A perfect blend of sound, precision, lightness and wit are the hallmarks of Calmus, one of the most successful a cappella quintets in the world. The ensemble has forged a refined sound which few groups have achieved. The wide range of sound colors, the joy in performing that they convey on the concert platform, and their varied and imaginative programs are praised by the press time and time again.
Love. Amen! describes a whole cosmos of feelings associated with love. Love not only gives rise to happiness, joy, pride and hope, but also to disappointment, anger and revenge. It is therefore not surprising that music has always been created about and out of love and that it has inspired the most beautiful pieces of music.
This may include love in all of its different forms: love of family and one’s child, recently sparked and old familiar love between people, love of oneself, love of nature, unrequited or rejected love.
In “Love. Amen!”, Calmus dedicates itself to all these spectrums of love, but first and foremost to divine love, which for many people is an elixir of life in times of uncertainty, grief or need. At the heart of it all is the hymn Ubi caritas et amor, with arrangements and works from centuries woven around it. The hymn tells of God becoming one with mankind and, importantly, of mankind becoming one with each other. This call for neighborly love and solidarity is not only reflected in the verse – a reunion can be heard and experienced in the tight melodic line. With the program “Love. Amen!”, Calmus sends a message of compassion and caring in times of division. For as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”