To all our friends and follower in Japan

Just released from the Kawade Shobo Shinsha editorial department

Karl Richter 

KAWADE Dream Mook Literary, Supplementary Volume
November 25, 2016
208 pages, Softcover
ISBN 978-4-309-97906-9
1404 ¥

The book is immediately available at specialized bookshops, from the publisher and Amazon.jp

We asked our contact and editor Prof. Tatsuhiko Itoh from the ICU - International Christian University, Tokyo to send as a short description to share here and on our Blog

Karl Richter in Munich 1951 - 1981 | Book and Video-Documentation [English]

Karl Richter Video Documentation on DVD

Johannes Martin, an Ex-Bach-chorister from 1965 to 1970, together with many friends, former colleagues, artists as well as ardent admirers of Karl Richter’s music have worked intensively for the last three and a half years to produce this outstanding documentary. He collected, sorted out, amended and arranged numerous photos, film documents from private Standard 8 and Super8 films, film documents from the German public service broadcaster ZDF, audio clips from live concerts as well as clippings from more than thirty life-interviews with contemporary witnesses to portrait the life and work of Karl Richter and his outstanding position in Munich musical life and concert halls around the world, during his 30 years era from 1951 – 1981.

The film trilogy on DVD consists of three parts



Part 1 of Karl Richter in Munich ‘Soloists Concerts Tours’ comes on two DVD's (running time: 135 minutes; bilingually German / English). It recognizes the outstanding life and work of Karl Richter, the esteemed organist, harpsichordists and conductors, in Munich and the new Bach tradition created by him with the Munich Bach-Choir and Bach-Orchestra, which has inspired and fascinated so many music-lover and connoisseur around the world and still does today.

The film stretches a far bow from the first sensational concerts of the young Thomas-Organist at his new place of activity at St. Markus in Munich, to rapidly increasing engagements for concerts and tours with the Munich Bach-Choir and Bach-Orchestra and up to the numerous recordings, foremost the works of Bach and Handel.

Many clips and numerous photos document Karl Richter’s growing success around the world.
His concert tours with the Bach-Choir and Orchestra, but also as a soloist on organ and cembalo led him into many European states, repeatedly into the (former) Soviet Union, to the USA, to Japan as well as regular to Brazil and Argentina.

Annual concerts at the Ansbach Bachwoche (until 1964)), the pre-Christmas concert in the Salzburg Festspielhaus as well as 25 years in the Stiftsbasilika Ottobeuren, were fixed obligations. His unexpected death on February 15th, 1981 shook the world of music. Karl Richter is buried at the cemetery Enzenbühl in Zurich (Switzerland).



In part 2 of the Karl Richter documentation ‚Bach-Choir und Bach-Orchestra’ (1 DVD, running time: 92 minutes; bilingually German / English) former members of the Bach-Choir and Bach-Orchestra and vocal soloists of the Karl Richter Era remember and tell about Karl Richter’s work with choir and orchestra. Thanks to a license from the ZDF it includes some footage (about 15 minutes) from the ZDF Documentation "Karl Richter and his Munich Bach-Choir" produced in 1967/68 and numerous clippings from live concerts.

The focuses of the first two chapters are: the Munich Bach-Choir, admission in the choir, choir tone, rehearsals and readiness. The third chapter deals with the Bach-Orchestra, soloist and the dress rehearsals. The fourth and final chapter brings back valuable memories from some of the numerous concert tours.



In part 3 of Karl Richter in Munich 'Fascination and Interpretation' (1 DVD, running time: 92 minutes; bilingually German / English) contains numerous excerpts from interviews made with contemporary witnesses of Karl Richter’s era, with former members of the Munich Bach-Choir and the Bach-Orchestra as well as "his" soloist singers (et al. Hertha Töpper, Edda Moser, Julia Hamari, Kieth Engen, Christian Kabitz and Paul Meisen), and presents an exceptionally vibrant picture of how Richter’s unique interpretations and the resulting music evoked the fascination of his listeners. Over 26 musical quotes (from live recordings), which help explain the interpretation and the fascination, that Karl Richter wielded over both musicians and audience and which has kept music lovers all over the world aroused and fascinated, even to this day.

Quite touching, that each of the questioned artists emphasizes the exceptional on Karl Richter, but everyone has seen or felt something else in it: charisma, suggestive strength, aura and intellectual energy which touches directly the heart and evokes deep emotion.

