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September 10, 20:00
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Switzerland
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Peterskirche, Basel Abendmusiken +
The ‘Abendmusiken’ were a legendary series of concerts organised by Dieterich Buxtehude in Lübeck. Even Johann Sebastian Bach travelled on foot from far afield to attend these concerts of sacred and instrumental music, and there he met the master Buxtehude, the most famous organist in Europe. These experiences left a lasting impression on the young Bach and had a direct influence on his cantata output.
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September 6, 20:00
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The Netherlands
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TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht Spem in alium +
Artistic director Lionel Meunier selected the iconic motet Media Vita of Sheppard, extremely moving music here flanked by two pieces written for 40 a capella voices. Writing for 40 voices implies a series of logistical and technical challenges. Tallis and Striggio probably met in London in 1567. Tallis’s monumental 40-voice work, Spem in alium, was probably inspired by the example of Striggio. Whereas Striggio’s composition Ecce Beatam lucem was probably designed for semicircular performance, Tallis had designed his music to be heard ‘in the round’, with the listener seated within the circle of performers. The music seems as such to ‘rotate’ around a circle.
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September 2, 17:00
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Germany
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Dreifaltigkeitskirche, Speyer Early Cantatas – Johann Sebastian Bach Private concert, in the context of the Bach Journey organised by Martin Randall Travel. |
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August 30, 19:30
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Germany
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Dom zu Verden, Bremen Vespro della Beata Vergine – C. Monteverdi +
Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers for the Blessed Virgin (1610) are so much more than an evening prayer service. The maestro of San Marco takes the traditional vespers formula – a combination of psalms, hymns and canticles – and transforms it into a musical spectacle of the highest order. Opera and liturgy, old and new, pious and sensual: everything collides and merges into one grandiose design. The score breathes the space of the basilica in which Monteverdi designed the sound of the future, as if the graceful galleries, balconies and choir stalls inspired the sound architecture. Monteverdi is a genius with voices, but he also makes use of cornetti, trombones, strings, organ and continuo – not as decorative elements, but as colours on a palette. Some passages are monumental, others sober and narrative or explicitly virtuosic.
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August 28, 20:00
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Belgium
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St.-Carolus Borromeuskerk, Antwerp Vespro della Beata Vergine – C. Monteverdi +
Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers for the Blessed Virgin (1610) are so much more than an evening prayer service. The maestro of San Marco takes the traditional vespers formula – a combination of psalms, hymns and canticles – and transforms it into a musical spectacle of the highest order. Opera and liturgy, old and new, pious and sensual: everything collides and merges into one grandiose design. The score breathes the space of the basilica in which Monteverdi designed the sound of the future, as if the graceful galleries, balconies and choir stalls inspired the sound architecture. Monteverdi is a genius with voices, but he also makes use of cornetti, trombones, strings, organ and continuo – not as decorative elements, but as colours on a palette. Some passages are monumental, others sober and narrative or explicitly virtuosic.
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August 23, 19:00
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Germany
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St. Cyprian- und Corneliuskirche, Ganderkesee Motets – J.S. Bach +
In previous years, the Atelier « Wege zu Bach » has explored the key composers who inspired Bach. These came from all over Europe and included Giovanni Gabrieli, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Heinrich Schütz and Dieterich Buxtehude, but also his own family. This year, under the direction of Lionel Meunier once again, the Atelier puts the spotlight on Bach himself. Although Bach’s six motets BWV 225–230 represent only a tiny fraction of his vast catalogue of sacred music, they occupy a special place within it.
The first works to be printed after Bach’s death in 1802/03, they soon gained a foothold in the flourishing middle-class concert scene. They can be performed a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment. Lionel Meunier decided to have the participants of the atelier perform them accompanied by – naturally! – the organ. In combination with one of Schnitger’s best-preserved instruments, their wealth of colours and blend of choral warmth and solistic virtuosity will once again provide an unforgettable experience. |
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August 15, 21:00
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France
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Basilique Saint-Sauveur, Rocamadour The Early Cantatas – J.S. Bach +
Vox Luminis tackles Johann Sebastian himself, in a programme of cantatas composed in 1707/1708, which are thus among the composer’s earliest. Notable among them is the poignant cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106), also known as the ‘Actus tragicus’, which was composed for a funeral ceremony. Bach was therefore just twenty-two years old when he wrote this cantata, which opens with a deeply moving dialogue for recorders and continues with the equally fervent chorus ‘Gottes Zeit…’.
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August 5, 21:00
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Spain
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Catedral-Basílica de la Asunción, Mondoñedo Motets – J.S. Bach +
Bach’s motets constitute one of the most daring and impressive chapters in his vocal oeuvre. In Leipzig, he found the space to realise his ideal of church music, resulting in six exceptional works for five to eight voices in which rich polyphony and incisive textual interpretation reinforce one another. Once regarded as a curiosity, they are now considered milestones within the Lutheran tradition. Vox Luminis brings this music to life in historically informed performances, with instrumental accompaniment as Bach himself would have known it.
Coproduction: Perpodium |
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August 3, 20:00
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Belgium
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Sint-Jakobskerk, Bruges Motets – J.S. Bach +
Bach’s motets constitute one of the most daring and impressive chapters in his vocal oeuvre. In Leipzig, he found the space to realise his ideal of church music, resulting in six exceptional works for five to eight voices in which rich polyphony and incisive textual interpretation reinforce one another. Once regarded as a curiosity, they are now considered milestones within the Lutheran tradition. Vox Luminis brings this music to life in historically informed performances, with instrumental accompaniment as Bach himself would have known it.
Coproduction: Perpodium |
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August 1, 18:00
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Belgium
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Eglise Saint-Sébastien, Stavelot Motets – J.S. Bach +
Bach’s motets constitute one of the most daring and impressive chapters in his vocal oeuvre. In Leipzig, he found the space to realise his ideal of church music, resulting in six exceptional works for five to eight voices in which rich polyphony and incisive textual interpretation reinforce one another. Once regarded as a curiosity, they are now considered milestones within the Lutheran tradition. Vox Luminis brings this music to life in historically informed performances, with instrumental accompaniment as Bach himself would have known it.
Coproduction: Perpodium |
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