A foray through the history of the Gumpoldskirchen male choir
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From "Liedertafel" ("Song Table") to MACH 4
The Gumpoldskirchen male choir was founded in 1863 and was a founding member of the Austrian Singers' Union. Till the end of the monarchy the choir's repertoire mainly comprised typical Liedertafel songs ("Liedertafel" has been a traditional title for men's voice singing groups in Germany and Austria since the beginning of the 19th century) and songs that paid homage to the Emperor.Taking part in great singing festivals was equally important.
Today the Gumpoldskirchen male choir MACH 4 presents itself as a modern sounding body that is anything but conventional or old-fashioned. The choir started to change about 38 years ago when music pedagog Johannes Dietl, M.A., became their choirmaster and began to focus on tapping the choir's full potential. He wanted the choir to move forward. Now their repertoire comprises songs from all eras and one of their aims is to find new "fans" at home and abroad.
The male choir MACH 4 consists of seventy extremely motivated members who have been very successful in numerous choir competitions. Johannes Dietl is not only the conductor and choirmaster, he is the "head" of the choir, the driving force behind the scenes.
During Johannes Dietl's time as choirmaster three sound recordings have been released so far, which were highly praised by well-known music critics. The recordings prove the high musical standard of the choir. Concerts in the famous Haydn Hall of Schloss Esterhazy (a palace) in Eisenstadt, a performance at the opening ceremony of the Schubert Year in Vienna and a personal invitation by the Provincial Governor of South Tyrol, Dr Luis Durnwalder also emphasize the high musical standard of the ensemble.
To broaden their musical and cultural horizon the Gumpoldskirchen male choir MACH 4 regularly goes on concert tours to the Netherlands, to Hungary and Italy, among other countries. Performances in all Austrian federal states present an ideal opportunity to focus on socialising as well as on singing. International conctacts with other choirs are a primary concern of MACH 4, too.
The choir is a representative of the village of Gumpoldskirchen and the federal state of Lower Austria. They regularly welcome national and international choirs in their hometown Gumpoldskirchen and they make sure their repertoire includes classical, serious as well as light music, and of course national and international folk songs.
Highlights of the last 20 years:
1986 Golden diploma at the internationl choir competition in Melk (AT)
1995 Golden diploma at the international choir competition in Prague (CZ)
1995 Award for Johannes Dietl as Best Choirmaster in Prague
1999 Golden diploma at the international choir competition in Verona (I)
1999 First Prize and winner of a cash prize as Best Choir
2004 Golden diploma at the international choir festival "Isola del Sol" in Grado (I)