Where and how to buy the Karl-Richter-Trilogy

DVD Karl Richter in Munich - Soloists-Concerts-Tours
Part 1: Double-DVD, running time 135 minutes (German/English)
ISBN 978-3-00-019277-7
First released September 2006

DVD Karl Richter in Munich – Munich Bach-Choir and Bach Orchestra
Part 2: DVD, running time 92 minutes (German/English)
ISBN 978-3-00-020726-6
First released March 2007

DVD Karl Richter in Munich - Fascination and Interpretation
Part 3: DVD, running time 92 minutes (German/English)
ISBN 978-3-00-022647-2
First released November 2007

You can order this DVD by eMail. International Payment by PayPal is available.

Book documentation (German language)

Karl Richter in Muenchen (1951 - 1981)
- Zeitzeugen erinnern sich [contemporary witnesses remember]
Size 20 x 20 cm, 276 pages, 370 pictures (b/w)
ISBN 978-3-00-016864-8



The book has been published in autumn 2005. In two-year effortful work, Johannes Martin searched and finally tracked down almost all contemporary witnesses of the Munich era of Karl Richter’s still living (at this time) and interviewed many of them on tape about there memories of their encounter and time with Karl Richter.

The book (in German language) in the format 20 x 20 cm and 276 pages, contains about 370 photos (black and white) from the archives of the contemporary witnesses, the interviews and contributions of 36 contemporary witnesses (among them, Ursula Buckel, Ernst Haefliger, Hertha Töpper, Peter Schreier, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Kieth Engen, Julia Hamari, Edda Moser, Aurèle Nicolet, Paul Meisen, Kurt Hausmann), a detailed appreciation of lives and work of Karl Richter’s as well as a chronicle of important data of the Munich Bach choir of the years 1951-1981.

Remembering the Era Karl Richter in Munich: Year 1953 [EN]

In October 1953 Karl Richter was officially appointed as Professor for Church music. One day, so the story goes, Richter said to one of his earlier managers: "We can no longer perform under the name of Heinrich-Schuetz-Circle, it doesn’t sound very convincing. It sounds like a choir ready to deliver good performances, but it makes me think of elderly ladies who leave their hats on during choir practice."

On 8th February 1954 the choir was renamed the Munich Bach Choir and on April 1st sang for the first time under their new name Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion.


Karl Richter on his Cembalo at home (1952)

In October 1954 the Munich Evensong celebrated a small jubilee: Richter and his choir performed for the 25th time, free of charge which always ensured a large audience, the most important “a cappella”- works of choir literature. This cycle was then supplemented with a second ”Bach Cantata”.


Karl Richter in his dust coat

In the meantime a number of regular instrumentalists in Richter’s Chamber orchestra had formed a fixed group that in part was to have a say in the next thirty-year era of Richter’s Munich Bach Orchestra. Richter acquired the best musicians belonging to the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Radio Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic to play in his Ensemble. Walter Theurer, on the flute, Fritz Sonnleitner as concertmaster, Oswald Uhl and Fritz Kiskalt on the Cello and Professor Valentin Haertl on the Viola and Viola d’amore, just to mention a few, were with him from the very beginning.


Walther Teurer (Flute)


Oswald Uhrl (Cello)


Fritz Kiskalt (Cello)


Valentin Haertl (Viola and Viola d’amore)

Otto Buchner and Karl Richter had already met in May 1952 during the recording of Handel’s “Concerti grossi” opus 6, for which Richter had played the cembalo under the direction of Fritz Lehmann.


Otto Buechner (Concertmaster)

Subscription Offer: DVD Documentation 'Karl Richter in Munich'

For our International Visitors!

Our film project, the Video Documentation 'Karl Richter in Munich' is running on schedule. The DVD Masters going to the production facility later this week.

Let me update you, about some very positive developments in our project:

1. The overwhelming reaction from dear readers, regardless whether they were participants in the creation and interpretation of Karl Richter’s Music, friends or listeners (and even the critics) was very encouraging and kept us going. Thank You All!

2. In the past 9 month we received lots of additional material from Germany, from USA and from Japan for our Karl Richter-Archive. Lt me single out on contributor 'Juergen Rasche'. He handed over his complete collection on Karl Richter and the Munich Bach-Choir, for the project and our fast growing Archive. Thank You!

