LEIPZIG S MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS 2016, FESTIVALS FROM BACH AND WAGNER TO WAVE GOTHIC

USPA NEWS - Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Wagner, Mahler and Grieg were just some of the many famous residents of the musical city of Leipzig. In 2016, Leipzig offers a jam-packed calendar filled with high-quality festivals and events....

Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Wagner, Mahler and Grieg were just some of the many famous residents of the musical city of Leipzig. In 2016, Leipzig offers a jam-packed calendar filled with high-quality festivals and events.

With 75,000 visitors each year and more than 100 events, the Leipzig Bach Festival (10-19 June 2016) is one of the most important international music festivals.

Next year, the Bach Festival will explore the musical connections between the organ composers Max Reger and Johann Sebastian Bach under the theme of 'Secrets of Harmony'. Due to its connection to Bach's historical haunts in Leipzig and the participation of great traditional local ensembles, the St. Thomas Boys Choir and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Leipzig Bach Festival guaranties authentic concert experiences.

Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked in Leipzig for 27 years, from 1723 until his death in 1750, and he directed the world-famous St. Thomas Boys Choir.

- Wagner's Ring and the Wagner Festival at the Leipzig Opera House :

Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig on 22 May 1813. With the festival première of Wagner's 'Twilight of the Gods' on 30 April 2016, Leipzig Opera House's repertoire is including a full staged Ring Cycle for the first time after more than 40 years. In 2016, Leipzig Opera House will be the only stage to present the tetralogy on four consecutive days (5-8 May 2016).

The Wagner Festival in May (19-26 May 2016) is dedicated to Wagner's three early works: The performance of 'The Fairies', 'The Ban of Love' and 'Rienzi' is unique to the Leipzig Opera House.

- 25th annual Wave Gothic Meeting :

The WGT - short for Wave-Gotik-Treffen (Wave Gothic Meeting) - which takes place annually at Whitsun, is the largest meeting of the Goth scene in the world. Approximately 20,000 participants attend concerts, parties, opera performances, medieval markets and readings during the four-day festival.

A unique programme with acts that are well-known in the scene as well as promising newcomers awaits fans during the 25th anniversary event from 13 to 16 May 2016. The Stadtgeschichtliche Museum Leipzig underscores the importance of the WGT for the City of Leipzig with a special exhibition entitled 'Leipzig in Schwarz. 25 Jahre Wave-Gotik-Treffen' (Leipzig in Black, 25 Years of the Wave Gothic Meeting), which runs from 9 March to 29 May 2016.

- The recent appointment of the celebrated conductor Andris Nelsons, aged 36, as the youngest Gewandhaus Music Director of the last 150 years emphasises that Leipzig cherishes its tradition and yet looks towards the future. Nelson succeeds Riccardo Chailly, who was able to consolidate the position of the Gewandhaus Orchestra among the five greatest orchestras in the world. Although Nelson will only officially take up his position in February 2018, it is possible to experience him in action in Leipzig during 2016 and 2017, both with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

- The Schumann-Haus Leipzig has been offering a new attraction since September 2015: an experimental sound room in the Biedermeier style. A sound installation creates noises, sounds and entire compositions and invites visitors to play with music. After Robert and Clara Schumann married in Leipzig in 1840, their first shared apartment was at no. 18 Inselstraße. Today, a small but interesting museum is located at this address in honour of the artistic couple.

Source : Leipzig Bach Festival

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