Programm

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir BWV 686

Gustav Mahler 1860-1911
Nun will die Sonn’ so hell aufgeh’n, from: Kindertotenlieder  

Maki Ishii 1936-2003
Lost Sound II

Gustav Mahler
Urlicht, from: Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Marcel Dupré 1886-1971
Paraphrase sur le Te Deum op. 43

Yuki Sasaki, mezzo-soprano
Yu Sasaki, organ

7.30pm Introduction: Prof. Dr. Yu Sasaki

Admission free, donations welcome

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On the morning of 6 August 1945 the city of Hiroshima fell victim to the first use of nuclear weapons in warfare, leading to the death of well over 200,000 people. Eighty years later, this concert by Japanese musicians Yuki and Yu Sasaki recalls this great human catastrophe. Chorale and hymn, folk poetry and pure music – wordless and eloquent, organ works from three centuries and songs by Gustav Mahler tell of the deepest despair and a helpless trust in God.

Programm

The composer in conversation:
Jean-Pierre Leguay b. 1939

“A deux” for vibraphone and piano (2023) – German premiere
“In illo tempore” for clarinet (2020) – first performance
“Passegiata” for cello and piano – first performance
Organ improvisation
“Le matin sûrement va venir” for alto saxophone, piano and percussion (2020)

Martina Seeber, presenter
Dirk Altmann, clarinet
Eliott Riley, saxophone
Bernhard Lörcher, cello
Lucas Guérin, percussion
Sabine Sauer, piano
Jean-Pierre Leguay, organ

Admission free, donations welcome

With generous support from

Recording by

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The guest in the 21st composer portrait is Jean-Pierre Leguay, the sound colour magician from Paris. He studied with Olivier Messiaen and writes his works in braille as he was born blind. He discusses his works in conversation with the new music expert Martina Seeber. Interpretations of his chamber music invite the listener to discover a fascinating oeuvre. The French grand seigneur of the organ even performs one of his famous improvisations. Even those who expect the unexpected will be surprised.

Programm

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 – first performance

Tillmann Reinbeck, guitar
ENSEMBLE POLYHARMONIQUE:
Joowon Chung, soprano
Anna Nesyba, soprano
Alexander Schneider, alto
Johannes Gaubitz, tenor
CANTUS STUTTGART
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 7.30pm: Dr. Ute Harbusch, Prof. Dr. Carlo Forlivesi

Tickets at €20-30 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) via www.bachchor.com, +49 (0)711/2 555 555 and at the box office

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The art of combining is a hallmark of the concert series “Musik am 13”. Over the last year, Bach cantatas have been contrasted with new works. Now two compositions by George Frideric Handel are contrasted with a first performance. “ἰοίην” is the latest work by Carlo Forlivesi. The title expresses the longing to overcome boundaries. Forlivesi’s work will effortlessly bridge the gap to the magnificent choral works by the great Baroque master.

Programm

Felix Mendelssohn 1809–47
Elias op. 70

Natalie Karl, soprano
Iduunu Münch, alto
Andreas Post, tenor
Florian Spiess, bass
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
THÜRINGEN PHILHARMONIE GOTHA-EISENACH
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 6.15pm: Götz Thieme

Tickets at €20-44 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) via www.bachchor.com, +49 (0)711/2 555 555 and at the box office

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»In the case of Elijah I had in mind a real prophet through and through, the kind we could use again in present times – strong, constant, but also fierce and furious and sombre, in contrast with the rabble at court and amongst the people, and also in contrast to the whole world, and yet borne on the wings of angels.« With his Elijah, Mendelssohn composed one of the most successful oratorios of the 19th century. Great choruses, operatic drama and gripping expressions of emotion still captivate audiences to this day.

