Wilhelm Friedemann Bach 1710-84
Duet No. 2 F. 61

Ester Mägi 1922-2021
Duet

Paul Coletti b. 1959
The Moonlight Journey

Joachim Stutschewsky 1891-1982
Hasidic Fantasy

Readings from Paul Gerhardt

Gerd Mohr, narrator
Janis Lielbardis, Dora Scheili, viola

Introduction: Janis Lielbardis

Admission free, donations welcome

For over ten years Duo Balcanticum has combined sound worlds between the Balkans and the Baltic, between folk music and classical. With curiosity and joy in experimentation Janis Lielbardis and Dora Scheili juxtapose works which are not usually heard together – from Wilhelm Friedemann Bach to the Estonian composer Ester Mägi, from Joachim Stutschewsky’s new Jewish music to Paul Coletti’s contemporary sounds – a musical journey across spaces, times and cultural boundaries.

Ludwig van Beethoven 1770-1827
String Quartet op. 18, no.1 in F major

Ernst Helmuth Flammer b. 1949
String Quartet no. 7

Franz Jochen Herfert b. 1955
String Quartet no. 3

JADE QUARTET
Yu Zhang, Hanlin Liang, violins
Ying Yin, viola
Shi-Yu Holz, cello

Admission free, donations welcome

The string quartet constantly demonstrates its ability to adapt to new possibilities in composition and sound, and to changing expectations. A stroke of genius by Ludwig van Beethoven contrasts with Ernst Helmuth Flammer’s bold musical architectonics, whilst Franz Jochen Herfert places modern rhythm centre stage. The German-Asian Jade Quartet performs with its customary precision and strongly expressive commitment.

Einojuhani Rautavaara 1928-2016
Eight Ikons op. 6

Galina Ustvolskaya 1919-2006
12 Préludes

Franz Liszt 1811-86
Deux Légendes

Readings from Einojuhani Rautavaara

Olaf Cress, narrator
Lars Jönsson, piano

Introduction: Lars Jönsson

Admission free, donations welcome

Two voices from the 20th century encounter a giant of the 19th century. A broad horizon of spiritual music unfolds spanning ascetic modernism and Romantic vision. Einojuhani Rautavaara’s “Eight Icons” and Galina Ustvolskaya’s “Préludes” search for existential truth in minimalist style, whilst Franz Liszt’s St Francis Legends encapsulate belief in luminous soundscapes. Lars Jönsson combines these worlds at the piano, and Gerd Mohr presents readings from Rautavaara.

Jan Kopp b. 1971
Lichten 2025 – first performance
after texts by Anja Utler and Jeremiah 14, 15

Hans Fährmann 1860-1940
Vier Gottessucher-Lieder op. 82

Franz Schubert 1797–1828
Miriams Siegesgesang op. 136 (1828)

Isabel Weller, soprano
Pascal Zurek, bass
Florian Kunz, piano
Michael Sattelberger, organ
CANTUS STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction: Jan Kopp

Admission free, donations welcome

“Lichten” – a concept between dream and fulfilment. In the first performance of this work, Stuttgart composer Jan Kopp combines Anja Utler’s poetry with Biblical images of lamenting and hope from the Prophet Jeremiah to create a multi-layered sound space of our present. Hans Fährmann’s “Gottessucher-Lieder” reflect a piety marked by doubt from around 1900, before Schubert’s cantata “Miriam’s Siegesgesang” forms a bridge into the light. The programme combines works for choir and solo singer of penetrating depth and radiance.

Max Reger 1873-1916
O Tod, wie bitter bist du op. 110, no. 3
Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht, chorale cantata WoO V/4 Nr. 4

Anton von Webern 1883-1945
“Langsamer Satz” (1905)

Zaakko Mäntyjärvi b. 1963
Herbsttag [Autumn Day]

Felix Mendelssohn 1809-47
String Quartet in F minor op. 80

Readings for the end of the church year

Eckart Schultz-Berg, narrator
Lotus Quartet
Bachchor Stuttgart
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor and organ

Admission free, donations welcome

For the end of the church year this season, instead of one of the great oratorios, we focus on smaller works, some of which are newer – concentrated and direct works, many unaccompanied. In his choral works, Max Reger expressed his personal experience of faith. The Finnish composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi sets Rilke’s “Herbsttag” in a modern, Nordic-influenced tonal language. Mendelssohn’s last Quartet in F minor sets up a great song of mourning. Choral music and purely instrumental music combine with spoken texts and tell of transience and hope.

