Classical Summer
June 7, 2007
Johann Sebastian Bach's C Major Prelude and Fugue on Thursday will raise the curtain not only on the Leipzig festival named for the Baroque composer, but on a summer of spectacular classical music events.
The 10-day Bach Festival features not only works by its namesake but also vocal and instrumental music from across Europe. Under the motto "From Monteverdi to Bach," the concert programs will emphasize works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Bach, born in Eisenach in 1685, spent the second half of his life in Leipzig where he worked as cantor in the St. Thomas Church and music director as churches throughout the city. Festival guests have the opportunity to experience Bach's music in the very places he worked and lived.
Mozart and Prague in Würzburg
All the way across the country in Würzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will take center stage at a month-long festival dedicated to the Classical composer. Mozart, who was born and died in Austria, had no personal connection to the Bavarian city of Würzburg, but he is celebrated there nonetheless.
In its 86th year, the festival's guiding motto is "Mozart and Prague." The Czech capital's Chamber Orchestra will open the event in the Würzburg Residence, a baroque palace that will host many of the 50 concerts planned.
Alice in Munich
Germany's classical music summer continues with the Munich Opera Festival, which opens on June 30 and runs through July 31.
Under the direction of renowned conductor Kent Nagano, the Munich State Opera Company will be premiering "Alice in Wonderland" by Korean composer Unsuk Chin in the course of this year's event.
From Bayreuth to Bonn
Opera fans -- who have tickets -- can head straight from Munich to Bayreuth on July 25 for the opening of the Wagner Festival. Unlike most events named for particular composers, this festival limits itself to only works by Wagner.
The Romantic composer's magnum opus, his four-part "Ring" cycle, is a highlight of the month-long festival. Sitting through Wagner's momentous opera's should be a piece of cake for the fans that have already been on the ticket waiting list for years.
In late summer, the musical winds will pass through Bonn when the Beethoven Festival opens on Aug. 24. The composer was born in the western German city in 1770 and concert-goers can round out their trip to the former German capital with a stop in Beethoven's birth house.
The month-long festival is rich in variety: It will highlight musicians and composers from this year's focus country, England, in addition to works by Beethoven. Big-name performers like conductor Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, pianists Andras Schiff and Alfred Brendel and conductor Paavo Järvi will make appearances in Bonn.
Click on the link below for more festivals and events in Germany.