 Inattendue, cette réalisation qui s’impose par la perfection de l’exécution, mais surtout par l’originalité de sa conception. Douze choristes, deux violons, un alto, un violoncelle, un piano-orgue-accordéon, et un flûtiste…De quoi faire jaillir une étonnante magie. Le maître d’œuvre est Helge Burggrabe, créateur d’un style inconnu et, je dirai : « inspiré » : des phrases extraites de textes variés, St-Augustin, la Bible, Nicolas de Flue, le chef lui-même, sont chantées – ou priées, selon l’adage « Celui qui chante prie deux fois » - sur une mélodie simple, voire simpliste tout exprès, toujours la même ; mais se voient enrichies à chaque reprise par les broderies instrumentales, voire vocales jusqu’à réaliser un édifice sonore d’une rare amplitude. Dans ce jardin d’harmonies peuplé de sons et d’accords exquis, attendus, car répondant au pur plaisir de l’oreille, mais surprenants aussi à chaque instant, car minutieusement, amoureusement sentis et travaillés par un maître, l’auditeur envoûté, captif bienheureux de ces lignes déroulées à l’infini, plane au-dessus du monde. Enfin un compositeur qui s’attache « à plaire et à toucher » sans viser, chose rare à notre époque, les sèches démonstrations intellectuelles et barbares, mais qui, en fin de compte, place la barre très haut. (Danielle Porte) "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 Taizé 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 Taizé 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
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