3. When we first talked about our plan to produce the Documentation Karl Richter in Munich on DVD, we said, that we could not do this job properly without getting the permission to including a fair amount of Karl Richter’s Music. Now we can! The community of Karl Richter’s heirs have given their permission to use Live-recordings from many performances on the new DVD's. Thank You!

Even so almost of the writing on this blog is in German, half of our readers are from not German speaking countries and have also participated in the dialog and even provided material to use and include in our Karl Richter Archive. Thank You!

With all of this we have to change our plans – and we hope you like it.

The DVD-Documentation will be not a single packed DVD, but a DVD-Trilogy (with a German / English soundtrack) in three parts.

Part 1:
Karl Richter in Munich
Soloists • Concerts • Tours



Double-DVD Running time approx. 135 minutes
ISBN 3-00-019277-8 (Soundtrack German / Englisch)
Publication date 20-Sept-2006

Sales price Euro 37. 95 (plus international postage, if applicable)

Special Subscription Offer:
For all order received before / until 20-Aug-2006 you will get an early bird price of Euro 29. 95 (2 DVD) and early delivery starting last week August.

Please send your order on or before 20-Aug-2006 per eMail to Conventus Musicus


Part 2:
Karl Richter in Munich
His work with the Munich Bach-Choir and Bach-Orchestra

Publication date: Spring 2007 (April)
DVD Running time approx. 92 minutes
ISBN 3-00-019277-8 (Soundtrack German / Englisch)
Publication date: 22-March-2007

Sales price at Conventus Musicus Karl Richter Onlineshop Euro 28. 95 (plus international postage, if applicable)


Part 3:
Karl Richter in Munich
Appreciation of Richter’s fascination and art of interpretation

Publication date: Autumn 2007 (October)


Special Subscription Offer:
Trilogy Karl Richter Part 1 to 3 (until 20-Aug-2006)

If you are ready to commit to buy the complete Trilogy (1 Double DVD, 3 Single DVD’s before or until 20-Aug-2006 you will receive an early bird price of only Euro 75. 00 (plus international postage if applicable).

Please send your order 20-Aug-2006 per eMail to Conventus Musicus


Shipping und Payment-Information:
International Delivery:
add 3.50 Euro for Europe
add 6,50 Euro for World - Standard Airmail Letter - outside Europe
(for orders of one or two copies of part 1)

For any other request Conventus Musicus will inform you about additional shipping cost - if applicable. Conventus Musicus offers payment via PayPal or Banktransfer.

Johannes Martin, wer ist denn das? Who is it?

Dass diese Frage kommt ist verständlich. Denn damals kannten mich die KollegInnen und Bach-Choristen nur unter dem Namen 'Hans' Martin.


Zur Erinnerung ein Foto aus 1966



Entstanden auf einer Konzertreise im Juli 1966, bei einem Empfang in Oxford, England. Von links nach rechts: Eckhard und Christel Konrad, Sigi Scharrer und Hans Martin.
Und für alle anderen Besucher / Nutzer des Weblogs, hier ein paar Informationen zu meinem Werdegang:

Johannes Martin, geb. 1943 in Würzburg

Nach dem Abitur habe ich Klavier und Schulmusik am Bayerischen Staatskonservatorium in Würzburg und an der Musikhochschule in München (ab dem Wintersemester 1964/1965) studiert, u.a. Klavier bei Maria Landes-Hindemith.


In das Jahr 1965 fällt auch mein Eintritt in Karl Richters Münchener Bach-Chor mit vielen kostbaren und schönen Erinnerungen an Projekte, Reisen und Freundschaften mit Bach-Choristen und Künstlern.

Meine Zeit als Schulmusiker führte mich von 1970 - 1989 an Gymnasien in Bamberg (Dientzenhofer-Gymnasium), Niederaltaich (St.-Gotthard-Gymnasium) und Münsterschwarzach (Egbert-Gymnasium). In Münsterschwarzach habe ich mit der Unterstützung der Abtei die Konzert- und Schallplattenreihe 'Conventus Musicus' gegründet.

1989 verließ ich den Schuldienst und baute den gleichnamigen Musikverlag 'Conventus Musicus' auf. Seit dieser Zeit arbeite ich in Bild und Ton u.a. für die Würzburger Dommusik und die Abtei Münsterschwarzach .

Heute gilt mein besonderes Interesse Film- und Buchdokumentationen meiner fränkischen Heimat und zurzeit vor allem dem Projekt 'Karl Richter in München - Zeitzeugen erinnern sich'.

Karl Richter | Bach-Chor