Highlights
New Light on Bach
To mark the 250th anniversary of the death of JS Bach, this year's Festival presents a series of fourteen concerts in London and one in York featuring eminent performers from across Europe and America. Familiar favourites by Bach can be heard alongside little-known arrangements, transcriptions and reconstructions of 'lost' works.
Highlights include:
- A special Bach Marathon embracing the full range of his repertoire - from instrumental and chamber music to large-scale sacred vocal works - and featuring an array of outstanding European performers (10th June, St. John's, Smith Square)
- A rare chance for British audiences to hear Germany's leading period-instrument orchestra, Freiburg Baroque, with British soprano Emma Kirkby (7th June, St. John's, Smith Square)
- The Bach Ensemble, conducted by one of the most insightful and controversial Bach scholar-performers of our time - Joshua Rifkin. Their programme offers a unique chance to hear Rifkin's fascinating reconstructions of two of Bach's lost orchestral works (8th June, St. James's, Piccadilly)
- A young singer of remarkable talent - Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozená - joins Italy's first-rate period orchestra Europa Galante under violinist Fabio Biondi (22nd June, St. John's, Smith Square)
- Andrew Manze - critically acclaimed as 'the first modern superstar of the baroque violin' - gives a recital with charismatic harpsichordist Richard Egarr, shedding new light on Bach's music for the violin (29th June, St. John's, Smith Square)
- Three leading young groups: the Gramophone Award-winning viol consort Phantasm (15th June); the virtuoso Dutch-based ensemble Musica ad Rhenum with flautist Jed Wentz; and the vivacious Palladian Ensemble from Britain (both on 27th June, St. John's, Smith Square)
- Three BBC Late-Night Concerts exploring compositions inspired by Bach, so bringing the legacy of this most timeless composer into the 21st century (15th, 22nd, 29th June, St. John's, Smith Square)
Patrons:
Rita Zampese & Tess Knighton (founders)
The Reverend Donald Reeves
- Chairman: Ulrich Wachter
- Artistic Director: Kate Bolton
- Manager: Delia Pye
- Musical Director: Ivor Bolton
- General Director: Dale Lawrence
- Programme Editor: David Roberts
- Administration: Gudrun Gorner
- Public Relations: Mary Carlson
