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In their first joint programme, Akamus and the award-winning Basel vocal ensemble Voces Suaves present musical highlights from the generation of German composers before Johann Sebastian Bach and thus the impressive musical world into which he was born. The programme includes works by the extended Bach family as well as by composers who are largely unknown today and who preceded the later Thomaskantor in his important positions in Mühlhausen, Weimar and Leipzig. From the oeuvre of Johann Sebastian Bach, the double-choir motet ‘Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf’ will be performed..
The flamboyant Cameron Carpenter takes on two musical monuments daringly arranged by himself: Mussorgsky’s phantasmagorias and Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the alpha and omega of his oeuvre.
“HIP” is not only the abbreviation for ’Historically Informed Performance,’ but above all denotes Sir Simon Rattle’s initiative to expand the BRSO repertoire with baroque music – played on period instruments. The Chief Conductor commences with three of Bach’s most beautiful cantatas. Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht is full of poignant friction and sigh-laden progressions. Every note of Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben contains a longing for death, but also the assurance of an eternal life. Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan is probably most akin to chamber music: with its sparse instrumentation and the omission of a final chorale, it occupies a unique position among Bach’s cantatas.
Churches are gradually emptying, yet everyone still needs moments of contemplation. Reflect with Bach is just such a moment. For each edition, the unconventional Flemish poet Maud Vanhauwaert, presenter Lex Bohlmeijer and the Netherlands Bach Society are joined by a different writer and thinker, to explore the universal themes of life and offer tranquillity through the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Today’s theme is: power. With: Jurriën Hamer.In this Reflect with Bach, philosopher, lawyer and writer Jurriën Hamer reflects on the theme of power. His story is interwoven with parts of three cantatas by Bach that form the base for his magnum opus, the Mass in B Minor. Jurriën Hamer studied law and philosophy at Utrecht University. In 2022, he published his first book: ‘ Waarom schurken pech hebben en helden geluk: een nieuwe filosofie van de vrije wil’ (Why Villains Always Lose and Heroes Win: a new philosophy of free will). As a writer, speaker and moderator, he shows how philosophical ideas about justice, guilt and free will have a huge influence on our lives, in an accessible, humorous and inspiring way.This concert is part of the series Reflect with Bach.Please note: the spoken language of this series is Dutch.
Which work did Bach regard as his finest? There’s a good chance it might have been the Mass in B Minor. This programme presents the foundations of this masterpiece: three cantatas that Bach used at the end of his life, in the Mass in B Minor.The originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work“For example, the ‘Patrem omnipotentem’ originated from Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm, the ‘Osanna’ from Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen, and the ‘Agnus Dei’ from Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen. Richard Egarr leads the ensemble in these originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work. Egarr is a true specialist in early music, with his roots in English choral music. He likes to approach the music as if he is discovering it on the spot. Fresh and flowing, with a starring role for the vocals.
Which work did Bach regard as his finest? There’s a good chance it might have been the Mass in B Minor. This programme presents the foundations of this masterpiece: three cantatas that Bach used at the end of his life, in the Mass in B Minor.The originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work“For example, the ‘Patrem omnipotentem’ originated from Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm, the ‘Osanna’ from Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen, and the ‘Agnus Dei’ from Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen. Richard Egarr leads the ensemble in these originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work. Egarr is a true specialist in early music, with his roots in English choral music. He likes to approach the music as if he is discovering it on the spot. Fresh and flowing, with a starring role for the vocals.
Which work did Bach regard as his finest? There’s a good chance it might have been the Mass in B Minor. This programme presents the foundations of this masterpiece: three cantatas that Bach used at the end of his life, in the Mass in B Minor.The originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work“For example, the ‘Patrem omnipotentem’ originated from Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm, the ‘Osanna’ from Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen, and the ‘Agnus Dei’ from Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen. Richard Egarr leads the ensemble in these originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work. Egarr is a true specialist in early music, with his roots in English choral music. He likes to approach the music as if he is discovering it on the spot. Fresh and flowing, with a starring role for the vocals.
