Wed 15 Jan – Sun 19 Jan 2020

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Welcome to this tenth edition of the Bach Academy, in Concertgebouw Brugge! That we have been able to enrapture you with the music and the social world of the Leipzig Cantor over the past years is no coincidence: Bach’s rich and enigmatic oeuvre offers almost limitless opportunities to captivate, astound and affect both audiences and performers, time after time. That’s why we are so enthusiastic about this year’s edition, in which we’ll be paying a visit Chez Bach and peering over the Cantor’s shoulder to catch a glimpse of his private life: as a family man, father, respected citizen, tireless teacher and unparalleled musician.

As usual, this week’s programme is as sublime as it is varied. On the instrumental side, we have a wealth of fantastic soloists and ensembles, such as my good friend the pianist Martin Helmchen, Olivier Fortin and Ensemble Masques, gambist Romina Lischka in duo with Maude Gratton on pianoforte, and the ladies and gentlemen of Het Collectief, who give us a fresh perspective on Bach’s timeless masterpiece The Art of Fugue.

In the concerts of the Pluto Ensemble and Vox Luminis – which focus on the Florilegium Portense – the interweaving of Bach’s vocal oeuvre and the existing tradition is central. In the closing concert, I and my own ensemble – the fifty-year-young Collegium Vocale Gent – will bring you an anthology of Bach’s most exquisite cantatas. We will also be experimenting with a more extensive choir and orchestra, as we immerse ourselves in Romanticism to highlight Bach’s influence on Felix Mendelssohn’s beautiful but seldom performed chorale cantatas.

Together with Jeroen Vanacker and his enthusiastic team, it is my great pleasure and honour as curator to present you with all this beauty. We look forward to meeting you this week at one of the open rehearsals, introductions or concerts… or even just simply in the corridors of this wonderful house.

Your devoted cantor,

— Philippe Herreweghe

Dear music lover

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Festival summary

WED 15 JAN 2020

20.30 KAAP | De Werf

Bobo StensonHoned by Bach

i.c.w. KAAP

THU 16 JAN 2020

19.15 MagdalenazaalIntroduction by Pieter T’Jonck

20.00 Magdalenazaal

Opus & ElvedonChristos Papadopoulos

i.c.w. Cultuurcentrum Brugge

FRI 17 JAN 2020

20.00 Concert hall

Collegium Vocale GentMendelssohn. Jesu, meine Freudep. 5

22.30 Chamber music hall

Olivier Fortin & Emmanuel FrankenbergBach & Couperinp. 8

SAT 18 JAN 2020

11.00 Chamber music hall

Pluto EnsembleQuodlibet: party time at Bach’sp. 10

14.00 Chamber music hall

Ignace Bossuyt & Vox LuminisClose-up Florilegium Portensep. 13

16.30 Chamber music hall

Martin HelmchenBach. Partitasp. 15

20.00 Concert hall

Vox LuminisThe road to Leipzigp. 16

22.30 Chamber music hall

Romina Lischka & Maude GrattonFête galante chez Bachp. 20

SUN 19 JAN 2020

11.00 Chamber music hall

Stefanie Troffaes & Julien WolfsBach. Flute Sonatasp. 21

14.30 Chamber music hall

Het CollectiefThe Art of Fugue, an Anamorphosisp. 22

16.30 Concert hall

Ensemble MasquesCoffee at Zimmermann’sp. 24

20.00 Concert hall

Collegium Vocale GentIn der süßen Ewigkeitp. 26

Your applause is given additional colour by the flowers of Bloemblad.

In cooperation with our festival partner

The programme and the organisation of Bach Academy Bruges are the result of a close collaboration between Collegium Vocale Gent and Concertgebouw Brugge, under the curatorshop of Philippe Herreweghe.

Translation: Stephen Smith

Concertgebouw Brugge is part of REMA, European Early Music Network.

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GENRE

WED 15 JAN 2020

16.00-19.00

THU 16 JAN 2020

10.30-13.30 Concert hall

Open rehearsalsCollegium Vocale Gent

During their open rehearsals, Collegium Vocale Gent and Philippe Herreweghe give us a peek behind the scenes. We get to witness what is often a very personal artistic growth process.

Free with a Bach Academy Bruges 2020 concert ticket

VOCAL

FRI 17 JAN 2020

10.30-17.00 Forum 6

At home with Bach and his heirsListening course

The life and works of J.S. Bach hold no more secrets for Ignace Bossuyt. In this listening course (in Dutch), he untangles the lines that run from father Bach to his (musical) heirs, such as Felix Mendelssohn.

i.c.w. Davidsfonds Academie

LECTURE & DISCUSSION

SAT 18 & SUN 19 JAN 2020

11.00 Belfry, Market Square Brugge

Bach on carillonWim Berteloot

Willem Créman (1895-1970)Herinneringen aan J.S. Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Preludium from Lute Suite, BWV997 (arr. Bernard Winsemius)Air from Pastorale, BWV590 (arr. Bernard Winsemius)Bist du bei mir from Zweiten Notenbuch der Anna Magdalena Bach, BWV568(arr. Ronald Barnes)Prelude for lute, BWV998(arr. Frank Deleu)Air from Suite, BWV1068(arr. Leen ‘t Hart)Jesus bleibet meine Freude from Cantata, BWV147(arr. Wim Berteloot)Siciliano from Flute Sonata, BWV1031 (arr. Peter Bremer)

Wim Berteloot (1967)Miniatures on B.A.C.H. (selection)Toccata / Menuetto / Inventio / Preludium / Fugato

Johann Sebastian BachSinfonia/Arioso from Harpsichord Concerto, BWV1056(arr. Brecht Berteloot)Cello Suite no.4, BWV 1010Prelude / Allemande / Courante / Sarabande / Bourrée 1 / Bourrée 2 / Gigue(arr. Arie Abbenes)

FRI 17 — SUN 19 JAN 2020

30 min. before most concertsEntrance hall

Students Conservatory BrugesBach’s salon

Bach’s house was brimming with pupils, all levels and ages, all mixed together. Young Bruges talents of the conservatory each take on one Bach work and delight us on the piano in the Entrance Hall.p. 30

YOUNG TALENT

Context summary

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Collegium Vocale GentMendelssohn. Jesu, meine Freude

20.00 Concert hall19.15 Introduction by Ignace Bossuyt

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Collegium Vocale Gent: choir & orchestraPhilippe Herreweghe: conductorDorothee Mields: sopranoThomas Hobbs: tenorTobias Berndt: bass

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Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden (1830)Jesu, meine Freude (1828)Wer nur der lieben Gott lässt walten (1829)Verleih’ uns Frieden (1831)Mitten wir im Leben sind, opus 23 no.3 (1830)Nicht unserm Namen, Herr, Psalm 115, opus 31 (1830)

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With Dutch surtitles

This concert is being broadcast live on Klara. Thank you for keeping noise to a minimum, also between movements and pieces.

Mendelssohn following in Bach’s footsteps

The name Felix Mendelssohn immediately conjures up the historic revival of the St Matthew Passion he conducted in Leipzig in 1829, at the age of twenty. Mendelssohn’s interest in and knowledge of the Bible – which stemmed from his Jewish ancestry and his forefathers’ conversion to Protestantism – go hand in hand with his enthusiasm for Bach’s music, with which he came into contact very early.

