Chinese superstar Lang Lang is the soloist in Saint-Saëns’s scintillating Piano Concerto No.2, joining the Gewandhausorchester and Gewandhauskapellmeister Andris Nelsons. One of the composer’s most popular works, the second concerto was written in just 17 days in the spring of 1868 and was once humorously described as “beginning like Bach and ending like Offenbach”. Its different styles certainly offer the virtuoso pianist the opportunity to display all sides of his or her technique – as Lang Lang does to scintillating effect here. The Bach-inspired first movement, meanwhile, provides the inspiration for the rest of the programme, which features rare and fascinating J.S. Bach orchestrations by Mahler, Elgar, Reger and Joachim Raff. PROGRAM Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No.2; Bach: orchestrations by Mahler, Elgar, Reger and Joachim Raff
Vikingur Olafsson: Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Víkingur Ólafsson goes back to Bach for his highly anticipated new recording. Celebrated for his visionary interpretations of the composer’s music, the Icelandic pianist follows up the award-winning Johann Sebastian Bach of 2018 with this stunning recording of the Goldberg Variations, a work he’s dreamed of recording for 25 years. “At least to me, the Goldberg Variations’ genius lies not in the general, but the specific,” says Ólafsson. “As each variation unfolds, one must be wholly gripped by its individual drama and affect, drawn into its own marvellous little microcosm and filled with the joy of discovering it.” As part of a tour taking the work to venues around the world, this concert sees Ólafsson perform it to music-lovers in the South Korean capital.
Bach 300 – Tribute to Bach
An array of musical stars converges in Leipzig to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach taking up his appointment as Kantor at the city’s iconic Thomaskirche – a post that he occupied for more than a quarter of a century, covering a period in which he created many of his greatest works. Among those performing on a special open-air stage in the city’s market square are pianist Lang Lang, violinist Daniel Hope, cellist Sophie Kauer and oboist Albrecht Mayer, joined by the Thomanerchor and the Gewandhausorchester under current Thomaskantor Andreas Reize. Join us for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration!
Masaaki Suzuki plays Arp Schnitger Organs – Bach and Buxtehude
Arp Schnitger (1648-1719) was one of the most influential among the Northern European organ builders. Of his more than 150 organs built or rebuilt especially in the Netherlands and Northern Germany, a number of these instruments still survive and are being played to the day. Conductor, cembalist and organist Masaaki Suzuki, internationally known as a profound expert of J.S. Bach’s works as well as for his historical performance practice, travels to three churches in Northern Germany and the Netherlands to play on their historical Arp Schnitger-organs: The Martinikerk in Groningen, the Ludgeri Church in the German city of Norden as well as to the St. Jacobi Church in Hamburg, to perform organ master pieces of J. S. Bach and Dieterich Buxtehude.
Christmas Oratorio
Bach’s timeless, irresistible Christmas Oratorio returns to Leipzig – and to St. Thomas’s Church, where several of its six gorgeous cantatas were heard for the very first time in 1734-35! Adding to the historical import of this unmissable event are the Gewandhausorchester, one of the world’s oldest and most venerated orchestras founded in 1781, and the Thomanerchor (St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig), a legendary ensemble formed over eight hundred years ago in 1212 and directed by Bach himself between 1723 and 1750. The eighteenth person to hold the post of Thomaskantor since Bach, Andreas Reize leads the impeccable orchestra and choir – joined by soloists Christina Landshamer, Benedikt Kristjánsson, and Konstantin Krimmel – in a festive and delightful performance of one of those cherished works from which the holiday spirit flows unfettered and ebullient.
Mitten Wir Im Leben Sind/Bach6Cellosuiten
J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites are considered a milestone in the history of Western music. The title, Mitten Wir Im Leben Sind/Bach6Cellosuiten, (In the Midst of Life/Bach’s Cello Suites), comes from the opening words of a Martin Luther chorale: “In the midst of life, we are in death.” Placing the acclaimed cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras at the center of the piece, contemporary dance luminary Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker builds on her choreographic language, developed in tune with Bach’s musical one, to capture an affinity between the music and five dancers, of which De Keersmaeker herself is one. In a feat of physical endurance, the suites are played in their entirety, making this a rare chance to hear all six together.
Dona Nobis Pacem – A ballet by John Neumeier
„Dona Nobis Pacem“ – give us peace. This title is important to me, even at the risk of seeming naïve, pathetic or even pretentious to some. In light of the rampant irreconcilability in our world, this thought provided an important stimulus for me to engage with Johann Sebastian Bach‘s multi-layered composition. In my 50th season as artistic director, I see this creation as a great opportunity. It would be inconceivable for me to create a ballet with the Mass in B minor with another company. Something like this is only possible with a familiar ensemble, which the dancers of my company are in a unique way. (John Neumeier)
Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos rank among the most popular works of Baroque music, just like Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. To mark their 300th anniversary in 2021, Accentus Music recorded six Brandenburg Concertos in Köthen Castle’s restored Hall of Mirrors with Collegium 1704 on historical instruments. Founded by Václav Luks in 2005, the orchestra is one of the most renowned ensembles of our time specializing in baroque music. Given the great stylistic and structural diversity of these concertos, Collegium 1704 was the perfect choice to record this UHD HDR production at this historic location.
Angela Hewitt plays the Goldberg Variations
Since she was young, the Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt dedicated herself to the oeuvre of Johann Sebastian Bach with great passion and conviction. She has recorded all of his piano pieces on CD and performed them to audiences around the world in countless concerts. For her merits for this great composer, Hewitt is the first ever female recipient of the renowned Leipzig Bach Medal. On this occasion, she played Bach’s Goldberg Variations at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, at the authentic place where Bach served as Thomas Cantor and is buried.
St John Passion
After performances in recent years of Bach’s liturgical cantatas and St Matthew Passion, John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi ensembles turn to the composer’s other great meditation on the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. Martin Luther described the Gospel of John as ‘unique in loveliness and, in truth, the principal Gospel, far superior to the other three and much to be preferred’; Bach responded to the text with music which is by turns evocative, stirring, exultant and profoundly moving – music that holds our attention from beginning to end. The Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists are joined by a dynamic cast of exciting soloists to bring the story of the passion to life. “This is a St John Passion that no music lover should miss.” The Times