The Munich Bach Choir was founded by Karl Richter in 1954, and gained international renown through major tours. After Karl Richter´s death in 1981, the choir was taken over by Hanns-Martin Schneidt, who continued the choir´s extensive concert performing while giving it a new musical impetus.
Since autumn 2005, the conductor Hansjörg Albrecht, "a stroke of luck for the Munich Bach Choir" according to the SZ, has been in charge of the Choir. Albrecht has made a name for himself not only as a conductor but also as an outstanding organist and harpsichord player. He has conferred on the choir a new artistic style, and a transparent sound quality which is consistently highlighted in excellent reviews by the Munich and international press. The performance of the Bach St Matthew Passion on Good Friday 2006, which was transmitted live by Bavarian radio, was enthusiastically received by the press: "When did we last hear such a radical, passionate St Matthew Passion..." Albrecht´s lively Bach interpretations, inspired by historical performance practice, are particularly appealing to the choir, as are his programme´concepts and new treatment of classical modern works. Highlights of Albrecht´s two-year cooperation with the choir included a performance of the St Matthew Passion in Turin in the context of the 29th International Festivel "Settembre Musica" in September 2006, and two performances of the same work in Poland in March 2007, in Danzig and in the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.
The Munich Bach Choir with Habsjörg Albrecht has been invited to take part in two well-known festivals in July 2008. The choir will open the Gustav Mahler Music Weeks in Toblach, Italy, with Mahler´s "Klagendes Lied". Later in the month, the choir, together with the Bach Collegium, will close the Passau Festival "European Weeks" with a performance of Bach´s B minor Mass.
The Munich Bach Choir works particularly closely with the Munich Bach Collegium. In addition, the choir has sung with the Bavarian State Orchestra and recently with the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra. The ensemble has performed under such well-known guest conductors as Bruno Weil, Ralf Otto, Oleg Caetani and Peter Schreier, and with renowned soloists such as Chen Reiss, Elizabeth Kulman, Christiane Iven, Ingeborg Danz, Markus Schäfer, Konrad Jarnot and Roman Trekel.
In autumn 2007, the Munich Bach Choir, together with the Bach Collegium, recorded its first CD with Hansjörg Albrecht. The recording was of an opera pasticchio consisting of works by J.S. Bach.
