14 01 27 PM C P E Bach Städtenetzwerk__EN_final

27/01/2014
300 Years of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
In Hamburg and across Germany, more than 200 events will be
hosted throughout 2014 in honour of composer Carl Philipp
Emanuel Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach.
The 8th of March 2014 will mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of Carl Philipp
Emanuel Bach, the second oldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. During his lifetime,
Philipp Emanuel Bach – who became known as “the Hamburgian Bach” – was more
widely known than his father. C.P.E. Bach paved the way for composers such as
Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. The six cities
C.P.E. Bach worked and lived in – Hamburg, Potsdam, Berlin, Frankfurt (Oder), Leipzig
and Weimar – have established a city network and will be hosting more than 200
events to celebrate this anniversary. Each one of these cities offers a diverse cultural
programme of events commemorating the life and works of C.P.E. Bach. Further
information on the composer, as well as a complete list of events, is available online at
www.cpebach.de
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was born on 8 March 1714 in Weimar, Germany. He received his
musical education from his father, Johann Sebastian Bach. From 1731 to 1738, Bach studied
law at the universities of Leipzig and Frankfurt (Oder). He left Frankfurt in 1738 to serve as a
harpsichordist at the court of Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia in Ruppin. In 1740, Bach
became a member of King Frederick II of Prussia’s court ensemble and served as a chamber
harpsichordist in Berlin and Potsdam. During those years, C.P.E. Bach gained his excellent
reputation as one of Europe’s finest harpsichordists and composers.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach soon became the main representative of the then new style of
musical sensibility – a style that strongly influenced Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, the composers of the Viennese Classical period.
Published in 1753, Bach’s textbook An Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard
Instruments is still considered the standard reference book for historically informed
performance practice.
“The Hamburgian Bach”
Between 1768 and his death on 14 December 1788, C.P.E. Bach served as musical director
of Hamburg’s five Lutheran main churches. This is why Bach has also become known as “the
Hamburgian Bach”. His remains are buried in the crypt of St Michael’s Church in Hamburg,
which is open to the public. In an obituary published by a Hamburg newspaper in December
1788, C.P.E. Bach was praised as “one of the greatest assets of musical art” whose
compositions, created by an original genius, would continue to be new, inexhaustible, great
and vigorous.
Programme highlights from all of the C.P.E. Bach partner cities
As part of the the C.P.E. anniversary network of cities, renowned cultural institutions in all of
the partner cities will be presenting numerous events throughout the year.
In Hamburg, one of the highlights includes the Great Jubilee Concert – Carl Philipp
Emanuel Bach: the 300th Anniversary Concert, taking place on 8 March 2014 in St
Michael’s Church. Laeiszhalle Hamburg will be contributing several highlight events: on 10
March 2014, Kristian Bezuidenhout will be performing his period pianoforte concert For
Connoisseurs and Aficionados. On 13 April 2014, Laeiszhalle, together with members of
the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, will be performing their 4th Chamber Concert
“Hamburger Barock”, followed by the 8th Philharmonic Concert with the Hamburg
Philharmonic Orchestra and soloist and conductor Christian Zacharias.
Potsdam will be hosting the Music Festival Potsdam Sanssouci, taking place from 13 to
29 June 2014. Another key event in the city’s concert schedule is the Bachtage Potsdam
music festival from 17 to 21 April 2014. On 21 March 2014, Glienicke Palace will be hosting
a Festival Soiree in its Garden Room, which is titled “The True Art of Playing Keyboard
Instruments – from Potsdam to the Mediterranean”. Christine Schornsheim will be
performing “Clavierwerke” by C.P.E. Bach, as well as Spanish Fandangos. On 18 April 2014,
Björn O. Wiede will be conducting C.P.E. Bach’s St Matthew Passion with reference to
Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion, performed by the Exxential Bach ensemble.
The event is taking place in St Nicholas’ Church, Potsdam. St Nicholas’ will also be the
venue for the Easter Oratorio on 21 April 2014 performed by the St Nicholas’ choir and the
Neue Potsdamer Hofkapelle orchestra.