His grandfather, the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, and his great aunt Sarah Levi both studied music under the composer-theorist Johann Philipp Kirnberger, who was one of Bach’s most significant students. In 1823 Mendelssohn’s maternal grandmother Bella Salomon gave him a copy of the score of the St Matthew Passion as a Christmas gift. Mendelssohn’s teacher, the composer Carl Friedrich Zelter, was not only director of the Berlin Singakademie, which had an excellent music library, but also an enthusiastic admirer of Bach’s work. Mendelssohn’s memorable production of the St Matthew Passion was the start of a series of performances of Bach’s work, especially during the years when Mendelssohn was director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig. So great was his enthusiasm for Bach that he himself regularly played the piano in Bach’s keyboard concertos and published a number of Bach’s organ works.

It goes without saying that Mendelssohn looked to the great Thomas Cantor for inspiration for his own religious music.

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His chorale-based cantatas are the most representative examples of the influence of similar Bach works. His cantata O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, based on the chorale primarily known from Bach’s St Matthew Passion, dates from 1830. This work has three movements that reflect Bach’s composition techniques,: (1) an opening chorus, in which the melody is set in broad note values in the soprano part, against contrapuntal lower voices based on the chorale and with the essential participation of the orchestra; (2) an aria for baritone and orchestra that references the chorale melody; and (3) a choral stanza for choir and orchestra in a simple chordal style. The chorale cantata Wer nun den lieben Gott läßt walten is based on the same pattern. In 1830, in his opus 23, Mendelssohn bundled together three religious works for soloists, choir, and organ, including an eight-voice setting of Luther’s chorale Mitten wir im Leben sind, in which drama and reflection go hand in hand as an expression of the conflict between the weakness of man and

his trust in God. The intimate, consoling ending is particularly impressive.

The intimate and moving single movement Verleih’ uns Frieden – a setting of Luther’s translation of the antiphony for peace Da pacem – was composed in Rome in 1831. The chorale melody is presented three times as a crescendo by the addition of instruments and voices: first bass, then alto and then finally the four-part choir. The orchestral parts are beautifully elaborated, from the opening with two cellos to the tutti with strings and woodwinds (flutes, clarinets and bassoons). In 1828 Bach’s motet Jesu, meine Freude inspired Mendelssohn to base a cantata on that same chorale, a brilliantly contrapuntally elaborated composition, in which every voice and instrument is featured independently.

From 1830 onward, in addition to chorale cantatas, Mendelssohn also composed a number of liturgical works based on psalms. His earliest psalm setting is Nicht unserm Namen Herr – the German version of Psalm 115 – a prayer and a hymn, for soloists, choir and orchestra. The strict polyphony in the opening chorus contrasts with the solemn chordal declamation of the closing chorus (Die Todten werden dich loben) and the more lyrical soloist intervention of the arioso for baritone (Er segne euch). Besides Bach, Mendelssohn’s model for this was his copy of the psalm settings Handel composed in Rome.

In these religious works, Mendelssohn was not simply trying to imitate Bach (or Handel). He wanted to breathe new life into the sterility of the dry-as-dust 19th-century church music by reaching back to the work of the composer who combined the religious message with top-quality music, brimming with technical mastery.

— Ignace Bossuyt

‘I composed religious music because I felt a need to compose it, just as people feel a compelling urge to read a certain book, such as the Bible, and find that satisfying.’ — Felix Mendelssohn

Collegium Vocale Gent

Choir

sopranoDorothee Mields Gunhild AlsvikAnnelies BrantsChiyuki OkamuraMagdalena PodkoscielnaElisabeth Rapp

altoAnne-Lou BissièreMarlen HerzogCécile PilorgerAlexander SchneiderJulia SpiesBart Uvyn

tenorThomas HobbsMalcolm BennettPeter Di-ToroJohannes GaubitzVincent LesageHitoshi Tamada bassTobias BerndtNikolaus FluckPhilip Kaven Eddie MofokengRobert van der VinneBart Vandewege

Orchestra

concert masterChristine Busch

first violinBaptiste LopezFelicia GrafMeng HanDietlind MayerMaria Rocca

second violinIsabelle FarrMarieke BoucheCorrathu MasoniAnna SagerVerena SommerLotta Suvanto

violaDeirdre DowlingDonata BöckingKaat De CockPablo de PedroWendy Ruymen

celloAgeet ZweistraLouise AudubertHarm-Jan SchwittersGésine Queyras

double bassMiriam ShalinskyJoe Carver

organMaude Gratton

fluteAmélie MichelJan Van den Borre

clarinetNicola BoudJean-Philippe Poncin

oboeMarcel PonseeleTaka Kitazato

bassoonJulien DebordesCarles Cristobal

HornAnneke ScottMark Demerlier

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FRI 17 JAN 2020

Olivier Fortin & Emmanuel FrankenbergBach & Couperin

22.30 Chamber music hall(doors open from 22.15)

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Olivier Fortin & Emmanuel Frankenberg: harpsichord

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François Couperin (1668-1733)Allemande à deux claveçins

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Prelude and fugue in Es, BWV552

François CouperinLes BergeriesLes Barricades mystérieuses

Johann Sebastian Bach Prelude and fugue in c, BWV545

François CouperinSarabande La LugubreChaconne La Favorite

Johann Sebastian Bach Concerto for two harpsichords in C, BWV1061

With the support of Piano’s Maene

From Bach’s library‘I can give Couperin no higher praise than to inform you that the learned Bach thought very highly of him.’

Composer and music theorist Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg wrote these words in 1740 to emphasise Bach’s knowledge of the work of François Couperin, the French composer whose 27 harpsichord suites are the culmination of the French harpsichord school. These ordres, as Couperin called them, were published in four volumes between 1713 and 1730. Bach included Couperin’s popular Les Bergeries, from the second volume, in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach he compiled in 1722 for his wife Anna Magdalena. Bach’s son Wilhelm Friedemann copied the Allemande à deux claveçins from the same collection. It is highly likely that Bach also knew Couperin’s important theoretical work from 1716 L’art de toucher le claveçin.

Bach’s first biographer Johann Nikolaus Forkel mentions an interesting detail: totally independently of each other, both Couperin and Bach are said to have introduced and recommended the use of the thumb in keyboard playing, to promote a smooth performance and to facilitate the playing of the important inner voices. Forkel adds that while Bach admired Couperin, he was not so keen on his sometimes exuberant use of ornamentation, which tended to obscure the melody too much. The use of such so-called ornements is indeed one of the most typical – and also most charming – characteristics of French keyboard music, along with the style brisé or style luthé,

KEYBOARD

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in imitation of lute playing, in which the notes of a chord are not played together but after each other, as an arpeggio.

In his ordres Couperin still includes the standard, emotionally rather neutral dances allemande, courante, sarabande and gigue, but most are transformed into more refined character pieces with descriptive titles, such as the ‘pastoral’ Les Bergeries.

Like Bach, Couperin had a fondness for the more purely melodically inclined Italian music. This is evidenced by his interesting collection of chamber music with the expressive title Les Goûts réünis (Reunited tastes), a title that reflects a coming together of the French and Italian styles. In his sonatas and concertos, Bach also turned his eyes to the south, taking Antonio Vivaldi as one of his preferred models. With his emphatic preference for dialoguing parts of equal weight, Bach made his mark on those

instrumental genres, in his Concerto for two harpsichords, BWV1061, for example.

