Under the motto "BACH - We are FAMILY", renowned performers and ensembles will commemorate the tradition of the widely ramified Bach family of musicians in over 140 events. All over the world, people join together as choirs and societies out of love for Bach's music to share their sonorous passion.
The programme of the upcoming Bach Festival is based on three pillars. On the one hand, famous performers will make music of the works of the entire Bach family - Johann Sebastian Bach is, of course, at the centre. But the works of his ancestors as well as his sons are no less worth hearing. On the other hand, Bach choirs from all over Europe, Japan, Paraguay, Canada and the USA will present their skills in a concert cycle as well as in numerous meads. The third pillar is the 300th anniversary of the "Well-Tempered Clavier", which will be celebrated with two concerts by the Bach instances Angela Hewitt, Bach Medal Laureate 2020, and Sir András Schiff.
"We invited all the 'family members' to our Bach family reunion, that is, all the Bach associations and ensembles we found around the globe. Not all of them will be able to be there this year - but they will be in 2024. The motto 'BACH - We are FAMILY' fits perfectly for both years, because it stands for that wonderful feeling of togetherness that unites us all. And this will be demonstrated again and again in the two-part festival concept," says artistic director Prof. Dr. Michael Maul.
Traditionally, the opening concert will be performed by the St Thomas Boys Choir and the Gewandhaus Orchestra - for the first time under the direction of the new Thomaskantor Andreas Reize. The world-famous boys' choir will also perform the St Matthew Passion together with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin on 17 June 2022 in St Thomas' Church. The two composers' houses, the Mendelssohn House and the Schumann House, will also be involved in the festival programme with various productions of their own.
The Bach Medal Leipzig will be awarded during the event. This year it will go to Sir András Schiff, who will receive it on 16 June 2022 from the Lord Mayor of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung. As a result of the new Corona regulations, Festival tickets have been increased once again and are available at the Musikalienhandlung Oelsner, the Ticketgalerie, the Bach Museum shop and online. For the sake of safety one seat will be kept free between each booking group. Overall, about 70 per cent of the respective hall capacities will be sold. If full occupancy will be possible in June 2022, additional individual seats in some of the venues will be on sale at short notice. Accreditation and ticket reservation for media representatives is open since 20 April 2022. Please apply with the enclosed accreditation form to presse@bach-leipzig.de.
For those who will not be able to attend the Bach Festival Leipzig 2022 in person, the streaming platform www.bachfromhome.live is a great alternative. Together with the Thuringia Bach Festival and the Bach days in Koethen, the Leipzig Bach Festival makes the authentic places where Bach worked resound. The platform presents the most interesting concerts from Bach’s homeland as a common experience with Bach fans from around the world.
Last but not least, Bach lovers can do something for climate protection and support the heart project of the Bach Festival: the planting of the Bach Forest – 72 acres of mixed forest at Lake Störmthal, near the historic Bach place of Störmthal in the Leipzig Region.
Further information and tickets:
www.bachfestleipzig.de/en/forestforbach
www.mendelssohn-stiftung.de/de
www.leipzig.travel/en/culture/music/city-of-music-leipzig/leipzig-bachfest
