Evening Movies & Theatre.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
For the past two nights, the NEH Bach participants have enjoyed our showing of a French film on Bach’s life, The Life of J. S. Bach, and our reading of Ithamar Moses’ play, Bach in Leipzig. Both events were laced with a good deal of laughter, fun, and interesting conversation.
Monday’s movie was a dramatized telling of Bach’s life, brought to life by French actors, speaking French, with German narration and the occasional English subtitles. We had our German speaking participants provide a translation, while our non-speaking ones provided an even more poignant (and hilarious) ones. We laughed at the portrayal of young Bach, sighed with Buxtehude’s daughter, and cried at how Bach died before ever making it to Potsdam.
Afterward, we ran a rehearsal for the play, a comedy in which Bach doesn’t even make an appearance. This group has gone over the top this year, adding props like sheet music, swords, and an organist! Telemann donned his bed-sheet cloak, and our director worked out some of the more ridiculous scenes.
On Tuesday, our other participants were brought to tears with hysterical laughter over our production. Unfortunately, it is impossible to describe the evening... torrents of applause interspersed with shouts of bravo greeted every scene, as the wit inherent in the text was amplified by our excellent actors and actresses.
I doubt I have laughed so hard in my life.
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Thoughts on Dresden.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
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A Shift From Wollny to Marissen.
For the past two days the Bach participants have shared in a wealth of experiences, both musical and educational. West Side Story took the Leipzig opera house by storm, the Bach competition finals had us in wild applause, and Michael Marissen had his first day as our new lecturer. Although we were sad to see professor Wollny go, the past Friday has given us a new perspective on Bach and his cantatas.
Since our first day in Leipzig, it has become clear that we have been extremely lucky in our timing and hotel location in this city. It’s been overcast low-70s weather for the past week, but no one is complaining after writing home to our families. Everyone is thankful for the rain especially considering the extremely hot summer at home.
We’ve also had the fortune of staying (completely by accident) in the same place as the cast, crew, and musicians for the traveling production of West Side Story. The musical has inhabited the Leipzig opera house for the past week, and we’ve taken the opportunity to hang out with the cast in the city. Many of us even found ourselves in the audience, cheering on our newfound friends.
However, the opera house isn’t the only venue for culture in Leipzig. The Bach competition has been raging on every night of the past week, and Friday night was no exception. The finals for organ, voice, and cello were all in different churches, and the institute members followed their favorites into the last concerts. The cello attendees fervently followed their champion, while the vocal and organ competition goers debated after each performance.
As weeks two and three are based in Leipzig, a large group of us are not traveling this weekend, save for some day trips on Saturday and Sunday. Dr. Binford, Louise, and I will be leading trips to cities of historical importance, Dresden and Weimar.
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Leipzig Panorama.
Friday, July 13, 2012
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Leipzig/Bach Organ Competition in Stormthal
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, was the semi-final for the Leipzig Bach Competition. We traveled WITH the judges, organists, and other fans by bus to Stormthal, east of Leipzig. Incidentally, Judges Ton Koopman, David Higgs (Eastman School) and Hans Faguis were also on the bus. A quaint town surrounded by farms and a small lake, 6 contestants met in Stormthal to compete to for the final three awards on Friday. The organ, 1 manual and full pedal board, was restored by Hildebrandt, the same company that restored the instrument in Naumberg.
The excerpt, on YouTube, is the C Major Prelude, BWV 545 from the Prelude and Fugue. I don't think I'm allowed to say who it is (better safe than sorry) but it IS extremely well played. Use your headphones for the full sonic effect!
TEE /
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Exploring and Concert-Going in Leipzig.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
On Monday morning, institute members were astounded by the sheer number of concert possibilities for the next seven days. Louise read off a list that we compiled, including the Bach Competition, West Side Story, recitals and other free concerts around the area. Each of us tried to plan our days accordingly, balancing sightseeing with evening and afternoon performances.
After lunch we took a tour around Leipzig, our guides giving us a taste for the city. They explained Leipzig’s role as a both a cultural center (Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Bach all walked these streets!) as well as an economic center, as Leipzig was famous as a printing and trade center in Germany. Some of us even attended the Monday night peace service at the Nikolaikirche, a tradition perpetuated since the GDR period, while others caught a string quartet concert at the Thomaskirche.
Since arriving, our classroom sessions have been taught by Peter Wollny, one of the exceptional researchers from the Bach Archiv in Leipzig. Professor Wollny works directly with J. S. Bach’s scores, piecing together a historical portrait of Bach from what remains of his manuscripts and other important historical documents. He gave an overview of many of the cantatas as well as discussed new trends and ideas in Bach research.
Also during these past few days, many of the participants have attended grown attached to performers in the 2012 Bach competition for organ, voice, and cello. They’ve attended both the 2nd round (Mon-Tues) and the Semifinal (Wed) of the competition to cheer on their favorites. After critically listening through each round, these attendees waste no time returning to the hotel afterward, only to further discuss the performances of the evening.
It is wonderful to see how involved the participants are in Leipzig, a city that a has welcomed us with open arms.
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On the Way to the Center of Leipzig.
