TOP 50 Bach Cantatas

Ring of Cantatas reloaded – in the most democratic manner possible

Anyone who was there in 2018 has never forgotten it: back then, on the first Bachfest weekend, in a single cycle of ten concerts the most famous Bach ensembles of our time performed the 30 ›best‹ Bach cantatas. The response to this marathon was overwhelming – but the choice of the ›best‹ wholly subjective and, to be absolutely honest: somewhat undemocratic. John Eliot Gardiner, Bach Archive director Peter Wollny and the Bachfest’s artistic director Michael Maul determined which pieces should feature in this ›best-of‹ programme.
Now, for the revival, we’ve taken a different approach in keeping with our festival title »In Dialogue« – and in as democratic a manner as possible: for six months, Bach lovers all over the world were given the chance to vote for their own TOP 10 of Bach’s sacred cantatas. The votes were counted in the same way as for the Eurovision Song Contest: a voter’s personal number 1 got twelve points, number 2 ten, number 3 eight and number 4 seven, etc. Ultimately, we received more than 7,000 votes and can now proudly state that this global survey is the first representative poll of Bach cantatas. 
Since, when it comes down to it, what we had actually done was to draw up the latest Bach cantata charts, we quickly came to realise that we had to present the pieces as befits a hit parade – from lowest to highest, from number 50 down to number 1.

no compromises

Imitation of the radio hit-parade concept will only feel authentic if the audience is kept in the dark until the last minute as to which pieces have made it into the TOP 50 Bach cantatas. This is why you will only learn once inside the churches what exactly features on the programme. But don’t worry, anyone who knows the cantatas also knows there’s not a bad piece among them: Bach composed masterpieces on a weekly basis. And one thing we can reveal: number 50 is a cantata that begins with a kind of French overture – in our case, the overture to a cycle of twelve concerts in Bach’s two Leipzig churches of St Thomas and St Nicholas that guarantees the highest art, top musical performance and suspense to the last. And variety: because all the cantatas will be introduced by motets with similar content by Heinrich Schütz and Johann Hermann Schein. So let yourselves in for a surprise – and book quickly!
 

... in a veritable summit meeting!

It is by a wonderful stroke of good fortune that, eight years after the success of the legendary Ring of Cantatas, the same protagonists will be flocking back to Leipzig: John Eliot Gardiner, Ton Koopman and Hans-Christoph Rademann with their wonderful Bach ensembles will each present two Bach Charts concerts. And this time round, the ›Champions League‹ of Bach interpreters is even larger than before. They include – also in two concerts – Philippe Herreweghe with his magnificent Collegium Vocale Gent, the J. S. Bach Foundation of St. Gallen led by their conductor Rudolf Lutz, who have for years enchanted us with their major online cantata project and, in addition to them, the rising stars of Bach vocal performance: celebrated by critics the world over, the Belgian ensemble Vox Luminis.
In short: a line-up that will make every note of the TOP 50 Bach cantatas resonate in a befittingly worthy manner and with the greatest possible enthusiasm.
And on the subject of enthusiasm: there can be no major hit parade without a brief accompanying talk-show. This will be presented by the two officially certified Bach nerds, Michael Maul and Bernhard Schrammek, on the morning of each hit-parade day – together with the protagonists of the cycle and a host of surprise guests!

Fr, 12. Juni / 14.00 h / Thomaskirche / No 13 / TOP 50 Bach Cantatas I
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 50 bis 48
Miriam Feuersinger (Sopran), Margot Oitzinger (Alt), Daniel Johannsen (Tenor), Matthias Helm (Bass), Chor und Orchester der J. S. Bach-Stiftung, Leitung: Rudolf Lutz

Fr, 12. Juni / 20.00 h / Nikolaikirche / No 21 / TOP 50 Bach Cantatas II
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 47 bis 43
Elisabeth Breuer (Sopran), Maarten Engeltjes (Altus), Tilman Lichdi (Tenor), Klaus Mertens (Bass), Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Leitung: Ton Koopman

Sa, 13. Juni / 13.00 h / Nikolaikirche / No 31 / TOP 50 Bach Cantatas III
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 42 bis 38
Vox Luminis, Sophia Faltas (Alt), Raphael Höhn (Tenor), Florian Sievers (Tenor), Sebastian Myrus (Bass), Felix Schwandtke (Bass)

Sa, 13. Juni / 20.00 h / Thomaskirche / No 42 TOP 50 Bach Cantatas IV
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 37 bis 34
Grace Davidson (Sopran), Alex Potter (Altus), Guy Cutting (Tenor), Johannes Kammler (Bass), Collegium Vocale Gent, Leitung: Philippe Herreweghe

So, 14. Juni / 16.00 h / Thomaskirche / No 64 TOP 50 Bach Cantatas V
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 33 bis 29
Miriam Feuersinger (Sopran), Margot Oitzinger (Alt), Daniel Johannsen (Tenor), Matthias Helm (Bass), Chor und Orchester der J. S. Bach-Stiftung, Leitung: Rudolf Lutz

So, 14. Juni / 20.00 h / Nikolaikirche / No 71 / TOP 50 Bach Cantatas VI
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 28 bis 25
Grace Davidson (Sopran), Alex Potter (Altus), Guy Cutting (Tenor), Johannes Kammler (Bass), Collegium Vocale Gent, Leitung: Philippe Herreweghe

Mo, 15. Juni / 16.00 h / Thomaskirche / No 87 / TOP 50 Bach Cantatas VII
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 24 bis 21
Vox Luminis, Sophia Faltas (Alt), William Shelton (Altus), Raphael Höhn (Tenor), Sebastian Myrus (Bass)

Mo, 15. Juni / 20.00 h / Nikolaikirche / No 91 / TOP 50 Bach Cantatas VIII
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 20 bis 17
Katharina Konradi (Sopran), Marie Henriette Reinhold (Alt), Benedikt Kristjánsson (Tenor), Tobias Berndt (Bass), Gaechinger Cantorey, Leitung: Hans-Christoph Rademann

Di, 16. Juni / 14.00 h / Nikolaikirche / No 109 / TOP 50 Bach Cantatas IX
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 16 bis 13
Katharina Konradi (Sopran), Marie Henriette Reinhold (Alt), Benedikt Kristjánsson (Tenor), Tobias Berndt (Bass), Gaechinger Cantorey, Leitung: Hans-Christoph Rademann

Di, 16. Juni / 20.00 h / Thomaskirche / No 113 / TOP 50 Bach Cantatas X
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 12 bis9
Lenneke Ruiten (Sopran), Jonathan Hanley (Tenor), The Constellation Choir & Orchestra, Leitung: Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Mi, 17. Juni / 16.00 h / Thomaskirche / No 127 TOP 50 Bach Cantatas XI
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 8 bis 5
Elisabeth Breuer (Sopran), Maarten Engeltjes (Altus), Tilman Lichdi (Tenor), Klaus Mertens (Bass), Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Leitung: Ton Koopman

Mi, 17. Juni / 20.00 h / Nikolaikirche / No 130 TOP 50 Bach Cantatas XII
J. S. Bach: Kantaten Platz 4 bis 1
Marie Luise Werneburg (Sopran), Peter Davoren (Tenor), The Constellation Choir & Orchestra, Leitung: Sir John Eliot Gardiner