Sing Bach & Händel

here we would like to introduce you to an exciting new project:

the 1^st Bach & Händel Workshop in Leipzig, 13 to 14 JUNE 2008.

This choir workshop is open to choirs and individual singers. It is held in St. Nicholas Church Leipzig, where Bach’s St. John Passion was first performed in 1724.

The project director is the cantor of St. Nicholas Church, Jürgen Wolf. The studied programme will be performed together with Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra Leipzig and the hosting “Bach Choir” of St. Nicholas Church. The following pieces are planned:

- "Dona nobis pacem" from b-minor Mass by J. S. Bach

- "Halleluja" from Messiah by G. F. Händel
- and further pieces by Handel, Mendelssohn and others

The workshop takes part on the weekend where the Leipzig Bach-Fest, and the Händel-Festival in nearby Halle overlap. So workshop participants can enjoy the first class performances of these baroque music festivals before or after the workshop.

The workshop schedule is as follows:

Workshop Director Jürgen Wolf

Jürgen Wolf studied organ and musicology and further more was active in organ building. He finished the studies of sacred music with A-exam in Vienna. His earliest primary interests were directed towards practise of historical performance, particularly the interpretation of Bach’s music. In 1993 he was appointed to St Nicholas Church in Leipzig as Nikolaikantor and organist. Apart from that Jürgen Wolf is acting as composer, conductor of various ensembles and orchestras and as lecturer in international master courses for organ and cembalo. He has recordings for radio, TV and CDs regularly. Engagements led him to Japan, USA, Ukraina, Swiss, France and Norway. In 1999 he won the Bayreuth composer award „Geistliches Lied“. The restoration of the Ladegast-organ in St Nicholas Church was initiated and shaped by Jürgen Wolf. Because of his effort the enthusiasm of the future main sponsor for the project, the Porsche AG, was awoken. In this tight cooperation arose a fantastic instrument with international reputation.

Nikolaikirche Leipzig

The St. Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas' Church) has long been one of the most famous in Leipzig, and rose to international fame with the Monday Demonstrations in 1989, when it became the centre of the Peaceful Revolution, leading to the Reunification of Germany.
The church was built around 1165 when Leipzig was founded. It is named after St. Nicholas, the patron saint of merchants and wholesalers and is situated in the very heart of the city on the corner of two historically important trade roads. It’s Romanesque and Gothic shell has been remodelled inside in a unique decorative neoclassical style.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion was first performed here in 1724. St. Nicolas, was one of five churches where Bach worked as cantor.

The Bach-Fest and the Händel Festival

Bach and Händel were practically neighbours. Halle is a mere 30 km away from Leipzig.
These contemporaries are only two of the famous “Middle Germany Baroque Musicians”. The area between Magdeburg, Dresden and Eisenach engendered also Telemann, Praetorius and Schütz.

The Händel Festival Halle takes place since 1922 and forty programme points from operas, concerts, lecture to tours are presented in 10 days. The Staatskapelle Halle regularly welcomes guests such Sir John Eliot Gardine, Trevor Pinnock, Jordi Savall, Reinhard Goebel, The King's Consort and many more. www.haendelfestspiele.halle.de

The Bach Fest Leipzig was initiated in 1904 and is on an annual basis since 1999. A hundred programme points attract 50.000 visitors in famous concert locations such as the Gewandhaus, St. Thomas Church and St. Nicholas Church. www.bach-leipzig.de