Die Bach-Familie | Summer festival of old music

ABOUT THE CONCERT

The name “Bach” was virtually synonymous with “musician” in Central Germany during the Baroque period. The family tree of male members of the branched lineage of musicians was compiled by Johann Sebastian himself, who was committed to maintaining the strong family tradition. The collection of his ancestors’ vocal compositions, which he inherited and carefully preserved – the Altbachisches Archiv – has become the foundation of the programme of the opening concert of the 26th edition of the Summer Festivities of Early Music. Berlin’s Ensemble Polyharmonique explores the musical core and interconnectedness of the works of selected members of the Bach family, offering an original insight into the universe of this musical dynasty.

The highlight of the concert will be Jesu, meine Freude, a monumental motet, in which Johann Sebastian brings this genre to perfection while adopting many stylistic elements of his compositionally proficient ancestors. Bach’s longest and most complex motet will symbolically connect all the musical genealogical lines from Johann Michael, Johann Christoph and Johann Ludwig into a brilliantly structured masterpiece of creative genius.

Artists

Ensemble Polyharmonique

Alexander Schneider: alto, artistic director

Magdalene Harer, Joowon Chung | soprano
Alexander Schneider | alto, artistic director
Johannes Gaubitz, Christopher Renz | tenor
Matthias Lutze | bass
Martin Jantzen | violone
Tineke Steenbrink | positive organ

Programme

Heinrich Bach (1615–1692)
Kyrie

Johann Christoph Bach (1642–1703)
Der Gerechte
Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben

Johann Michael Bach (1648–1694)
Sei, lieber Tag, willkommen
Unser Leben währet siebenzig Jahr
Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe

Johann Ludwig Bach (1677–1731)
Unsere Trübsal, die zeitlich und leicht ist, JLB 33

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Duetto III in G, BWV 804
Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit, BWV 371
Duetto IV in a, BWV 805
Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227

The Ensemble Polyharmonique

The Ensemble Polyharmonique is a collective of singers from the early music scene of Europe. The music of the Renaissance and the Baroque era form the core repertoire of the ensemble. Taking historical performance practice into account, Ensemble Polyharmonique combines ideas from German and Franco-Flemish vocal culture to create lively poetic interpretations.
 
Invitations to festivals all over Europe indicate the international appreciation of the Ensemble Polyharmonique. These include the Oude Muziek Utrecht, the Bachfest Leipzig, Meer Stemmig Gent, the Stockholm Early Music Festival, the Summer Festivities of Early Music in Prague, Les Nuits de Septembre in Liège, the Trigonale in Klagenfurt, the Thüringer Bachwochen, the Händel-Festspiele in Halle, Tage Alter Musik Regensburg, the Heinrich Schütz Musikfest, the Köthener Bachfesttage, etc.
 
For the repertoire with instrumental accompaniment, such as the oratorios, masses and cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, Dietrich Buxtehude, Claudio Monteverdi or Georg Frideric Handel, the ensemble has gained renowned Baroque orchestras as partners, among them the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Wrocławska Orkiestra Barokowa, Freiburger Barockorchester, Holland Baroque, L’Arpa Festante, Arte dei Suonatori and the Orkiestra Historyczna.
 
In addition to the well-known repertoire of early music, the Ensemble Polyharmonique is dedicated to discovering unknown works of the 17th and 18th centuries. This work is accompanied by numerous CD recordings (2015: “Musicalische Seelenlust”; 2016: “Francesco Cavalli: Requiem”; 2017: “Chor-Music auff Madrigal-Manier”; 2019: “Johann Georg Künstel: Markuspassion”; 2020: “Heinrich Schütz: Geistliche Chor-Music 1648”; 2021: “Historia Nativitatis”; 2022: “Wolfgang Carl Briegel: Zwölf Madrigalische Trost-Gesänge”, “Johann David Heinichen: Dresden Vespers”, “Lambert de Sayve: Ad Vesperas” and “Bach Family”) and video productions.
 
Together with the music dramaturge Oliver Geisler, members of the ensemble developed the idea of interpreting Heinrich Schütz’ Auferstehungshistorie in a contemporary manner, staging it as a music film. Encouraged by Schütz’ own phrase, “das Werk für die Hand zu nehmen“ (“to take the work in hand”), they have found an entirely new approach to this Baroque masterwork: today’s viewers are confronted with the ways they deal with doubt, hope, consolation, fear and unbridled happiness.

Alexander Schneider

Alexander Schneider was born in Frankenberg, Saxony. From 1987 to 1996, he was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor before beginning his studies with Peter Herrmann at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. In 2004, he successfully completed his degree in vocal performance and pedagogy.
 
He participated in masterclasses with renowned artists such as David Cordier, Jeffrey Gall and Peter Kooij, and in 2002, he was awarded a prize at the Musica Antiqua competition in Bruges.
 
As a countertenor, he collaborates with prominent ensembles including Cantus Cölln, Concerto Palatino, Pygmalion, Collegium 1704, Collegium Vocale Gent, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Ricercar Consort, Vox Luminis, Musica Fiata and Currende. His work with conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Raphaël Pichon, Václav Luks, René Jacobs, Kristjan Järvi, Stephen Stubbs, Ludger Rémy, Howard Arman, Joshua Rifkin, Philippe Pierlot, Martin Haselböck, Marcus Creed, Hermann Max, Hans-Christoph Rademann and Konrad Junghänel has resulted in numerous recordings that document his artistic achievements.
 
In the world of opera, he has performed at venues including the Heidelberg Theater, Leipzig Opera, Goethe-Theater Bad Lauchstädt, Schlosstheater Potsdam (Neues Palais) and the Theater Altenburg Gera. He made his debut at the Lucerne Theater as Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Additionally, he appeared as Mozart in the international premiere of Daniel Schnyder’s jazz opera Casanova in Gstaad (Switzerland) and New York City (USA).
 
As the founder of the Ensemble Polyharmonique, he realises projects focused on vocal music of the late Renaissance and Baroque eras through concerts, recordings, as well as film and video productions. Since 2024, he has also served as dramaturge for the Rheinische Kantorei under the direction of Edzard Burchards.
 
Increasingly, Alexander Schneider has devoted himself to conducting larger oratorio works, including Monteverdi’s Vespers for the Blessed Virgin of 1610, Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Mass in B minor. Residing in Belgium since 2014, he leads the Amicantus choir in Heusden-Zolder and will take over the direction of Florilegium in Leuven starting in 2025. In addition, he teaches voice at the Academie Beringen and shares his expertise through masterclasses and workshops

The concert is held with the kind support of the Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfonds.