OFFENBACH, J.: Operettas (Offenbach Festival) (Cremer, Falk, Froschauer, Geese, Rohde, Steinberg, Stulen, Villiers) Ballet, Opera, Operetta, Orchestral Capriccio C49304
Opera Arias (Bass): Hawlata, Franz - GOUNOD, C.-F. / SPOHR, L. / SCHUMANN, R. / MEYERBEER, G. / MUSSORGSKY, M.P. / BOITO, A. Choral - Secular, Opera, Vocal Capriccio C10878
Orchestral Songs - FLOTOW, F. von / NICOLAI, O. / LEHÁR, F. (Nostalgia) (Behle, Froschauer) Operetta, Orchestral, Vocal Capriccio C5317
PROKOFIEV, S.: Eugen Onegin [Opera] (Andrejchenko, Yankovsky, Kostolewskij, Cologne West German Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, G. Albrecht) Opera, Orchestral Orfeo C258031A
SCHREKER, F.: 5 Gesänge / Ein Tanzpiel / Festwalzer und Walzerintermezzo / Schwanensang / Fagea (Gulke) Choral - Secular, Orchestral, Spoken Commentary, Vocal Capriccio C67063
SCHUBERT, F.: Choral Music (Knothe) Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Opera, Vocal, Vocal Ensemble Phoenix Edition Phoenix408
SCHUBERT, F.: Rosamunde (excerpts) (Froschauer) Orchestral, Vocal Capriccio C67009-10
SCRIABIN, A.: Symphony No. 2 / Le Poème de l'extase (West German Radio Chorus, Cologne Gürzenich Orchestra, Kitayenko) Orchestral Oehms Classics OC474
STRAUSS II, J.: Fledermaus (Die) [Operetta] (Edelmann, Cologne West German Radio Chorus and Orchestra, Haider) Operetta Capriccio C5167
STRAVINSKY, I.: Rossignol (Le) [Opera] (Erdmann, Wundsam, Begemann, West German Radio Chorus and Symphony, Saraste) Opera, Vocal Orfeo C919171A
UHL, A.: Wer einsam ist, der hat es gut (Marik) Choral - Secular Capriccio C60120
WEBER, C.M. von: Missa sancta No. 2, "Jubelmesse" / SCHUMANN, R.: Missa sacra, Op. 147 (Froschauer) Choral - Sacred Capriccio C67001
WOLF, H.: Fest auf Solhaug (Das) [Opera] Opera, Orchestral Capriccio C71101
ZIEHRER, C.M.: Landstreicher (Die) [Operetta] (Behle, Dewald, Leyer, West German Radio Symphony, Froschauer) Operetta Capriccio C5261