ELBCANTO/BURGGRABE,HELGE/FANKHAUSER,CHRI - Hagios II - Ges?nge Zur Andacht+Meditation (Sealed) (CD)

Where people sing, make yourself at home, bad people have no songs!". This saying is surely true, one has only to look at the growing a-cappella and choir scene to see that, and it is borne out again in the successful concept developed by Helge Burggrabe. In "Hagios" he invites listeners to be at home with themselves and slip out of the stress of everyday life. There are songs that the audience can sing along to, and they transform the hall into a great auditorium – altogether in the Taiz? tradition. Sold-out concerts prove that this concept chimes with the zeitgeist. Together with the Elbcanto vocal ensemble, pianist Christof Fankhauser and a string ensemble, he now presents his second album: "Hagios II - Songs of Devotion and Meditation". For song-loving, spiritual people in search of peace, and for all those who simply want to retreat from everyday life and unwind. "As far back as I can remember, I hear the voice of my mother. Her bedtime songs, which sent me to sleep at night, were a comfort to me, they were the sound of safety," Burggrabe recalls. In "Hagios II" he continues his search for the invigorating power of song. He discovers melodies that are hundreds of years old. He comes across works from monastic cultures of all faiths, songs of those in search of peace and stillness, with their roots in ancient Jewish music. Communal singing – also known as "psalmody" – is to be found in Gregorian chant, in the Orthodox liturgy, in Taiz? songs and sacred songs of the present day. Hymns and prayers in music were always seen as healing and calming. Helge Burggrabe records all this and opens a space that invites the weary and troubled to reflect, to dream, to rest. The album covers a wide musical range. From peaceful, meditative pieces to lively songs of joy, Helge Burggrabe conveys inner peace, security and positive energy. Choral singing, piano and string ensemble are enhanced by the timbres of flute, accordion and organ, expanding the warm and heartfelt tone.