Chorales to sing along with and brass music for Advent by Matthias Nagel, Traugott Fünfgeld, Anne Weckeßer & others

Readings for Advent

Alexander Stölzle, narrator
Frio Brass
Conductor: Joris Braun

Admission free, donations welcome

“O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf.” Advent comes alive with singing together. When the old familiar chorales ring out, a special sense of community is created – both audible and uniting. This concert specially invites audience members to sing along, allowing the anticipation of Christmas to grow. The Frio Brass Ensemble complements the singing with Advent music. Texts for Advent, read by Pastor Alexander Stölzle, add to the atmospheric evening. “Tochter Zion, freue dich! [Daughter of Zion, rejoice]”

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685–1750
Christmas Oratorio BWV 248
Parts I-III (Saturday)

Cathrin Lange, soprano
Marion Eckstein, alto
Severin Böhm, tenor
Uwe Schenker-Primus, bass
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Tickets at €20-52 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) and combined ticket for the concerts on 19 and 20 December (-10%) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

Further concerts:
Thursday 17 December 2026, 7.30pm, Michaelskirche Kürnbach
Friday 18 December 2026, 7.30pm, Haus Schönblick Schwäbisch Gmünd

Attending performances of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio has long been a firm fixture on the last weekend of Advent in the Cannstatt Stadtkirche. With joyful and moving music, the incomparable work tells the Christmas story according to St. Luke. A hand-picked ensemble of soloists, the Bachchor and Bachorchester Stuttgart perform all six cantatas in two concerts under the baton of Jörg-Hannes Hahn. So once again this year, it’s time to sing “Jauchzet, frohlocket”!

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685–1750
Christmas Oratorio BWV 248
Parts I, IV-VI

Cathrin Lange, soprano
Marion Eckstein, alto
Severin Böhm, tenor
Uwe Schenker-Primus, bass
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Tickets at €20-52 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) and combined ticket for the concerts on 19 and 20 December (-10%) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

Further concerts:
Thursday 17 December 2026, 7.30pm, Michaelskirche Kürnbach
Friday 18 December 2026, 7.30pm, Haus Schönblick Schwäbisch Gmünd

Attending performances of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio has long been a firm fixture on the last weekend of Advent in the Cannstatt Stadtkirche. With joyful and moving music, the incomparable work tells the Christmas story according to St. Luke. A hand-picked ensemble of soloists, the Bachchor and Bachorchester Stuttgart perform all six cantatas in two concerts under the baton of Jörg-Hannes Hahn. So once again this year, it’s time to sing “Jauchzet, frohlocket”!

Gustav Holst 1874-1934
The Planets, arranged for trumpet and organ by  Timofei Dokschizer
Works for trumpet and organ by George Frideric Handel and Georg Philipp Telemann
Organ works for Christmas and the turn of the year by Johann Sebastian Bach

Reinhold Friedrich, trumpet
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, organ

Tickets at €25 (reductions €15 ) via www.bachchor.com, +49 (0)711/2 555 555 and at the box office

“Let the trumpets sound” could be the title of this year’s New Year’s Eve concert. For the last evening of the year, Jörg-Hannes Hahn has invited the famous trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich to play. From the gallery they will ignite musical fireworks and present highlights from the baroque masters. With Gustav Holst’s imposing “Planets” suite, the view stretches out far into space. A beautiful end to the year, sparkling with brilliance and elegance.

Christmas choral music from England by candlelight
Works by Richard Hall, John Rutter, Arthur Sullivan, David Willcocks and others

Bettina Hoy, narrator
Helge Aurich, piano
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor and organ

Admission free, donations welcome

English choral music is unique throughout the world, drawing on the centuries-old tradition of singing in venerable cathedrals and colleges. Christmas carols, with their joyous exuberance and their religious faith which goes right to the heart, are a part of Christmas just like the scent of cloves and mistletoe. The great celebration resonates in moving carols by the most famous English choral composers, and the conviction grows that there is something in the joyful chorus of the angels: Peace on Earth! Joy to the World!

Axel Ruoff b. 1957
Tiefstille (2015)

Karlheinz Stockhausen 1928-2007
Schwingungen des Universums
from: Aus den sieben Tagen [From the Seven Days] (1968)

Sofia Gubaidulina 1931-2025
Hell und Dunkel (1976)

Hans Zimmer b. 1957
Stay, from: Interstellar Suite (2014)
arranged by Richard McVeigh

Klaus Weber b. 1956
Time Stands Still (2024)

Laurenz Theinert, visual piano
Klaus Weber, organ

Introduction: Klaus Weber

Admission free, donations welcome

Light becomes the instrument here: Laurenz Theinert makes full use of the sacred space with his “Visual Piano” and from projections, forms a constantly changing musical picture. Lines, surfaces and colours react to sounds and make structure and movement visible. And with this, the organ unfolds a range of Stockhausen’s cosmic sound worlds via Gubaidulina’s contrasts of light and dark to works of our own time. A space of light and sound, which relates seeing and hearing to each other in a new way.