To the original version for two solo keyboards, Bach later added parts for strings, but these are not essential. The work is a representative example of what was initially understood by the ‘concert principle’: statement and reply, repetition, the independence of each part, ensemble and dialogue. Each movement is constructed according to this principle, with a brilliant closing fugue – in which the four voices are gradually introduced and from that moment on form a fascinating quartet – as the crowning glory. The outer movements are pronouncedly rhythmic, in contrast to the middle movement, which is dominated by lyrical-melodic development in mutual dialogue. — Ignace Bossuyt

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SAT 18 JAN 2020

Pluto EnsembleQuodlibet: party time at Bach’s

11.00 Chamber music hall(doors open from 10.45)

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Pluto EnsembleMichaela Riener: sopranoMarnix De Cat: alto & musical directionGeoffrey Degives & Tore Denys: tenorHarry van der Kamp: bassWim Maeseele: luteDimos De Beun: organ, harpsichord & fluteNicholas Milne: viola da gamba

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Balthasar Resinarius (1485-1544), Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707), Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703) & Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Erhalt uns Herr

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) & Philipp Spitta (1841-1894)Kirchen-Quodlibet, reconstruction Redeker & Hilgenfeldt • Durch Adams Fall• Wir glauben all an einen Gott• Vater unser• Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh• Erhalt uns Herr

Johann GöldelGlaubens-Quodlibet, reconstruction Redeker & Hilgenfeldt• Vater unser• Wir glauben all an einen Gott• Jesus Christus unser Heiland• Christ unser Herr• Mensch will du leben seliglich

Johann Michael Bach (1648-1694)Ich weiss, dass mein Erlöser lebt / Christus der ist mein Leben

Johann Sebastian BachGib dich zufrieden, BWV512, from Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena BachSarabande en Double from Partita no.1, BWV1002

Melchior Franck (1579-1639)Viva la musica

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Johann Sebastian BachCanon zu 8 Stimmen, BWV1072 & 1073Canon after Melchior Franck Canon zu 4 Stimmen, BWV1077

AnoniemKraut und Rüben / Ich bin so lang nicht

Johann Sebastian BachCanons from BWV 1087Variations on the bass line from the Goldberg Variations

Ludwig Senfl (ca.1489-1543)Das Gleut zu Speyer °

Mathias Greiter (ca.1495-1550)Quodlibet, Fürt yede stymm ir eigen text °

Jobst von Brandt (1517-1570)Stand auf Käterlein *

Mathias GreiterQuodlibet Zum Biere °

Melchior FranckBierlied

Wolfgang Schmeltz l(ca.1500-1564)Quodlibet, Fürt yede stymm ir eigen text °Da trunken sie °

Georg Forster (1510-1568) Quodlibet Presulem sanctissimum *

Lorenz Lemlin (1495-1549) Der Guzgauch auf der Zäune saß *

Georg Forster Der Pfarer von Sant Veit *

Johann Sebastian Bach Allegro ma non tanto from Gamba Sonata in G, BWV1027

Melchior FranckWeinlied

Johann Sebastian Bach Quodlibet, BWV524

Johann Conrad Geisthirt (1669-1724) & Marnix De Cat (1967)Fuga from Daran ist erschienen die Liebe Gottes

Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg Variation no.30, BWV988

* from Frische Teutsche Liedlein (Georg Forster, 1539-56)° from Guter, seltzamer, und künstreicher teutscher Gesang (Wolfgang Schmeltzl, 1544)

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Whatever pleases you…Family parties chez Bach were legendary affairs. Big or small, anyone who could hold an instrument or sing more or less in tune took part – and there were lots who could. Just like this concert, these festivities invariably began with a chorale, before family and friends really let go in ever less modest songs.

One special genre of these was the quodlibet – or ‘whatever pleases you’ – which appeared in Europe in various forms from the late Middle Ages on. The German early Baroque variant combines witty humour with a sort of party game for music nerds by intertwining two or more popular melodies and their texts. The most well-known example of this nowadays is undoubtedly Bach’s 30th Goldberg Variation, which is based on several German folk songs that must have been

instantly recognisable to listeners at the time, with or without their lyrics.

For his imaginary Bach family celebration, Marnix De Cat has dug up some wonderful specimens, among them the exemplary Glaubens Quodlibet, in which Johann Göldel blends together no less than five chorale melodies. Canons also feature, because they too apply the art of combination. There will also be some of the earliest German examples of quodlibets, from the collections of Wolfgang Schmeltz and Georg Forster.

By the way, even the great Johann Sebastian himself composed a quodlibet with text: a light-hearted piece, which was probably performed at the celebration of his first marriage, to Maria Barbara Bach. — Albert Edelman

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LECTURE & DISCUSSION

— New Testament

Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612)Pater noster

Sethus Calvisius (1556-1615)Quaerite primum

Roland de Lassus (1532-1594)Tristis est anima mea

Christian Roth (ca.1585-ca.1640)Allein zu dir, chorale cantata

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, final chorale from cantata BWV33

14.00 Concert hall(doors open from 13.45)

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Vox LuminisLionel Meunier: bass & musical directionZsuzsi Tóth & Stefanie True: sopranoAlexander Chance, Jan Kullmann & Dina König: altoPhilippe Froeliger, Raphael Höhn & Jacob Lawrence: tenorSebastian Myrus: bassBart Jacobs: organ

Ignace Bossuyt: lecture

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— Old Testament

Melchior Franck (ca.1579-1639)Wenn ich nur dich habe, psalm 73

Christian Erbach (1568-1635)Deus, Deus meus, respice, psalm 22

Valentin Haussmann (1565-1614)Man wird zu Zion sagen, psalm 87

Teodore Riccio (ca.1540-ca.1600)De profundis, psalm 130

SAT 18 JAN 2020

Ignace Bossuyt & Vox LuminisClose-up Florilegium Portense

VOCALBach’s manuscript of Quodlibet, BWV524

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Bach’s musical bibleIn 1729 Bach purchased a collection of polyphonic music for Leipzig’s Thomas School, a collection that was already more than a century old: the now legendary Florilegium Portense, the ‘Pforta Anthology’.

Pforta was – and still is – an elite school near Naumburg, on the river Saale, about 60 km southwest of Leipzig. The composer Sethus Calvisius, the school Cantor, was a central figure in Pforta history. During his years there, he assembled a rich collection of sacred polyphonic motets to use for instruction at the school, a collection that Erhard Bodenschatz, who was Cantor from 1600 to 1603, expanded considerably (to 265 compositions). Most of these works are in Latin, with a few in German. They are mainly eight-voice, double-choir motets, usually written in a chordal style, in which the voices declaim the text simultaneously, shunning learned techniques and virtuosic show.

The collection contains works by both Catholic and Protestant composers, mainly Germans and Italians, from ca.1560-ca.1620. For most composers of that time, the ideal model for a Latin motet was the work of Roland de Lassus, Kapellmeister of the Bavarian dukes in Munich. His work is therefore well represented in the Florilegium.

This collection was widely circulated and reprinted, but by Bach’s day the polyphonic motet was nevertheless widely regarded as an old-fashioned and almost extinct genre. Bach’s purchase of the Florilegium Portense shows, however, that the genre still had a place in the religious repertoire, for instruction in the Thomas School, but also in the liturgy. In Leipzig there was, after all, a mandatory motet at the start of every service.

— Ignace Bossuyt

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KEYBOARD

Prayer and dance on the keyboard

Among the core works of Bach’s keyboard repertoire are the six partitas, or suites, that he published in 1731. The suite’s basic concept was the alternation of instrumental dances, dance-like pieces and more abstract movements that contrasted in tempo, metre, texture and character. Sometimes, the dance feel was retained, but usually the dance was worked out in a more complex compositional style, in a fugue, for example, as in the Overture and the Gigue of Partita no.4. The four ‘standard’ dances (allemande, courante, sarabande and gigue) were supplemented with other dances, such as the minuet, and with a rich variety of other pieces, such as the rondeau, capriccio and aria. The opening movements (sinfonia, overture) are generally elaborate and very individually conceived, thanks to the mixing of styles, for instance, as in the sinfonia, where a typically lively French start is followed by an Italian-tinted, violinistic andante, followed by a fast fugue (Bach’s favourite).

