Bachfest Leipzig: June 14 – June 23, 2013
Bachfest 2013 begins on Friday, June 14, with a concert at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. From then until June 23 Bachfest 2013 will include 114 performances at over 30 venues in and around Leipzig. The opening concert will be broadcast simultaneously on the market square in Leipzig. You, too, can listen to the opening concert on the Bach Archives and Museum website, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Leipzig time on June 14 (10:00 a.m. Houston time). The closing concert on June 23 will be available on that website at 8:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. Houston time). For those of you who can’t wait to hear the concerts, here is a video of the opening concert of Bachfest 2012 from June 7 of last year that was just made available:
Bachfest Leipzig: Opening concert · St. Thomas’ Church · June 07, 2012
Bachfest 2013 is curated under the motto Vita Christi, the Life of Christ. For the first time the theological, dramaturgical and compositional connections between Bach’s great oratorical works are all presented during the span of a single festival. The Christmas Oratorio, the St. John Passion and the Easter and Ascension Oratorios together form a grand oratorio project which must have been a highlight in the musical life of Leipzig in 1734/1735. During three concert evenings and under the direction of world-renowned musical interpreters Trevor Pinnock and Sir John Eliot Gardiner, these crucial stations from the Vita Christi will offer a perfect musical experience.
Biblical renditions of the life of Christ inspired many composers to create some of their best works. In addition to J. S. Bach’s, Bachfest includes concerts with music from Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Haydn, Schubert, Beethoven, and Schumann. These concerts are complemented by musical church services, cantatas, and organ recitals – all present various facets of the Vita Christi. Tried and tested concert series frame the more formal offerings and offer something for everybody, such as For Connoisseurs and Enthusiasts, Bach Out and About, BACHmosphere (the Bach on Air open-air-festival on the market square), and the b@ch for us! program for children, young people, and families.
Bachfest Leipzig is looking forward to seeing you!