The composer in conversation:
Bernhard Lang b. 1957

GAME XIX – Hildegard for soprano, mezzo-soprano and chamber organ
loops for voboe for voice and oboe – first performance
Hermetica III for mixed choir
loops for basses “Politische Reden” for bass and contrabass clarinet
GAME 6-4-9 “Masques” for nine voices – first performance

Björn Gottstein, presenter
Sabine Lutzenberger, Johanna Zimmer, soprano
Andreas Fischer, bass
Frauke Elsen, oboe
Theo Nabicht, contrabass clarinet
Matthias Schneider-Hollek, electronics
CANTUS STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor and organ

Admission free, donations welcome

The Stuttgart “Composer portraits”, founded by Jörg-Hannes Hahn, is a renowned series in the concert series “Musik am 13”. Composers previously featured include Helmut Lachenmann, Younghi Pagh-Paan, Krzysztof Penderecki, Sofia Gubaidulina and Jörg Widmann. The 22nd edition now features the Austrian composer Bernhard Lang. In conversation with contemporary music expert Björn Gottstein, Lang discusses his work, and his recent compositions for voices and instruments invite audiences to discover a fascinating oeuvre.

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Fantasia in C minor, BWV 562

Jan Dismas Zelenka 1679-1745
Tristis est anima mea

Johann Michael Bach 1648-94
Ich weiß, dass mein Erlöser lebt

Johann Ludwig Bach 1677-1731
Das ist meine Freude

Johann Sebastian Bach
Fugue in C major, BWV 564

Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Eckstein, sermon
Alexander Stölzle, liturgy
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor and organ

In association with the International Bach Festival Stuttgart.

The 3rd International Bach Festival Stuttgart concludes on Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday, the 21st March. The festive final church service will be given by Cantus Stuttgart and Jörg-Hannes Hahn in the late Gothic Stadtkirche in Bad Cannstatt. This will include vocal and organ works by the Bach family, including the magnificent five-part choral motet “Ich weiß, dass mein Erlöser lebt” by Bach’s father-in-law Johann Michael Bach, as well as the highly virtuosic “Tristis est anima mea” by the “Catholic Bach” Jan Dismas Zelenka.

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
St Matthew Passion BWV 244 – first version 1727

Jakob Kunath, the words of Jesus
Lukas Siebert, Evangelist
Inga Schäfer, soprano
Marion Eckstein, alto
Simon Bailey, bass
GIRLS’ CHOIR OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST. EBERHARD
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 2.15pm: Prof. Dr. Meinrad Walter

Tickets at €20-52 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

At the hour of Jesus’s death, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion is performed in its original version, in the form in which it was presumably first performed 300 years ago on Good Friday in Leipzig, but which is rarely heard today. The timeless greatness of this monumental work does not lie solely in its musical structure. The gospel account, chorales and freely-written poetry combine to make a comprehensive account of the Passion narrative – symbolic, dramatic, moving.

George Frideric Handel 1685–1759
Dixit Dominus – Psalm 109 HWV 232
Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day HWV 76

Carlo Forlivesi b. 1971
ἰοίην for guitar, voices and orchestra

Tillmann Reinbeck, guitar
Joowon Chung, Anna Nesyba, soprano
Franz Vitztum, Altus, Johannes Gaubitz, tenor
CANTUS STUTTGART
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 7.30pm:

Tickets at €25 (reductions of -50%) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

In association with the Stuttgart Church District and the Conference of Directors of Church Music of the German Protestant Church.

This concert has two surprises in store: firstly, “Musik am 13.” takes place “on the 11th” instead. Secondly, the programme contrasts two vocal works by George Frideric Handel with a new composition, commissioned in 2025 for “Musik am 13.” “ἰοίην” is the title of Carlo Forlivesi’s work scored for the unusual combination of guitar, two sopranos, chorus and baroque orchestra. The title expresses the longing to overcome boundaries. The work will effortlessly bridge the gap to the magnificent choral works by the great Baroque master.

George Frideric Handel 1685-1759
The sonatas for violin and basso continuo

Readings for Whitsun

Martin Wendte, narrator
Luminitza Petre, violin
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, harpsichord

Introduction: tbc

Admission free, donations welcome

Two consecutive concerts are devoted to the complete violin sonatas by George Frideric Handel with basso continuo accompaniment. These works of the highest quality are amongst the key repertoire of Baroque violin music: full of vitality and freshness, characterized by melodic variety and suppleness. Violinist Luminitza Petre – a prize-winner at competitions including the Tibor Varga, Rodolfo Lipizer, Dinu Lipatti and George Enescu – creates two compelling evenings with Jörg-Hannes Hahn at the harpsichord.