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J. S. Bach competition in Naumberg, organ music
Here's a decent web site (in German) of the church and instrument that was used for the semi-finals of the organ component of the competition. It had an exquisite tone!
http://www.orgelsite.nl/kerken45/naumburg.htm
TEE /
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J. S. Bach in Leipzig
Although I'm not fond of citing wikipedia, it has an indispensable entry on the famous "Achtzen" or 'Leipzig' chorales (18 of them) composed by J. S. Bach. They are considered the finest of their kind (of course!!).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig_Chorales
Many more pictures and experiences to share from our enlightening time here in Leipzig!!
TEE /
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J. S. Bach in Passau?
St. Stephen's Church in Passau, home to Europe's largest church pipe organ, is an impressive experience. While the estimable J.S. Bach had nothing to do with the town even though he wondered further from his ancestors' home than any Bach child ever did, his music certainly has arrived. Though it's impossible to find documentation of the first performance of any of Bach's pieces in Passau, it was no less thrilling listening to Bach's famous D-Minor Toccata and Fugue, BWV 565 on the great organ. I was especially thankful to Zack for showing up to share the experience while also amusingly discovering that we arrived in Passau on the same train not aware of each other's presence.
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Journeys from Eisenach.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Over the past weekend, the teachers of our Bach Institute journeyed far and wide across the European Union. We spent our last afternoon in Eisenach, the birthplace of Bach, both exploring the lesser known sights of the town and through traveling to neighboring locations. A large group of us found their way to the capital city of the Thüringa region, Erfurt, and spent the afternoon visiting the city’s impressive church and citadel.
Three of us found our way to Arnstadt, an idyllic town where Bach spent a number of his younger years. We experienced the Bachkirche (Bach Church) as well as enjoyed a cafe break underneath the town’s glockenspiel (carillon). Albeit a smaller town than our starting point of Eisenach, it was nevertheless charming and we enjoyed seeing the remnants of local castles and the “young Bach” statue in the main square.
In the evening, after our last meal at the Schlosshotel in Eisenach, many of the participants decided to take evening walks to see other lesser known monuments of the town. I led a group to the socialist monument near the music school, while others climbed up to the Bushcandenkimal (the student monument, and tribute to those lost in the great wars.
We departed on Thursday for faraway lands. The long weekend began and ended with extended train rides on the ICE, IC, and Regional Bahn as the institute members found their ways to their own destinations. Our leaders, Dr. Binford and Louise, made their way to Krakow, Poland, (an eleven hour train!) while a number of us took a three and a half hour ICE to Bavarian lands, including Munich, Passau, Nürnberg, and Regensberg. There were even groups that made it to Prague and Copenhagen!
On Sunday, we all made our separate pilgrimages to our second Bach location, the beautiful and culturally significant Leipzig. A city at the very heart of Saxony, Leipzig has a heritage of composers such as J. S. Bach, Robert and Clara Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, and Richard Wagner. Sporting such sights as the Auerbach’s Keller, the Nikolai and Thomaskirches, and even the historic Bach Archiv, we are surrounded by enormous possibilities for the next two weeks.
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The organ and church of the Bachkirche, Arnstadt
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Arnstadt is a lovely, historic place, so Emily, Zack and I discovered. What I guess will be a constant discovery for me is how empty all these churches are. We were the only visitors in one other church as well. Although this certainly didn't diminish the experience, I always need to remind myself of how mainstream historical figures like Bach AREN'T. But that's okay. I never considered myself a mainstream thinker or participant for that matter - GO FRINGE! But I do like taking otherwise non-popular musical subjects and bringing to fruition their simpler aspects that should make figures like Bach seem unavoidably popular.
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Eisenach Panorama.
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2012: Eisenach.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
This past Sunday, the 2012 NEH Bach for Teachers group arrived at the birthplace of Bach: Eisenach, Germany. A group of 25 educators united by their mutual interest in the music, life, and impact of J. S. Bach, these participants traveled over 3,000 miles to experience the culture of this tiny town. Their mornings have been filled by Dr. Hilde Binford and Louise Forsyth's lessons on the German culture and music during Bach's time and the biographical information on the composer himself.
However, the afternoons have been filled with more hands-on research. Guided tours of the city, Bachhaus, and Wartburg castle help paint a realistic picture of Bach and Luther's Eisenach. The city tours gave an economic and historical background of the Eisenach's place in Thüringia, looking at important Bach/Luther sites as well as life during and after the division of East and West Germany.
The Bachhaus, a museum attached to a reconstructed version of Bach's original dwelling, included a menagerie of novelty instruments as well as our first concert. We marveled at an original glass harmonica, as well as enjoyed a demonstration on a clavichord, harpsichord, and organ. The modern section of the museum (built to look like a grand piano) included comparative audio materials and orb chairs that hung from the ceiling by chains.
Our journey to the Wartburg Castle began with a difficult trek to the summit of a local mountain. The group split into three sections, each discovering that there are multiple paths to the castle. My group followed Goethe's traditional walk, combining exercise with a distinct desire to reach the top first, while another group took a reportedly easier, but longer way.
Once inside our tour weaved through the five floors of the castle, weaving a history of kings, Luther, and Thüringia from room to room. After marveling at the gilded ceiling of the women's quarters, we moved on to Luther's study--a simple desk where he spent ten weeks translating the Bible into the vernacular German.
All in all, this small town has given everyone a taste, both literally
and figuratively, of the world of Bach, Luther, and modern German
culture.
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