Which work did Bach regard as his finest? There’s a good chance it might have been the Mass in B Minor. This programme presents the foundations of this masterpiece: three cantatas that Bach used at the end of his life, in the Mass in B Minor.The originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work“For example, the ‘Patrem omnipotentem’ originated from Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm, the ‘Osanna’ from Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen, and the ‘Agnus Dei’ from Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen. Richard Egarr leads the ensemble in these originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work. Egarr is a true specialist in early music, with his roots in English choral music. He likes to approach the music as if he is discovering it on the spot. Fresh and flowing, with a starring role for the vocals.
Which work did Bach regard as his finest? There’s a good chance it might have been the Mass in B Minor. This programme presents the foundations of this masterpiece: three cantatas that Bach used at the end of his life, in the Mass in B Minor.The originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work“For example, the ‘Patrem omnipotentem’ originated from Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm, the ‘Osanna’ from Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen, and the ‘Agnus Dei’ from Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen. Richard Egarr leads the ensemble in these originals of what is maybe the very finest of Bach’s work. Egarr is a true specialist in early music, with his roots in English choral music. He likes to approach the music as if he is discovering it on the spot. Fresh and flowing, with a starring role for the vocals.
Beguiling baroque expressions of loss and longing tempered with Bohemian lamentation accompany an intriguing world premiere that originates from a chance find in an Irish peat bog.
The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!
In January 2023, the audience in the Elbphilharmonie responded to the performance of Bach’s St John Passion with the Gaechinger Cantorey with minutes of cheering. »There was a lot to celebrate«, commented Marcus Stäbler for the Hamburger Abendblatt at the time, citing the »eye for the big picture«, the »dense arc of tension«, the »sense of context« and the »flair for detail« in Hans-Christoph Rademann’s interpretation. Now the long-established ensemble of the International Bach Academy Stuttgart is returning to the Elbe with the St Matthew Passion. The monumental oratorio with nine soloists, two choirs and a double orchestra immerses the audience in a deeply spiritual, moving and poetic experience. Bach’s depiction of Jesus’ last hours offers a journey through the human soul in the spirit of the Protestant tradition of the time. He masterfully brings the sacred text to life with vivid harmonies and exquisite interplay between soloists and choirs. With a hand-picked choir, a first-class baroque orchestra and outstanding soloists, Hans-Christoph Rademann presents a renewed and faithful version of this highlight of vocal music of all time.
Jan Willem de Vriend, photo: Emelie Schäfer In the midst of the inevitable disputes over the most important achievement in Johann Sebastian Bach’s oeuvre, the St Matthew Passion keeps cropping up. As English musician and scholar John Butt has noted, it is curious that a masterpiece whose emotional charge reaches the limit of human endurance was written in a secondary German centre as Leipzig was in the eighteenth century. Not all those attending the Good Friday Lutheran services during which the Passions were performed in the Saxon city necessarily appreciated the massive scale of Bach’s work, together with its subtle drama. Today’s reception of the Passion would probably infuriate both the Leipzig townspeople and the composer himself. It is difficult to count all its contemporary performances and recordings, let alone the attempts at scientific interpretations of the symbols hidden on various levels of the score. Numerous statements from present-day listeners echo the conviction of the timelessness of the arias, recitatives and choruses from the St Matthew Passion, which, as it turns out, appeal not only to believers, since Bach employed almost every available means of sound painting to tell a profoundly human story about the fragility of life, love, betrayal, violence and loss.
Jan Willem de Vriend, photo: Emelie Schäfer In the midst of the inevitable disputes over the most important achievement in Johann Sebastian Bach’s oeuvre, the St Matthew Passion keeps cropping up. As English musician and scholar John Butt has noted, it is curious that a masterpiece whose emotional charge reaches the limit of human endurance was written in a secondary German centre as Leipzig was in the eighteenth century. Not all those attending the Good Friday Lutheran services during which the Passions were performed in the Saxon city necessarily appreciated the massive scale of Bach’s work, together with its subtle drama. Today’s reception of the Passion would probably infuriate both the Leipzig townspeople and the composer himself. It is difficult to count all its contemporary performances and recordings, let alone the attempts at scientific interpretations of the symbols hidden on various levels of the score. Numerous statements from present-day listeners echo the conviction of the timelessness of the arias, recitatives and choruses from the St Matthew Passion, which, as it turns out, appeal not only to believers, since Bach employed almost every available means of sound painting to tell a profoundly human story about the fragility of life, love, betrayal, violence and loss.
