Bach Collegium Japan will be commemorating its 25th anniversary in 2015. None of us knows how much longer we are going to be in this world, and this awareness of our own mortality makes us more than ever determined to devote ourselves to preparations for our concerts in 2015, as we keep our achievements over the past quarter of a century in mind.
The year will get of to a start with a performance of the St. Matthew Passion. We have already performed this work more than sixty times, and its freshness has never palled in the slightest for us. This work is our starting point and at the same time it’s a masterpiece that is truly part of the cultural heritage of all humankind.
A major new development will be getting under way in this, our 25th anniversary year. 31 October 2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation instigated by Martin Luther. To mark this event, we will be beginning a series to be entitled ‘The Reformation and Bach’. The starting point for J.S. Bach’s church cantatas is the chorales that would have been sung by the church congregation, and the singing of chorales was a custom instituted by Luther himself. Under the slogan ‘Luther 500’ we will be presenting the chorale cantatas in line with Luther’s ideal continuously over a period of three years. At the same time we will be tracing the passage of Western musical history covering the period of two centuries from the Reformation up until the emergence of J.S. Bach through the presentation of rarely heard works.
The largest project that we will be embarking upon to commemorate our 25th anniversary will involve a performance of Mozart’s great and incomplete Mass in C minor, a work that we have ourselves been wanting to perform for many years. This will be the second instalment in BCJ’s Mozart series of in succession to the Requiem. Mozart’s supreme masterpiece will be brought back to life by the ensemble together with the English soprano Carolyn Sampson.
Another pillar of Bach Collegium Japan’s concert activities this season will be a series featuring the complete secular cantatas. We still have two years to go on this series, which will end just as the year marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation begins.
Bach Collegium Japan is entering on a new phase in its development as we look back on the past 25 years spent in the company of the music of J.S. Bach. We look forward to your continued support in the future.
Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan Music Director
Bach Collegium Japan
2015 season
Season Ticket (5 Concerts)
S \37,500
A \30,500
B \23,500
*******
112nd Subscription Concert
Fri 3 April 6:30PM
J.S. Bach: Matthäus-Passion BWV 244
Ticket:
S \9,000 (Pair of advance tickets \17,000)
A \7,500
B \6,000
C \5,000
113th Subscription Concert
Sat 6 June 3:00PM
J.S.Bach: “Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir” BWV 38
“Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam” BWV 7
“Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort” BWV 126
Ticket:
S \8,000 (Pair of advance tickets \15,000)
A \6,500
B \5,000
Student \3,000
114th Subscription Concert
Sat 26 September 3:00PM
J.S.Bach: “Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet” BWV 212
“Non sa che sia dolore” BWV 209
“Amore traditore” BWV 203
Ticket:
S \8,000 (Pair of advance tickets \15,000)
A \6,500
B \5,000
Student \3,000
115th Subscription Concert
Sat 21 November 3:00PM
W.A.Mozart: Missa c-moll K. 427
Missa C-Dur “Spatzenmesse” K. 220
“Exsultate, Jubilate” K. 165
Ticket:
S \9,000 (Pair of advance tickets \17,000)
A \7,500
B \6,000
C \5,000
115th Subscription Concert
Fri 26 February, 2016 7:00PM
J.S.Bach: “Schleicht, spielende Wellen” BWV 206
“Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen” BWV 215
Ticket:
S \8,000 (Pair of advance tickets \15,000)
A \6,500
B \5,000
Student \3,000