In Bach’s organ music, chorale arrangements play a central role. They were usually intended as a prelude to the liturgy, in which the chorale served as a Lutheran hymn. Bach often adds beautiful counter-melodies, as he does in the well-known Wachet auf (BWV645), for example. Later composers who admired Bach – such as Ferruccio Busoni and Max Reger – made many arrangements of these works for piano, sometimes adding personal touches, sometimes true to the model.

— Ignace Bossuyt

16.30 Chamber music hall(doors open from 16.00)—

Martin Helmchen: piano

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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Partita no.2 in c, BWV826 (1726) • Sinfonia• Allemande• Courante• Sarabande• Rondeau• Capriccio

5 chorale preludesNun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV659 ° Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme. BWV645 ° Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g’mein, BWV734 °Herzlich thut mich verlangen, BWV727 *Nun danket alle Gott, BWV657 *

Partita no.4 in D, BWV828 (1728)• Ouverture• Allemande• Courante• Aria• Sarabande• Menuet• Gigue

met de steun van Piano’s Maene

° arr. Ferruccio Busoni* arr. Max Reger

SAT 18 JAN 2020

Martin HelmchenBach. Partitas

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From Mühlhausen to LeipzigThe cantatas Bach composed in Mühlhausen and Weimar between 1707 and 1714, before he was appointed Thomas Cantor in Leipzig, are of a type consistent with the 17th-century tradition. The stereotypical structure of the Leipzig cantatas – a systematic alternation of recitatives, arias and chorales, based on texts consisting of Bible verses, chorales and (especially) free poetry – is not yet present. The richness of these early cantatas lies precisely in their diversity.

The cantata Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir – presumably composed for a penitential liturgy – is based on the German translation of the Latin penitential psalm De profundis (‘Out of the depths I cry to Thee, Lord’), with the addition of some appropriate chorale stanzas. Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich – about man putting his trust in God in times of danger and thus finding salvation – combines verses from Psalm 25 with free rhyming poetry. The text of Gottes Zeit is die allerbeste Zeit – composed for a funeral Mass and one of Bach’s best-known cantatas – consists of Bible verses from both the Old and the New Testament plus chorales. Typical of this type of cantata is an independent atmospheric instrumental introduction, such as the hushed opening sonatina for ‘soft’ instruments (recorders and violas da gamba) in Gottes Zeit. What is also striking in these cantatas is that the individual movements sometimes consist of contrasting passages that merge into one another without interruption. A brilliant fragment from Gottes Zeit is the passage Es ist der alte Bund: Mensch, du musst sterben! – Ja, komm, Herr Jesu, komm: the

VOCAL

20.00 Concert hall19.15 Introduction by Ignace Bossuyt

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Vox LuminisLionel Meunier: bass & musical directionZsuzsi Tóth & Stefanie True: sopranoAlexander Chance & Dina König: altoPhilippe Froeliger & Raphael Höhn: tenorSebastian Myrus: bass

Tuomo Suni & Johannes Frisch: violinMieneke van der Velden & Ricardo Rodriguez Miranda: viola da gambaJasu Moisio: oboeBenny Aghassi: recorder & bassoonRonan Kernoa: celloBart Jacobs: organ

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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV106Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV131

interval

Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV150Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV12

With Dutch surtitles

SAT 18 JAN 2020

Vox LuminisThe road to Leipzig

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first, four-voice fragment is followed by the entrance of the solo soprano. The Old and the New Covenants (death as opposed to life through Christ) are set against each other: Bach symbolises them in a grandiose way by employing the ‘old’ contrapuntal style on the one hand and the ‘new’ Baroque style for solo with basso continuo on the other. We also hear Bach’s typical combination technique here, in which an aria fragment (Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein, Jesus’s promise to the good murderer) is combined with an appropriate chorale (Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin).

In Aus der Tiefen Bach quotes two stanzas from the same chorale in combination with an aria fragment. In the bass solo with oboe So du wilsst, Herr, Sünde zurechnen, the soprano sings the stanza Erbarm dich mein in solcher Last; in the solo for tenor Meine Seele wartet auf den Herrn, the alto sings Und wenn ich denn in meinen Sinn: personal reflection thus always goes hand in hand with the chorale. The opening chorus is a diptych: the melancholic mood of the slow introduction Aus der Tiefen turns into an emphatic lively plea (vivace) at Herr, höre meine Stimme.

Tempo change as an expressive medium also dominates the opening chorus of the cantata Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, which was written for a modest orchestration of two violins, bassoon and basso continuo. The slow, chromatic opening of Nach dir, Herr, for instance, is followed by a ‘positive’ acceleration at ich hoffe, after which a slowing down at lass mich nicht zu Schanden werden is rescinded by the allegro on dasz sich meine Feinde nicht freuen. The

closing chorus Meine Tage in dem Leide is a chaconne – a favourite form of Bach’s – in which a constantly repeated bass line serves as a unifying foundation. Brahms borrowed this bass theme from Bach for the finale of his Fourth Symphony.

The opening chorus of the cantata Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen is one of the most typical and most poignant examples of this same principle. After an opening sinfonia of strings and a masterful oboe solo, Bach chooses a chromatic bass as its foundation to express intense sadness and lamentation. This chorus, peppered with dissonances, is heartrending. When the text more positively refers to Jesus (die das Zeichen Jesu tragen), the tempo accelerates to allegro. Taken in its entirety the cantata evolves from ‘rain to sunshine’: Nach dem Regen blüht der Segen sings the tenor in the aria Sei getreu, suitably supported by a triumphant trumpet in the chorale melody Jesu, meine Freude. This cantata aptly illustrates the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John: ‘Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.’

— Ignace Bossuyt

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Jeroen Vanackerartistic director Concertgebouw BruggeLooking back on 10 years Bach Academy Bruges, one thought keeps coming back: Bach is ageless, and his inspiration without bounds. Each year, the emotional performances by Philippe Herreweghe and his Collegium Vocale Gent are the starting point for an annual trip taking us also to new creations in jazz, contemporary dance and theatre (also for children). Chez Bach is the ideal moniker for this jubilee: for ten years we’ve formed an international community of artists and audience, a real Bach family.

Jens Van Durmeartistic coordinator Collegium Vocale GentOne moment I won’t soon forget happened in Luther year 2017, when Collegium more or less reconstructed a service in the Walburga Church. With every element present – motet, communal song, organ, the cantata Ein feste Burg, and the ‘sermon’ by Josse De Pauw – we were immersed, and the audience with us. While it was never our

intention to get as close to Bach as possible, the atmosphere of the baroque church was even more fitting. That afternoon we stepped outside of the usual concert habits, something we only rarely get a chance to do.

Katherina Lindekensex- artistic coordinator Concertgebouw BruggeFrom ‘my’ Bach Academies – I co-created the 2011 and 2012 editions – the trip to idyllic Hoeke has a special place in my heart. There the audience met Marcel Ponseele in concert and his brother Francis in his workshop where he recreates historic oboes. The day made me feel nostalgic, it gave a glimpse of a bygone era, somehow slower, with attention to craft. An excursion as a time machine.

Ageet Zweistracellist Collegium Vocale GentMy strongest Bach Academy memory would have to be our Edding concert with Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge in 2014, the first with our then new violist Pablo de

Pedro. The day was rather tense, as he would arrive only just before the concert, and even though we had rehearsed a lot, about a week had passed since we’d seen each other. The concert in the wonderful Chamber music hall wasn’t perfect, but another more important feeling prevailed: surrounded by our Bruges audience we knew: Pablo had to be our new member.