In Berlin, the city’s renowned ensembles have developed exciting projects in honour of
C.P.E. Bach and his works. One of the highlights includes the Festive Concert on 8 March
2014 at the Konzerthaus Berlin. On the occasion of the 300-year anniversary, the
Kammerorchester “Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach” and the RIAS Kammerchor and soloists
will be performing C.P.E. Bach’s passion cantata The Last Sufferings of the Saviour.
Concert series include e.g. the “Prussia’s Court Music” series by the Staatskapelle Berlin
orchestra and a performance by the Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra Academy. A
special exhibition titled “An Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments” at
the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin will give an insight into the life and works of C.P.E. Bach
while living in Berlin. The exhibition will be open from 6 to 29 March 2014. Guided city tours
will complement Berlin’s anniversary programme.
In Frankfurt (Oder), the annual Music Festival at the Oder, taking place each year in
March, will be fully dedicated to the works of C.P.E. Bach. On 5 March 2014, the “Carl
Philipp Emanuel Bach” Concert Hall Frankfurt will be hosting a concert by the
Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, performing C.P.E. Bach’s works only. The
Music Festival’s closing concert on 9 March 2014 at the Concert Hall featuring the
Staatsorchester and the Full Choir of the Singakademie will also be dedicated to C.P.E.
Bach, with performances of the Holy, Holy, Holy double chorus and the Resurrection and
Ascension oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra.
The Bachfest Leipzig music festival with more than 100 events is one of the leading annual
international music festivals. It takes place from 13 to 22 June 2014, following the motto
“The True Art”, a motto that has inspired leading international artists and ensembles until
today. The Bachfest will be featuring numerous great Leipzig ensembles, including the St
Thomas Boys Choir and the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig.
The Bach Archive Leipzig is taking C.P.E. Bach's 300th anniversary as an occasion to
publicly present new research findings on the life and works of the composer. Between 6 and
8 March 2014, this international foundation, together with the Saxonian Academy of
Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig, will be hosting an interdisciplinary symposium
titled “Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in the area of conflict between tradition and breakup”.
“Congratulations, Carl” – this is the title of the first concert of a pulsating festival being
celebrated right on time for the big birthday of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach on 8 March 2014 in
Weimar. From early morning until late in the evening, there will be eight concerts performed
by renowned artists as a prelude for even greater celebrations to come: both father and son
will be commemorated during the Thüringer Bachwochen music festival from 11 April to 4
May 2014 and the traditional Bachfest event of the Neue Bachgesellschaft, taking place
from 30 April to 4 May 2014. During the Bachwochen and the Bachfest, Bernhard
Klapprott, the Thuringian Chamber Orchestra, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra with
Andreas Staier, as well as the Concerto Italiano under Rinaldo Alessandrini will pay
homage to the works of the Bach family.
A comprehensive calendar of events is available online at www.cpebach.de, including
all programme items of the Bach Anniversary Year, information on his life and work, as
well as picture material and texts.
Media queries:
Lu Yen Roloff / Media Relations Hamburg Marketing
Phone: +49 40 / 30051581
E-Mail: [email protected]
Enno Isermann / Press Spokesperson of the Ministry for Cultural Affairs Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 / 428 24 – 207
E-mail: [email protected]
Elisabeth Brunmayr / Press Officer C.P.E. Bach
Phone: +49 40 / 428 24 – 266
E-mail: [email protected]
Press contacts of the C.P.E. Bach *1714 partner cities
Berlin
Sönke Schneidewind / Head of Cultural Department, visit berlin
Phone: +49 30 264748-917
E-mail: [email protected]
Leipzig
Franziska von Sohl / Press Officer, Bach Archive Leipzig
Phone: +49 341 / 9137121
E-mail: [email protected]
Potsdam
Dr Sigrid Sommer / PR & Marketing, City of Potsdam
Phone: +49 331 / 289 12 70
E-mail: [email protected]
Frankfurt (Oder)
Christian Hirsch / Press Officer, City of Frankfurt (Oder)
Phone: +49 335 / 552 1303
E-mail: [email protected]
Weimar
Uta Kühne / Press Officer, weimar GmbH
Phone: +49 3643 / 745 805
E-mail: [email protected]