The Concertgebouw is right at the heart of Dutch music. That is why we love to welcome the best amateur orchestras and choirs of the Netherlands. To an amateur musician a performance at the Concertgebouw is always special, often marking the end of an extensive period of rehearsals. Please note: although these concerts are of a high standard, they are not performed by professional ensembles.
The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!
Every year, for more than a century, we have been performing one of Bach’s most popular works: the St Matthew Passion. This year, the prominent German conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann is leading our ensemble.Bach’s masterly music keeps moving us“Betrayal, condemnation and death, but above all – love. Although the words of the St Matthew Passion are age-old, the story and the message are still relevant today. And every year, Bach’s masterly music moves us once again. Bach’s masterpiece is in good hands with Rademann. In every St Matthew Passion he performs, this real Bach man – founder of the Dresdner Kammerchor, artistic director of the Bachakademie Stuttgart and regular name at the international music festival Bachfest – seeks out a new contemporary approach, always keeping a careful eye on the monumental character of the work. For decades, he has been one of the most successful choral conductors in Germany. Plenty of reason, therefore, to invite Rademann as the guest conductor for our traditional Passion concerts.
Every year, for more than a century, we have been performing one of Bach’s most popular works: the St Matthew Passion. This year, the prominent German conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann is leading our ensemble.Bach’s masterly music keeps moving us“Betrayal, condemnation and death, but above all – love. Although the words of the St Matthew Passion are age-old, the story and the message are still relevant today. And every year, Bach’s masterly music moves us once again. Bach’s masterpiece is in good hands with Rademann. In every St Matthew Passion he performs, this real Bach man – founder of the Dresdner Kammerchor, artistic director of the Bachakademie Stuttgart and regular name at the international music festival Bachfest – seeks out a new contemporary approach, always keeping a careful eye on the monumental character of the work. For decades, he has been one of the most successful choral conductors in Germany. Plenty of reason, therefore, to invite Rademann as the guest conductor for our traditional Passion concerts.
The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!
Beide erblickten 1685 das Licht der Welt, schufen bereits mit 22 Jahren packende Vokalwerke von höchster Kunstfertigkeit und gelten heute als die herausragenden Komponisten-Persönlichkeiten des Barocks: Johann Sebastian Bach und Georg Friedrich Händel. Ihre Vertonungen »Christ lag in Todesbanden«, »Gloria« und »Dixit Dominus«, allesamt 1707 entstanden, sind eindrucksvolle Zeugnisse ihrer schon in jungen Jahren ausgeprägten musikalischen Meisterschaft in hochdramatischer, bildhafter Textauslegung.
Really old and extremely lively: For many seasons now, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin has been demonstrating how thrilling music from the 17th to the early 19th century can sound in its own series at the Konzerthaus Berlin.Bach's „St Matthew Passion“ was premiered for the second time in 1829 - in the Singakademie building in Berlin, which is now home to the Maxim Gorki Theatre. The conductor was Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who was only twenty years old. He paved the way for a Bach renaissance with the version he arranged and shortened. In the era of Viennese Classicism, Bach's music had simply hardly ever been performed. The Passion, however, which was first presented to the congregation of St Thomas' Church in Leipzig in 1727, is one of the most haunting musical depictions of the story of the crucifixion.
Every year, for more than a century, we have been performing one of Bach’s most popular works: the St Matthew Passion. This year, the prominent German conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann is leading our ensemble.Bach’s masterly music keeps moving us“Betrayal, condemnation and death, but above all – love. Although the words of the St Matthew Passion are age-old, the story and the message are still relevant today. And every year, Bach’s masterly music moves us once again. Bach’s masterpiece is in good hands with Rademann. In every St Matthew Passion he performs, this real Bach man – founder of the Dresdner Kammerchor, artistic director of the Bachakademie Stuttgart and regular name at the international music festival Bachfest – seeks out a new contemporary approach, always keeping a careful eye on the monumental character of the work. For decades, he has been one of the most successful choral conductors in Germany. Plenty of reason, therefore, to invite Rademann as the guest conductor for our traditional Passion concerts.
The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!