Albert Edelmanartistic coordinator Concertgebouw BruggeThe most beautiful moments during the Bach Academy happen late a night for me, when the Chamber music hall sits in almost complete darkness. This was especially true for my first edition in 2012, when we listened with bated breath to pianist Maude Gratton. There she sat by herself in the middle of the room, caught in a thin ray of light, but what worlds didn’t she open up! The connection between music, artist and audience was intense.

Yves De Bruyckereproduction manager Concertgebouw BruggeWhat makes the Bach Academy so exceptional? Not a single room in the Concertgebouw sits idle. Walking behind the scenes, you’ll hear music from each and every corner of the building. And then there are ensembles like Collegium Vocale Gent and Freiburger Barockorchester, well-oiled concert machines, but just that little bit more at home when they land in Bruges. You can feel it, and it’s that feeling I live for.

Ignace BossuytmusicologistTen years Bach Academy: each of over a hundred concerts provides a new piece of the ‘Bach in context’ puzzle, adding to the vibrant landscape in which beauty and depth are revealed step by step, towards a horizon that keeps receding.

10 YEARS BACH

ACADEMY BRUGES

2011 2016

2014 20192015 2020

2012 20172013 2018

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Europe’s last gamba virtuosos

In its final glory days the viola da gamba titillated the taste buds of several generations of German composers, from the late Baroque to the early Classical. As a master of the Empfindsame Stil, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – who was at least as highly regarded as his father – composed in an idiom that in an Enlightenment context can be seen as an artistic manifesto that opposes artificiality and complexity and promotes a more natural musical language that seeks to express an endless range of moods and feelings. It is remarkable that each of these Bach compositions could easily have been written for an instrument other than the gamba, even if Bach does create exceptionally magical moments when he utilises the gamba’s chordal qualities and deeper registers. Some particularly virtuosic passages may indicate a connection with Carl Friedrich Abel, a family friend and one of the last great gamba masters.

Abel’s manuscript is now stored in New York as the Drexel Manuscript. The Adagio & Allegro are a visiting card for Abel’s craftsmanship. Balancing between classical formalism and free expression, this music is bursting with ideas and brimming with panache and energy. It is also particularly eloquent: a musical monologue fed by inner dialectics.

— With thanks to BOZAR Music and Sofie Taes

CHAMBER MUSIC

22.30 Chamber music hall(doors open from 22.15)

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Romina Lischka: viola da gambaMaude Gratton: pianoforte

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Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787) Adagio & Allegro from Drexel-manuscript, WK186&212 (1765–1781)

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) Sonate in C, Wq136 (1745)• Andante• Allegretto• Arioso

Freie Fantaisie, Wq67 (1787)

Sonate in g, Wq88 (1759)• Allegro moderato• Larghetto• Allegro assai

SAT 18 JAN 2020

Romina Lischka & Maude GrattonFête galante chez Bach

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Bruges virtuoso blows us away

From 1717 until he left for Leipzig in 1723, Bach was employed as Konzertmeister of the orchestra of the princely court in Köthen. During his time there, he composed a lot of chamber and keyboard music. It is often suggested that Bach’s sonatas for flute and harpsichord also date from this period. This, however, is far from certain as some sonatas are based on older compositions and original manuscripts from Köthen are scarce.

Whatever the case, Bach’s interest in the traverse flute coincides with a game-changing evolution. In the mid-Baroque – under the influence of virtuosos such as Quantz in Germany and Hottetere in France – the recorder was gradually superseded by the transverse flute. Both technically and expressively this instrument had far greater potential and Bach fully explores this potential in his flute sonatas.

BWV1030 is Bach’s most elaborate and ambitious flute sonata. It dates from his time as director of Leipzig’s Collegium Musicum, a group of musicians who gave weekly concerts in the famous Café Zimmermann. Just like the Sonata in A, it is a three movement, concerto-style sonata, in which the virtuosic soloist is in constant dialogue with the orchestra. BWV1035 is reminiscent of the ‘sentimental’ style of Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel. Bach probably composed it 1741 when he visited the court of Frederick the Great in Berlin.

— Jens Van Durme CHAMBER MUSIC

11.00 Chamber music hall(doors open from 10.45)

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Stefanie Troffaes: traversoJulien Wolfs: harpsichord—

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Flute Sonata in E, BWV1035 (1741)• Adagio ma non tanto• Allegro• Siciliana• Allegro assai

Allegro from Violin Sonata in g, BWV1019 (ca.1736)

Flute Sonata in A, BWV1032 (ca.1736)• Largo e dolce • Allegro

Toccata in e, BWV914

Flute Sonata in b, BWV1030 (ca.1736)• Andante• Largo e dolce• Presto

SUN 19 JAN 2020

Stefanie Troffaes & Julien WolfsBach. Flute Sonatas

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CHAMBER MUSIC

Johannes Schöllhorn (1962)Anamorphoses

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV1080 (instrumentation: Het Collectief)• Contrapunctus VI• Contrapunctus VII, flute, violin, basset

clarinet, cello• Contrapunctus IV• Contrapunctus XII inversus, brass quartet • Contrapunctus VIII• Contrapunctus II, alto flute, viola, basset

clarinet, cello• Contrapunctus IX• Contrapunctus XIII rectus & inversus,

accordion and piano• Contrapunctus X• Canon alla Decima, alto flute, basset

clarinet• Contrapunctus XI• Contrapunctus V, viola, alto flute, basset

clarinet, cello• Canon per augmentationem in contrario

motu

14.30 Chamber music hall(doors open from 14.15)

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Het Collectief: ensembleJohannes Schöllhorn: conductorThomas Dieltjens: pianoWibert Aerts: violinVincent Hepp: violaMartijn Vink: celloJonathan Focquaert: double bassToon Fret: (alto) fluteJulien Hervé: (bass) clarinet & basset clarinet Tomonori Takeda: bass clarinetAlain De Rudder: trumpetKristina Mascher-Turner: French hornAlain Pire: trombonePascal Rousseau: bass tubaPhilippe Thuriot: accordion

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SUN 19 JAN 2020

Het CollectiefThe Art of Fugue, an Anamorphosis

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Bach in anamorphosis

Meddling with one of the finest works of great master Bach is not without its risks, but then Schöllhorn is no newcomer when it comes to drawing inspiration from existing repertoire. An essential characteristic of his music is the confrontation between old and new and between past and present. What attracts Schöllhorn so much in Bach’s music is its balance between simplicity and complexity, something he also strives for in his own music.

The title Anamorphoses – which is derived from the Greek for to transform or to distort – indicates that this is not simply a transcription of The Art of Fugue, but a complete reworking. The term anamorphosis is not generally associated with music, but with the visual arts and especially painting. An anamorphic painting shows a distorted image that requires a shift of vantage point in order for it to make any sense. The most famous example of this is probably Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Ambassadors. In the foreground it shows a strange, difficult to identify object, which when seen from the side, is revealed to be a human skull. Artist and theorist Albrecht Dürer called anamorphosis ‘the art of the hidden perspective’.

We can only discern such a hidden image if we view it from a different perspective. And that is exactly what Schöllhorn has done with this work. He has produced an idiosyncratic composition, brimming with rather unusual sounds, in which Bach’s music is sometimes unrecognisable. To perform it he employs an ensemble of twelve instruments, which are often combined and played in unexpected ways.

Schöllhorn calls his Anamorphoses ‘a collection of movements based on The Art of Fugue’. ‘Each movement has been approached from a fresh compositional perspective. In each of them Bach develops his subject anew, whilst remaining close

to other musical forms, such as the French overture or the Italian concerto. In Anamorphoses the conical and cylindrical mirrors of the arrangement technique are varied in a similar way to give rise to new colours, styles and forms,’ says Schöllhorn.

