We love the music of J.S. Bach! – You too?
In January 2014, after two successful performances of four Bach Cantatas under the direction of Prof. Rudolf Lutz (St. Gallen, Switzerland) in the context of Dominik Wörners well-known concert series «Kirchheimer Konzertwinter», all involved musicians were invited to a wine tasting. There the idea came alive to compose and perform a wine cantata in the style of Johann Sebastian Bach. We do know this famous man loved wine, but there is no wine cantata handed down to us. To fill in this sadly missed gap after almost 265 years after Bach’s death, Rudolf Lutz agreed with great enthusiasm to compose the cantata.
Wine Cantata «Bach in Kirchheim»
Composition and world premiere of the «Wine Cantata» in the style of Johann Sebastian Bach on 10th and 11th January 2015 in Kirchheim an der Weinstrasse, Germany
We need your help!
Even if all of us work on this wonderful project with great enthusiasm, it gobbles up a lot of money. We need it for:
- Fees for the librettist, composer, orchestra and singers
- Travel costs, board and lodging for the musicians
- Composition and print of the score
- Rent for instruments, rehearsing rooms and concert hall
- Public relations, advertising
- Print of posters, advertisement, flyers and programmes
Who is our composer, conductor and harpsichordist?
Rudolf Lutz (*1951) was lecturer in improvisation at the «Schola Cantorum Basiliensis», the University of Early Music, Basle. At this specialist school for historical performance practice, he and three colleagues instructed around 30 students in the keyboard instrument department.
In St. Gallen, Rudolf Lutz was organist of the church «St. Laurenzen», a post he had held since 1973. He was also conductor of the «St. Galler Kammerensemble», which he has led since 1986. From 1986 to 2008, he conducted the «Bach-Chor St. Gallen».
Rudolf Lutz was appointed artistic director of the J. S. Bach
Foundation of St. Gallen in 2006. In view of the foundation’s mission to perform Bach’s complete vocal works, Rudolf Lutz established the Orchestra and Choir of the J. S. Bach Foundation, as well as a permanent group of soloists.
Our performers
- Rudolf Lutz, St. Gallen: composer, conductor + harpsichordist
- Karl Graf, St. Gallen: Librettist + preacher
Kirchheimer VocalConsort
- Andrea Lauren Brown & Sarah Wegener, soprano
- Elvira Bill & Ulrike Andersen, alto
- Georg Poplutz & Mirko Ludwig, Tenor
- Dominik Wörner & Jonathan de la Paz Zaens, bass
Kirchheimer BachConsort
Irmgard Schaller (violin I), Irina Kisselova (violin II), Éva Posvanecz (viola), Bálázs Maté (Cello), Robert Sagasser (double bass), Martin Stadler (oboe I), Peter Frankenberg
(oboe II), Guy Ferber (trumpet), Yoko Tsuruta (traverso), Christian Leitherer (Chalumeau), Barbara Meditz (bassoon), Andreas Gräsle (organ)
The storyline of the Wine Cantata
The famous Thomas-cantor J.S. Bach travels from far Leipzig to the palatinate to take part on the wedding of his favourite pupil to the local winecountess in Kirchheim an der Weinstrasse.
At the ceremony at church he plays a powerful prelude on the organ. The parish listens devotionally to the sermon of the pastor who describes «The Wedding at Cana» and praises the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine. After the performed wedding ceremony the «Wedding Cantata» is performed as a gift from the teacher to his former student. Afterwards there is a big feast at which is sung a hymn to successful partnership, the village of Kirchheim, the guest of honour J.S. Bach and the exquisite palatine wine.