George Frideric Handel 1685-1759
The sonatas for violin and basso continuo

Readings for Whitsun

Martin Wendte, narrator
Luminitza Petre, violin
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, harpsichord

Introduction: tbc

Admission free, donations welcome

Two consecutive concerts are devoted to the complete violin sonatas by George Frideric Handel with basso continuo accompaniment. These works of the highest quality are amongst the key repertoire of Baroque violin music: full of vitality and freshness, characterized by melodic variety and suppleness. Violinist Luminitza Petre – a prize-winner at competitions including the Tibor Varga, Rodolfo Lipizer, Dinu Lipatti and George Enescu – creates two compelling evenings with Jörg-Hannes Hahn at the harpsichord.

John Adams b. 1947
Alone for voice and piano

Joan Tower b. 1938
Wild Purple for viola

Franz Jochen Herfert b. 1955
Elysäische Landschaften für Klavier [Elysian Landscapes for Piano]

Johannes Brahms 1833-97
Two Songs for alto, viola and piano op. 91

Yumi Koyama, soprano
Akiko Hirataka, viola
Sayaka Schuster, piano

Admission free, donations welcome

Taking the title of the first song “Gestillte Sehnsucht” [Longing fulfilled] of Johannes Brahms’s Opus 91 as a starting point, the programme includes more recent works which express longing and Elysium in music in quite different ways and in the broadest sense. Compositions from Erich Wolfgang Korngold through Hanns Eisler and Samuel Barber to Joan Tower and John Adams. Pieces for piano and viola solo are interwoven.

Friedrich Nietzsche 1844-1900
Hymnus an das Leben [Hymn to Life]

Johannes Brahms 1833-97
Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) op. 54
Nänie op. 82

Michael Braunger, piano
CANTUS STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction: Michael Braunger

Admission free, donations welcome

“Without music, life would be a mistake.” His aphorism shows how highly Friedrich Nietzsche regarded music. The philosopher even composed music himself. He himself called the “Hymnus an das Leben” [Hymn to Life], his last and only published composition, “a kind of profession of faith in music”. Johannes Brahms set the famous poem of Hölderlin in his “Schicksalslied” [Song of Destiny], whereas “Nänie” is based on a song of lament by Schiller. As in his Requiem, here Brahms creates a connection between mourning and consolation in an incomparable way.

Joseph Kromolicki 1882-1961
Three Songs op. 36

Ludwig van Beethoven 1770-1827
Sechs Lieder op. 48 – Gellert-Lieder

Maciej Zakrzewski b. 1988
Drei Lieder für Bariton und Orgel – first performance

Paweł Konik, baritone
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, organ

Introduction: Dr. Ute Harbusch

Admission free, donations welcome

A hallmark of “Musik am 13.” is the surprising combination of the most varied styles and periods – and this programme for baritone and organ is no exception. Ludwig van Beethoven’s delightful op. 48 song collection is based on Friedrich Gellert’s “Geistliche Oden und Lieder”. Singer Paweł Konik presents two composers from his native Poland who are little-known in Germany – the Polish church musician Joseph Kromolicki, and the organist and composer Maciej Zakrzewski from Gdańsk.

Gioachino Rossini 1792-1868
Petite Messe solennelle for soloists, chorus, piano and harmonium

Vocal and instrumental soloists
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
Hannes von Bargen, guest conductor

Introduction: Hannes von Bargen

Admission free, donations welcome

“Dear God, there it is, now this poor little Mass is ended. Is what I’ve just composed sacred music, or is it ‘Sacrée musique’? I was born for opera buffa, as you well know! A little science and a little of the heart, that’s all there is to it. Be blessed and grant me paradise.” The “Petite Messe solennelle” is far from small, but is in fact a great sacred work by the former opera composer Rossini. The young conductor Hannes von Bargen conducts the summer concert by the Bachchor Stuttgart.

Works by Jean-Nicolas Lemmens 1823-81

Admission free, donations welcome

The incomparable sound world of French-Belgian Romantic organ music has at its heart and central point Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens. Born in Antwerp, the organist, educator and composer is regarded as a role model and champion in the history of organ music. His achievements include the revival of tradition through a precise knowledge of the German Baroque, in particular the works of J. S. Bach. The world-famous organ builder Cavaillé-Coll saw in Lemmens the “true modern organist”.