As far as Schöllhorn is concerned, composition is more than the creation of a completely authentic work. He is well aware that many ‘new’ ideas are actually based on existing material: ‘We mustn’t forget that composing always involves a little recycling. Sometimes I regard my own ‘inventions’ as objets trouvés.’ In Anamorphoses, as we ourselves will experience today, past and present clash and converse. This experience will undoubtedly give us a fresh perspective on Bach’s The Art of Fugue.

— With thanks to Emmanuel Hondré (adaptation: Julie Mosar)

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The other side of the Thomas Cantor

Bach is often associated with the doom and gloom that overwhelms us miserable sinners in many of his liturgical cantatas (even if they do generally finish optimistically, with the hope of redemption). The other side of Bach’s talent – humour and pleasant diversion – is seldom acknowledged, and this when countless pages of his instrumental scores, such as his Orchestral Suites and his Brandenburg Concertos, are gems of the purest musical delight, masterfully dosed with technical compositional dexterity and infectious charm. The same pleasure radiates from every page of a number of secular cantatas, often composed within the context of Leipzig’s Collegium Musicum. This music society, many of whose members were university students, played together once or twice a week in Gottfried Zimmerman’s coffee house. Bach directed the Collegium between 1729 and 1737 and again from 1739.

In the cantata Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, a.k.a. the Coffee Cantata, librettist Picander pokes fun at the then highly fashionable habit of drinking coffee. The story is simple: much to the dismay of her father Schlendrian (‘Rut’!), Liesgen absolutely refuses to give up her daily coffee. He tries in vain to deter her with threats or to persuade her with gifts. Finally, she does agree, when he promises to find her a husband. But the cunning Liesgen insists in the marriage contract that no suitor who wants to stop her drinking coffee may enter her house. Recitatives outline the story, with the arias conveying the sharper exchanges between Liesgen and her father.

VOCAL CHAMBER MUSIC

16.30 Concert hall(doors open from 16.15)

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Ensemble Masques: ensembleOlivier Fortin: harpsichord & musical directionJenny Högström: sopranoThomas Hobbs: tenorMarcel Raschke: bassEmmanuel Frankenberg: harpsichordSophie Gent & Tuomo Sumi: violinKathleen Kajioka: violaMélisande Corriveau: celloBenoit Van den Bemden: double bassAnna Besson: flute

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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV211

Concerto for two harpsichords in c, BWV1062• [no tempo indication]• Andante• Allegro assai

Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet, BWV212

SUN 19 JAN 2020

Ensemble MasquesCoffee at Zimmermann’s

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Purely musically, the four contrasting arias are central: Schlendrian, the choleric father, has insistent strings; Liesgen, enjoying her coffee, is supported by a seductive flute; Schlendrian’s difficulty in devising a devious solution is evidenced by the chromatic melody; and Liesgen’s excitement at the prospect of finding a husband by a joyous dance. The closing trio is a folk dance that underlines the moral of the story.

The ‘burlesque cantata’ Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet, popularly known as the Peasant Cantata, was written as a rustic homage to Leipzig nobleman and tax collector Carl Heinrich von Dieskau, who in 1742 had inherited an estate in the village of Klein-Zschocher near Leipzig. In this cantata – with part of their text in the Saxon dialect – a man and a woman sing the praises of the nobleman in rustic scenes, peppered with short arias in the style of diverse popular dances (bourrée, polonaise, sarabande, mazurka, minuet, passepied and ‘paysanne’, a peasant dance). The opening sinfonia, of short contrasting fragments, is infused with rural sounds, such as bagpipes. The trio instrumentation is also drawn from folk music: violin, viola and basso continuo. In the minuet in praise of the sweetness of life in Klein-Zschocher, (Klein-Zschocher müsse so zart und süße) Bach adds a flute and in the hunting song Es nehme zehntausend Dukaten an appropriately illustrative horn. Folk melodies constantly bubble up in both this and the other movements, but Bach always maintains his respect for the compositional metier and never descends into vulgar jocosity. In his discussion of this cantata, German Bach expert Alfred Dürr

concludes as follows: ‘We won’t go to the extreme of counting the Peasant Cantata among Bach’s major works. But he does command our admiration, because from his youth to his old age he has maintained his close relationship to dance, folk music, song and the chorale and has incorporated them so strikingly artistically into his compositions.’

For the Collegium concerts, Bach also composed a series of concertos for one to four harpsichords, arrangements of his own concertos for melodic instruments (oboe and violin). In these catchy works, he showcased the talents of his sons Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel, and he himself performed as a soloist. The Concerto for Two Harpsichords, BWV1062 is a transcription of his well-known Concerto for Two Violins. After the model of Antonio Vivaldi, two fast movements flank a slower middle movement. In the faster movement, an inspired and inspiring dialogue between the string ensemble and the two soloists unfolds. The finale grows organically from one of Bach’s favourite and most elementary motifs: the short-short-long rhythm that also dominates the first movement of his Third Brandenburg Concerto. In the middle movement, a delightful cantilena develops from the first bar, one of Bach’s most wonderful ideas.

— Ignace Bossuyt

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20.00 Concert hall19.15 Introduction by Ignace Bossuyt

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Collegium Vocale Gent: choir & orchestraPhilippe Herreweghe: conductorDorothee Mields: sopranoAlex Potter: contratenorThomas Hobbs: tenorPeter Kooij: bass

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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist, BWV45

Melchior Franck (ca.1579-1639)Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe, from Florilegium Portense

Johann Sebastian BachJesu, der du meine Seele, BWV78

interval

Johann Sebastian BachLaß, Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl, BWV198

With Dutch surtitles

SUN 19 JAN 2020

Collegium Vocale GentIn der süβen Ewigkeit

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– the duet for soprano and alto Wir eilen mit schwachen and the aria for bass, strings and oboe Nun du wirst mein Gewissen stillen – are equally delightful songs, brimming with hope, gratitude and even joy. They contrast with the grandiose opening chorus Jesu, der du meine Seele, a poignant lament brimming with sorrow for Christ’s suffering and death (deinen bittern Tod). The two recitatives accentuate that drama, even with a furious outburst when mentioning the terrifying judgment that will curse the damned. The solace that the arias offer is confirmed in the closing chorale Herr, ich glaube.

In 1727, Electress of Saxony Christiane Eberhardine died in Dresden. At the request of Leipzig University, Bach composed Laß Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl, one of his most grandiose compositions, as her funeral ode. It was performed to great acclaim on 17 October, as part of a funeral ceremony in which the work was divided into two parts by the funeral oration. All the church bells of the city rang for an hour. As befits a funeral ode and in keeping with the three classic elements of an elegy – praise, mourning and comfort – there are two central themes: the grief of the population and the qualities of the deceased. The text – written by Johann Christoph Gotsched, a celebrated poet of the time – is purely secular homage poetry, with no sacred chorales or Bible quotes. Bach scores it for an unusually extensive configuration: a four-part choir, four vocal soloists, strings (including not only violins and violas but also two violas da gamba), wind instruments (including two transverse flutes and two oboes d’amore) and a basso continuo that includes organ and harpsichord, supplemented with two lutes. The opening chorus, a song of mass mourning

for choir and full orchestra, sounds like a processional march. Grief also dominates the subsequent recitative and the soprano aria. The piece de résistance, however, is undoubtedly the accompagnato recitative Der Glocken bebendes Getön, in which the sound of the Leipzig bells – from the small, fast-ringing bell to the sonorous, sustained resounding of the larger bronze bells – is suggested, with the participation of all the instruments, from high to low.

