Montreal Bach Festival 2009 Proudly Announces its 3rd Edition

NOVEMBER 24 to DECEMBER 5, 2009

FEATURING

Ton Koopman, Festival Patron
Following an absence of over two decades, the acclaimed Dutch musician returns to Montreal for an organ recital, a duo harpsichord recital with Tini Mathot, two concerts with the OSM & a masterclass

Kent Nagano & Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Bach: St. Matthew Passion (Opening Concerts: November 24 & 25)

International Artists:

EVGENI KOROLIOV, piano (Russia) ∙ WÜRTTEMBERG CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (Germany)
ELS BIESEMANNS, organ (Belgium) ∙ AKADEMIE FÜR ALTE MUSIK BERLIN (Germany)

Montreal's Finest Classical Artists:

MATT HAIMOVITZ String Trio with JONATHAN CROW & DOUGLAS MCNABNEY
ENSEMBLE CAPRICE ∙ GENEVIÈVE SOLY & LES IDÉES HEUREUSES
MCGILL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA & BORIS BROTT ∙ DANIEL TAYLOR & THEATRE OF EARLY MUSIC

PLUS Free Recitals, Lectures, Masterclasses and a Symposium on the "St. Matthew Passion"

Inspired by the venerable tradition of the Bach Festivals of Europe, the Montreal Bach Festival proudly announces its 3rd edition, bringing together many of the most prestigious classical music artists on the international stage with the best of the classical music scene in Montreal, a city renowned for its cultural life and musical sophistication. "The timeless genius of Johann Sebastian Bach laid the foundation for every composer and musician to follow," comments Festival Founder and Artistic Director, Dr. phil. Alexandra Scheibler, "the Montreal Bach Festival embraces the highest of musical standards, as Bach did in his own time, and aims to celebrate music in the highest sense."

The Montreal Bach Festival is delighted to once again partner with Kent Nagano and l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. J.S. Bach's sublime masterpiece, the St. Matthew Passion, launches the Festival on November 24 & 25 at Place des Arts.

Featuring the OSM chorus and a cast of international soloists, the performances of the St. Matthew Passion are preceded by a talk starting at 6:30pm: Alexandra Scheibler, an eminent musicologist as well as Artistic Director of the Festival, will be interviewed by Espace musique's Mario Paquet. In addition, a day-long Symposium on the fascinating work will take place on Saturday, November 21 at Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. The day includes the discussion: "Bach's St. Matthew Passion: a musical-theological depiction of godforsakenness" with an esteemed panel including Prof. Don Franklin of the University of Pittsburgh, Martin Petzoldt, Doctor of Theology, University of Leipzig and Dr. Ulrich Meyer, theologian and musicologist of Hannover. Tenor Christoph Prégardien, who performs the role of the Evangelist in the St. Matthew Passion, offers a masterclass at 2:00pm, followed by a round table discussion moderated by Kelly Rice of CBC Radio. Advance registration is required.

After serving as honorary patron of the previous festival, the Montreal Bach Festival is particularly pleased to welcome to Montreal, now as patron, renowned Dutch conductor, organist and harpsichordist Ton Koopman, founder of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, after an absence of over two decades from the city. Mr. Koopman's appearances include The Art of the Fugue, a duo harpsichord recital with his wife Tini Mathot on November 29 at 7:30pm at Marianopolis College and an Organ Advent the following evening, November 30 at 7:30pm at Église Immaculée Conception, culminating in two performances on December 1 & 2 with Maestro Nagano and the OSM. This programme, "Heavenly Joys," features J.S. Bach's Italian Concerto, CPE Bach's Concerto for Two Harpsichords, also with Mathot, and Mahler's Symphony No. 4. Ton Koopman will also give an organ masterclass on December 5 at 10:00am at Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.

The young Belgian organist Els Biesemans, winner of the Bach Prize at last year's Canadian International Organ Competition in Montreal, is featured in recital on November 28 performing J.S. Bach's Clavier-Übung, Volume III at Église Immaculée Conception. Born in Antwerp in 1978, Biesemans has been garnering acclaim throughout Europe and has performed the complete organ works of J.S. Bach in a series of 19 concerts in Zürich.
Russian pianist Evgeni Koroliov is featured in his Montreal debut on December 4, performing Bach's Goldberg Variations at Marianopolis College. Recognized for his extraordinary interpretive abilities in a range of works, Koroliov is particularly acclaimed for his performances and recordings of Bach. Another performance of the Goldberg Variations, this time in Dmitri Sitkovetsky's arrangement for String Trio, will take place on November 29 at eXcentris, featuring cellist Matt Haimovitz, violinist Jonathan Crow and violist Douglas McNabney. The McGill University colleagues' recording of the work on the Oxingale label has been called "gorgeous ... delivered with immense feeling and passionate musicality" (Strings Magazine) and was included among National Public Radio's top ten recordings of 2008.

Four more of Montreal's classical ensembles join the Festival for four wonderful evenings of music:

On November 26, Boris Brott and the McGill Chamber Orchestra perform the complete Brandenburg Concerti at L'Eglise St. Irenée in a concert also featuring Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière, recorders; Thomas Gould, violin; and Luc Beauséjour, harpsichord.

On November 27 at Église St. Georges, Les Idées heureuses with organist and director Geneviève Soly commemorate the 250th anniversary of the death of Georg Fridric Handel (1685-1759) with a delightful all-Handel programme including several arias featuring soprano Shannon Mercer.
Daniel Taylor and his Theatre of Early Music perform Rejoice in the Lamb on November 29 at Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, featuring the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn. The diverse programme includes music by Karsten Gundermann, Johann Kuhnau, Elgar and Britten with soloists Taylor (countertenor), tenor Jan Kobow and bass-baritone Andrew Foster-Williams.

The Juno Award-winning Ensemble Caprice, celebrated for its innovative interpretations of Baroque music, performs a chamber version of Bach's Mass in B-minor on December 3 at the Darling Foundry. Led by Artistic Director Matthias Maute, the work will feature sopranos Shannon Mercer and Marie Magistry, alto Pascal Bertin, tenor Michiel Schrey and bass Harry van der Kamp.

Closing the Festival on December 5 is the superb Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, also heard in their Montreal debut, who will present a concert featuring music by Telemann and Bach at Notre Dame Basilica. Considered "the best period orchestra in the world" (Early Music America), "Akamus" came into the international limelight after the re-unification of East and West Germany in 1990. Now, in addition to their sold-out series at the Berlin Konzerthaus, the ensemble appears regularly in the great concert houses of Europe, Asia, and North America.