Bach, from Head to Toe
A concert featuring two of the composer’s cantatas highlights the polyphonic development of his works.
On Tuesday, September 16, the Sala Teclats at the Museu de la Música hosts a concert where specialists in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach will perform two of his cantatas: BWV 93 and BWV 170.
The concert is a co-production with the Bachcelona Foundation, supported by Fundación Salvat, and forms part of the Cantatas cycle organized by Bachcelona. The selected cantatas reveal different aspects of Bach’s music: from the stripped-down melodies of his chorales (slow, solemn multi-voice religious chants) to his organ works, which showcase a remarkable polyphonic development.
What does this sound like? You’ll find out in a performance featuring soloists—winners of the Salvat Bach Grant—Maëlys Robinne (soprano) and Lara Morger (alto), in dialogue with two composers connected to Bach by style and sensibility: Christoph Graupner (1683–1760) and Johann Christoph Bach (1642–1703), the latter often regarded as “the greatest and most expressive composer of the family.”
They’ll be joined by members of the Bachcelona Consort: Katy Elkin (oboe), Ignacio Ramal (violin), Angela Moro (violin), Ricardo Gil (viola), Guillermo Turina (cello), and Daniel Tarrida (harpsichord).
The evening’s protagonists include soprano Maëlys Robinne, trained in lyrical singing at Versailles, the Paris Conservatory, and ESMUC, who has performed with Catalan and French ensembles such as Bach Collegium Barcelona, Capella Reial de Catalunya, Ensemble La Fenice, Cel Or Cererols, Cor Noctes, and Chœur In Paradisum. Alongside her is Swiss mezzo-soprano Lara Morger, trained in Freiburg and Leipzig, and specializing in Baroque repertoire. She has sung at venues including Theater Freiburg, Theater Naumberg, Stiftskirche Stuttgart, Ludwigskirche Freiburg, and Heiliggeistkirche Heidelberg.
If you want to enjoy the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and discover two exceptional soloists, don’t miss this concert in the Cantatas cycle at the Museu de la Música—but check the website first for full details.