For each movement, Bach foresees a different configuration, in function of the desired effect, the intimacy of the gamba and lute in the mournful berceuse Wie starb die Heldin, for example. In the second part (after the funeral oration), accompanied by transverse flute, oboe d’amore, strings, viola da gamba and lute, the tenor sings of the radiant light of eternity that now bathes the Electress, followed by a ‘geographic’ recitative, in which the flowing rivers and the places the Electress visited in life exalt and mourn her. The closing chorus is an exhortation to keep the memory of a virtuous woman alive: a restrained song of joy, a lullaby to accompany the Electress in her eternal sleep.

The Thomanerchor’s regular repertoire included Latin and German motets from the early 17th-century Florilegium Portense anthology. Bach had purchased a copy for his students. One of the composers represented in this collection is the German Melchior Franck. It includes, for instance, his eight-voice Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe, a setting of a Psalm text about trust in God (see also p. 13-14).

— Ignace Bossuyt

Philippe Herreweghe’s three favourite cantatas

In the Sermon on the Mount – recounted in the Gospel of Matthew – Jesus warns His listeners: ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.’ Bach expands on this in his cantata Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist, in which bible excerpts alternate with free poetry and the closing chorale is a resounding hymn. As usual, the cantata starts with a broadly elaborated choral movement, in which voices and instruments explore the religious message in mutual dialogue. This sets the tone for a serious appeal: ‘It has been told to you, mankind, what is good and what the Lord expects from you, namely: to keep God’s word, to practice love and to be humble before your God.’ Two recitatives and two arias symmetrically flank the central movement in which Christ (the traditional bass voice) takes the word in a quote from the Gospel of Matthew: Es werden viele zu mir sagen. Sumptuous strings underline Jesus’ complaint: ‘I have never known you. Begone from my sight, evildoers!’ As a counterweight, the two arias are intimate reflections, in which the text refers both to the hope of salvation and to eternal punishment (Weiß ich Gottes Rechte, for tenor and strings, and Wer Gott bekennt, for alto and transverse flute). The closing chorale Gib, daß ich tu mit Fleiß is a prayer for assistance.Like many of Bach’s cantatas, Jesu, der du meine Seele evolves from negative to positive: from the despair of sin to the hope of salvation. Here the central movement is the hopeful tenor aria (with transverse flute) Das Blut, so meine Schuld durchstreicht, an intensely lyrical song of thanks. The two arias

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Choir

sopranoDorothee Mields Annelies BrantsChiyuki OkamuraMagdalena Podkoscielna

altoAlex PotterCécile PilorgerAlexander SchneiderBart Uvyn

tenorThomas HobbsJohannes GaubitzVincent LesageHitoshi Tamada

bassPeter Kooij Philip Kaven Robert van der VinneBart Vandewege

Orchestra

concert masterChristine Busch

first violinMeng HanMaria Rocca

second violinDietlind MayerVerena SommerLotta Suvanto

violaDeirdre DowlingKaat De Cock

celloAgeet ZweistraHarm-Jan Schwitters

double bassMiriam ShalinskyJoe Carver

organMaude Gratton

viola da gambaRomina LischkaNicholas Milne

luteMatthias Spaeter

traversoPatrick BeuckelsAmélie Michel

oboeMarcel PonseeleTaka Kitazato

bassoonJulien Debordes

Collegium Vocale Gent

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CONGRATULATIONS COLLEGIUM VOCALE GENT

This year we have a double anniversary. During this tenth edition of Bach Academy Bruges central guests Philippe Herreweghe and his Collegium Vocale Gent will be blowing out 50 candles! Our warmest congratulations to Philippe and his magnificent choir and orchestra on their half-century. On to a jubilee year! Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret!

During this gold-rimmed edition, you naturally get to share in the festive fun, with two glittering concerts by this Gent-based choir and orchestra. And your enjoyment needn’t stop there. You can continue it at home, thanks to the must-have CD box that is being released in March to mark this 50th birthday.

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YOUNG TALENT

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Entrance hall

FRI 17 JAN 2020

18.45-19.10Suhail FaresJolien MarleinCarlos VandaeleFloris MakayEmile Mosar

19.30-19.55Sven WarmoesSofie RogiersEsther AstaesJohanna Sercu

The programme will be announced at each performance.

SAT 18 JAN 2020

10.30-10.55Ella CappelleJürgen Lambrecht

13.30-13.55Irini BekeJürgen LambrechtMerijn Calis

18.45-19.10Marie VertéKlaas GorisTibe GorisLore VanhaverbekeMarie DeclerckFé VerheyenFelix ClaeysGilles Desmet

19.30-19.55Frederik De KeyserHannes CopmanMarte HuygensGilles DesmetFé VerheyenFelix Claeys

SUN 19 JAN 2020

14.00-14.25Suhail FaresAline DecraemerLaure RosiersNaomi SegersNaomi MacarieHannes Copman

16.00-16.25Enya DepuydtMarie-Lou SalensHanne DevliesStina VerhaegheBryn LaforceMerijn CalisElisabeth Watteyne

19.30-19.55Mathias NolletMartijn VandammeLore ProvoostMia Van DammeJoren BasynDarrell BuydaertVictoria DumortierBenedict De ClercqFrederik DumortierJessie Van Kerckhove & Lut BillietGriet GabriëlsSoumeye Taleb

FRI 17 — SUN 19 JAN 2020

Students Conservatory BrugesBach’s salon

Collegium Vocale Gent (BE) was founded 50 years ago by Philippe Herreweghe. They were one of the first ensembles to apply new insights about Baroque performance practice to vocal music. For each project, the ensemble bring together the ideal complement, which allows them to perform a wide repertoire, from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary music. Baroque music, particularly that of J.S. Bach, is central to the ensemble’s concert calendar. Collegium Vocale Gent have made dozens of recordings: featuring Renaissance polyphony, Baroque music, Classical and Romantic oratorios and contemporary music. The ensemble and their conductor are the central guests at the annual Bach Academy Bruges in January.

Philip Herreweghe (BE) is the undeniable specialist in Renaissance and Baroque music. This is amply evidenced by his work with Collegium Vocale Gent, La Chapelle Royale and the Ensemble Vocal Européen. His energetic, authentic and rhetorical approach to this repertoire is universally praised. Since 1991, he has also devoted his attention to the Classical and Romantic repertoire, with the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées. Since 1997, he has been a regular guest conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, with which he has focussed on a refreshing interpretation of (pre)Romantic music. A few years ago, Philippe Herreweghe founded the record label Phi, which releases CDs featuring very diverse repertoire by Collegium Vocale Gent, the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées and various soloist and ensemble friends. In 2010 the city of Leipzig awarded Philippe Herreweghe its prestigious Bach Medal.

After training in Leipzig and Mannheim, Tobias Berndt (DE) won several song competitions, including the prestigious Das Lied Competition that was founded in Berlin by Thomas Quasthoff. Berndt has performed with renowned ensembles, such as the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig, The English Concert, L’arpe festante, and the Thomanerchor Leipzig.

Wim Berteloot (BE) is city carillonneur of Bruges, where he previously assisted Frank Deleu for a number of years. He studied at Ghent Conservatory and the Carillon School ‘Jef Denyn’ in Mechelen. He is conductor of the male-voice choir De Kerels. He regularly composes music for choir and for carillon.

Ignace Bossuyt (BE) is Professor Emeritus of Leuven University’s Musicology Research Unit. His research is primarily focussed on Renaissance polyphony. He also regularly publishes for a wider audience. Among others of his works, Leuven University Press has published his monograph De oratoria van Alessandro Scarlatti and his book about Bach’s Mass in B minor.

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The Brussels ensemble Het Collectief (BE) focus primarily on music from the 20th century and the contemporary repertoire, but they are also known for their idiosyncratic performances of works by Bach and other great masters from the past. They prefer small-scale concerts, which allow them room to experiment and to premiere new repertoire. Composer-conductor Johannes Schöllhorn (DE) writes music that is performed by various international soloists, ensembles and orchestras. Besides this, he also arranges and transcribes existing music. Schöllhorn studied composition under Klaus Huber and conducting under Péter Eötvös. Since 2017 he has taught composition at the Institut für Neue Musik in Freiburg.

Martin Helmchen (DE) has had an impressive career, performing with renowned companies such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Philharmonic. In January 2015 he was a highly-acclaimed last minute replacement for Maria João Pires in the Netherlands’ Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Helmchen tours the world with his chamber music performances and solo recitals. In 2019, he released two CDs on Alpha Classics, Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus and Beethoven’s Piano Concertos no. 2 and 5. Martin Helmchen is an audience favourite at Concertgebouw Brugge; last season he showcased our new Steinway.

Romina Lischka (A) studied viola da gamba under Jorge Daniel Valencia and followed master classes with Wieland Kuijken and Jordi Savall before continuing her studies under Paolo Pandolfo and Philippe Pierlot. She now plays in acclaimed ensembles, such as the Ricercar Consort, Collegium Vocale Gent and il Gardelino,

performing all over the world. In 2012 she founded the Hathor Consort, with which she performs not only Renaissance and Baroque music, but also modern works and world music. In 2019 VRT radio Klara awarded her its Soloist of the Year Prize.

Maude Gratton (FR) studied in Poitiers and Bordeaux. In 2005 she was a prize winner at the Musica Antiqua competition in Bruges. She performs with many ensembles, including Stradivaria, La Simphonie du Marais, Le Concert d’Astrée and Pygmalion. Along with her sister Claire and violinist Stéphanie Paulet, Maude is a key member of the ensemble Il Convito.

Ensemble Masques (CA) derive their name from an English theatrical genre in which all the art forms come together. They have recorded several acclaimed CDs, featuring music by Rameau, Schmelzer, Weichlein, Telemann and others. Artistic director Olivier Fortin (CA) studied in Québec, Paris and Amsterdam and regularly plays with Skip Sempé and Pierre Hantaï in duo and trio formation. He is also a member of other ensembles, such as Capriccio Stravagantes. He recently released Routes du café – a recording with Ensemble Masques, which includes Bach’s Coffee Cantata – and a solo CD of keyboard works by François Couperin.

Emmanuel Frankenberg (NL) plays the harpsichord and the natural horn. He has performed with numerous ensembles, including Akamus, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century and Capriccio Stravagante. He is also a member of the acclaimed Goldfinch Ensemble, a beneficiary of the emerging (Emerging European Ensembles) project.

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After studying singing in Sweden, Jenny Högström (S) perfected her historical performance practice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. She also participated in several masterclasses in singing and chamber music. She has since collaborated with several ensembles.

Thomas Hobbs (GB) studied at the Royal College of Music and has since sung with numerous ensembles. Fortunately for us, he performs almost every year with Collegium Vocale Gent during the Bach Academy. Together with gambist Romina Lischka and lutenist Sofie Vanden Eynde, he released the CD Orpheus’ Noble Strings.

Marcel Raschke (DE) studied in Berlin and Paris. He performs as a concert and opera singer. He has, for instance, sung the role of Sarastro in Mozart’s Zauberflöte and Colline in Puccini’s La Bohème. He has been a guest at various festivals, including the Musikfest Eichstätt and the Festival für Alte Musik Zürich.

The bass Peter Kooij (NL) began his career at the age of 6 as a soloist in a boys’ choir. Some ten years later he went on to study singing at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. His repertoire ranges from Heinrich Schütz to Kurt Weill. He has already recorded more than 100 CDs, including the complete Bach cantatas, performed with Bach Collegium Japan, led by Masaaki Suzuki.

The 17th and 18th centuries play a central role in the musical repertoire of soprano Dorothee Mields (DE). Her flawless technique and ethereal tone also make her an ideal performer of the contemporary

repertoire. She can be heard on numerous CDs, with, among others, Collegium Vocale Gent, Lautten Compagney Berlin, Hille Perl and Stefan Temmingh.

Countertenor Alex Potter (UK) is a much sought-after interpreter of 17th and 18th century music. Hailed as ‘a rising star of the countertenor world’, he has performed as a soloist with illustrious ensembles, such as the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra, the Holst Singers and Collegium Vocale Gent. He can also be heard on numerous CDs, including a recording of Bach’s Mass in B minor, with Concerto Copenhagen and Lars Urik Mortensen.

Pluto Ensemble (BE) are a vocal ensemble who focus on various genres, from mediaeval to contemporary. In 2010, in collaboration with il Gardellino, they brought us Bach’s St John Passion. They have also collaborated with the Hathor Consort. The Pluto Ensemble also regularly perform purely vocal polyphonic programmes, contemporary music and minimal music. In 2017 they collaborated with Concertgebouw house artist ECCE in the creation of the dance performance Mer-. Counter tenor Marnix De Cat (BE) leads the ensemble. He is also a permanent member of the Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam and he regularly collaborates with the Huelgas Ensemble, Collegium Vocale Gent, Currende and the BL!NDMAN saxophone quartet.

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Stefanie Troffaes (BE) studied transverse flute and recorder at the Brussels Royal Conservatory, where she was awarded the prestigious Ingeborg Köberle Prize. She focusses on a repertoire that extends from the Renaissance to the early Romantic. She performs with various ensembles, including Gli Angeli Genève and Les Muffati. In 2016, together with harpsichordist Julien Wolfs, she released her first solo album, featuring the works they play in this programme. Julien Wolfs (BE) studied in Amsterdam and Lyon. In 2007 he was first laureate at the Musica Antiqua Brugge International Competition. He has been a guest at leading festivals in Europe and Japan, both performing chamber music and as a soloist.

Founded in 2004 Vox Luminis (BE) have since become a force to be reckoned with. In recent years, and especially since winning the prestigious Gramophone Award for their recording of Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien, they have been regular guests at every major (early music) event in Europe and the United States. Vox Luminis have made many recordings for Ricercar, Ramée and Alpha, among them: Scheidt’s Sacrae cantiones, Keiser’s Brockes-Passion (with Les Muffatti) and four early Bach cantatas. At the end of 2019 they released their recording of Abendmusiken, a collaboration with Ensemble Masques that had also been performed in Bruges. Last year resident artists Vox Luminis, led by Lionel Meunier, celebrated their 15th anniversary in the Concertgebouw. After studying trumpet and recorder, Lionel Meunier (FR) went on to specialise in song. He has sung as an ensemble member and soloist with, among others, Collegium Vocale Gent, the Netherlands Bach Society and the Choeur de Chambre de Namur.

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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL ASCIANO – CASTELMUZIO – PIENZA | TOSCANA | ITALIA

ARABELLA QUARTET OF THE STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN | BART MARIS | CHRISTOPH COIN | COLLEGIUM VOCALE GENT & PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE | MALA PUNICA & PEDRO MEMELSDORFF | MAUDE GRATTON & WINDS OF THE ORCHESTRE DES CHAMPS ELYSÉES | NELSON GOERNER | SEXTET OF THE ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA | SYLVIA HUANG | THOMAS BAUER | ZEHETMAIR QUARTET | ETC...

2266–– 3311 JJUULL 22002200

www.collegiumvocalecretesenesi.com Con il patrocino del Comune di Asciano

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BRUGES VOICES FROM THE RENAISSANCEGOLD interlinks the best of Bruges’s Golden Age: the city history, the heritage architecture, the art treasures and above all the music. This second festival edition explores the history of the thoroughly Bruges Lucca Choirbook, the connections between Bruges and Italy, and the cultural significance of foreign merchants, such as Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini.

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