Johann Sebastian Bach - Johannes-Passion - Freiburger Bachchor und Freiburger Bachorchester

Freiburger Barockorchester: Johannes-Passion

Hans Werner Henze said about Bach's "St. John Passion": "This music expresses things that no one had dared, been able, or even attempted to say with tones before." John Eliot Gardiner attests to the opening chorus of the Passion having "unparalleled imagery." It is this imagery, paired with highly complex compositional artistry, that makes Bach's Passions so unique. Although the "St. John Passion", criticized by Bach's contemporaries as too "operatic", has always been overshadowed by the "St. Matthew Passion", it can withstand a direct comparison. The "St. Matthew Passion" is considered contemplative, while the "St. John Passion" is described as dramatic. This is primarily due to the different Passion accounts of the two evangelists. The text of John's Passion is not only shorter but also more pointed, sometimes even more aggressive. All comparisons become unnecessary when one indulges in the fantastic music, for which the Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis, with whom we already performed Bach's "Mass in B minor" in October, is the ideal musical partner. The clear voices of the ensemble members, the flawless intonation, and the precise pronunciation harmonize ideally with Bach's works. A free introductory lecture will take place at 5:15 p.m. in the Rolf-Böhme-Saal.

Johann Sebastian Bach: "Weihnachtsoratorium"

Bach's Christmas Oratorio, with its festive choruses, catchy arias, and Christmas chorales, illuminates the Christmas story. The Kantorei am Weinberg and the Collegium Musicum Sophiense, conducted by Julia Hedtfeld and Maximilian Schnaus, will perform it at the Sophienkirche on the second Sunday of Advent.

J.S. Bach: Johannes-Passion

Bachs Johannes-Passion ist ein einzigartiges Werk von erschütternder Expressivität. Wenn der große Bach-Interpret Philippe Herreweghe mit seinem Chor und Orchester des Collegium Vocale Gent und mit exzellenten Gesangssolistinnen und -solisten zur Tat schreitet, wird Bachs Musik in ihrer Substanz erlebbar.»In dieser Musik kommen Dinge zur Sprache, die bis dahin mit Tönen zu sagen niemand gewagt, niemand vermocht oder auch nur versucht hatte«, schrieb der Komponist Hans Werner Henze über Bachs Johannes-Passion. Als Pionier der historischen Aufführungspraxis hat Philippe Herreweghe einen besonderen Blick auf Bachs Musik, mit der er sich seit mehr als vierzig Jahren auseinandersetzt. Ihm zur Seite steht sein herausragendes Collegium Vocale Gent. Dorothee Mields, Reinoud Van Mechelen und weitere eindrucksvolle Stimmen bilden die illustre Solistenriege.

Klaus Mäkelä Johann Sebastian Bach Thomas Adès Johannes Brahms

During his lifetime, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was legendary as an organist and as a cantor in the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. From 1729, he also led the city’s Collegium Musicum, an ensemble that played every Friday at Café Zimmermann, Leipzig’s most famous coffee house.It might have been at such a Friday concert that Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 was played for the first time. Such suites, with small pieces based on various dance forms, were incredibly popular at the time. Bach wrote four orchestral suites, and the famous Air is one of the five movements in the third suite.The British composer Thomas Adès (b. 1971) got his breakthrough during the 1990s, and has since been one of the most performed and recognized orchestral composers of our time. The orchestral work Asyla was premiered in 1997 and is one of his most performed works. Asyla is the plural of asylum. The word means sanctuary or safe place, and psychiatric hospitals were called asylums for a long time. The composer plays with the double meaning in this diverse and nuanced work with four movements. The third movement, Ecstasio, describes a rave party in 1990s London.In 1880, Johann Brahms (1833-1897) discussed Johann Sebastian Bach’s music with some friends. He sat down by the piano and played a chaconne by Bach. While playing, he asked them: “How would you like to one day listen to a symphony movement written over this theme?”Bach was one of Brahm’s great idols, and the theme is from his Cantata No. 150, Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich. When Brahms began the work on his Symphony No. 4 in 1884, he took up the theme again and used it as the foundation for his last and perhaps most impressive symphonic movement.

Johann Sebastian Bach / Oratorio de Pâques

For Easter Monday, Bach’s Oratorio for the holiday written exactly 300 years ago. Conductor Christophe Rousset leads Les Talens Lyriques in a score they know well.

Johann Sebastian Bach / Messe en si

Powerful, syncretic if we take the Credo in its most universal sense, the Mass in B minor is one of the most profound and hermetic monuments in the history of music. As Cioran once cheekily opined, “If anyone owes everything to Bach, it's God!”

Johann Sebastian Bach / Messe en si

Powerful, syncretic if we take the Credo in its most universal sense, the Mass in B minor is one of the most profound and hermetic monuments in the history of music. As Cioran once cheekily opined, “If anyone owes everything to Bach, it's God!”

Familienkonzert: Johann & Johannes

Sebastian Knauer & Johannes Strate

Two stars, two worlds, one vision: Classical pianist Sebastian Knauer and Revolverheld lead singer Johannes Strate are going on their first joint "Classical meets Pop Tour 2024" in Germany this fall. They'll perform virtuosic interpretations of pieces like Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" alongside Revolverheld's top 10 hits, accompanied by a five-piece string ensemble, creating a unique fusion of classical and pop music. Tickets for the 12 concerts are available now.

Sebastian Knauer & Johannes Strate

Sebastian Knauer, ein erfolgreicher Klassik-Pianist, und Johannes Strate, Leadsänger der Band Revolverheld, gehen im Herbst auf ihre erste gemeinsame »Klassik meets Pop Tour 2024«. Beide haben Musikgeschichte geschrieben und füllen die Konzertsäle und Arenen. Nach ihrem umjubelten Konzert-Debüt in Hamburg im letzten Jahr sind sie jetzt auch in der Kölner Philharmonie zu erleben. Mit virtuos interpretierten Stücken und Hits von Revolverheld sowie exklusiven Arrangements verspricht ihre Verschmelzung von Klassik und Pop ein unvergleichliches Konzerterlebnis.