Shanghai – December 16/Paris – January 21/Leipzig – June 23
“Bach‘s final large-scale vocal composition presents itself to us as the composer‘s artistic legacy. Like no other of Bach‘s works, the B-minor Mass is a consummation of his writing for the voice……“ Christoph Wolff
Begun in 1715 as a 1-part mass for the Dresden court, Bach came back to the score throughout his life, ultimately completing it in 1749 shortly before his death. Its manuscript, preserved in the Berlin Staatsbibliothek joins Beethoven’s 9th symphony as the only musical works to be included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World register.. Joining Opera Fuoco’s orchestra and three young artists on this tour to the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall ~ where the piece will be heard for the first time in 100 years, the Paris Philharmonie and Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, are soloists Andreas Scholl, Markus Werba, Laurent Naouri and the Tölzer Knabenchor.
For the third program with NDR Hannover, David Stern will conduct the rarely produced gem of Adolph Hasse, Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra, with two of the most innovative singers of today, Sarah Hershkowitz and Fleur Barron.
William Boyce, a contemporary of Handel, wrote his Seranata when Handel spent 9 months in Dublin. Based on the Song of Song of Solomon, the libretto is a delightful collection of erotic poetry from the bible, scored for two shepherds, a tenor and a soprano, chorus and orchestra.
Ariodante is one of Handel’s most intriguing operas, this time with the talented singers of the Curtis Institute’s opera division – a dramma per musica staged by Omer ben Seadia and featuring Philadelphia’s Tempesta di Mare.