Programm

Michael Praetorius 1571-1621
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, from: Musae Sioniae V + IX

Zoltán Kodály 1882-1967
Veni, veni Emmanuel

Patricia van Ness b. 1951
Into Winter’s Glimmering Night

Paweł Łukaszewski b. 1968
O Adonai

Will Todd b. 1970
My Lord Has Come

SÜDWESTDEUTSCHER KAMMERCHOR TÜBINGEN
Judith Mohr, conductor

Introduction 7.30pm: Judith Mohr

Admission free, donations welcome

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Concise and intense expression, great stylistic variety and international programming characterise the concerts of the Südwestdeutscher Kammerchor Tübingen. Under the direction of its conductor Judith Mohr, the singers raise their voices to the great feast of Christmas. With specially selected a cappella compositions from the early Baroque to the present, they will transform the expectation of Advent, the magic of a winter night and the joy at the arrival of the Saviour into atmospheric choral sounds.

Programm

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

Julia Obert, soprano
Roxana Constantinescu, alto
Benjamin Glaubitz, tenor
Daniel Ochoa, baritone
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Tickets at €20-44 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) and combined ticket for the concerts on 20 and 21 December (-10%) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

Further concerts:
Friday 19 December 2025, 7.30pm, Haus Schönblick Schwäbisch Gmünd
Monday 22 December 2025, 7.30pm, Mauritiuskirche Holzgerlingen

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It has long been a top priority to attend the performances of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio on the last weekend of Advent in the Cannstatt Stadtkirche. With joyful and moving sounds, 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”!

Programm

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

Julia Obert, soprano
Roxana Constantinescu, alto
Benjamin Glaubitz, tenor
Daniel Ochoa, baritone
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Tickets at €20-44 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) and combined ticket for the concerts on 20 and 21 December (-10%) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

Further concerts:
Friday 19 December 2025, 7.30pm, Haus Schönblick Schwäbisch Gmünd
Monday 22 December 2025, 7.30pm, Mauritiuskirche Holzgerlingen

Zum Programm

It has long been a top priority to attend the performances of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio on the last weekend of Advent in the Cannstatt Stadtkirche. With joyful and moving sounds, 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”!

Programm

Works for trumpet and organ by Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani, George Frideric Handel and Georg Philipp Telemann
Organ works for Christmas and the turn of the year by Johann Sebastian Bach

Fruzsina Hara, trumpet
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, organ

Tickets €20 (concessions €15) via www.bachchor.com, +49 (0)711/2 555 555 and at the box office

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What splendour when the majestic sound of the organ is joined by a trumpet with its radiant tone! Both instruments seem to have been created for each other. According to tradition, on New Year’s Eve festive Baroque music is played from the gallery of the Lutherkirche. This year the highly sought-after young Baroque trumpeter Fruszina Hara is the guest, accompanied by Jörg-Hannes Hahn. Together they present highlights by Viviani, Händel, Telemann and others – lively, cheerful and highly virtuosic.

Programm

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

Pastor Alexander Stölzle, narrator
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
Florian Kunz, piano
Benedikt Engel, organ
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Admission free, donations welcome

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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 through moving carols by the most famous English choral composers, and the conviction grows that there is something in the joyful chorus of the angels: Friede auf Erden! Joy to the World!

Programm

Rihards Dubra b. 1964
“Lux confessis” for cello and organ
Kyrie for trumpet and organ    

Rolands Kronlaks b. 1973
“Up in the Air” for two trumpets, piano and electronics

Vykintas Baltakas b. 1972
“Sandwritings” for two keyboards                

Thomas Hummel b. 1962
“Brenne, verbrenne meine Fackel!” for 5 trumpets, 2 keyboards and cello

Jörg-Hannes Hahn, organ
LENSEMBLE VILNIUS
Vykintas Baltakas, conductor

Introduction 7.30pm: Thomas Hummel and Vykintas Baltakas

Admission free, donations welcome

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When music from the Baltic reached the concert halls of western Europe in the 1980s, the music world sat up and took note. Since then, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have become natural neighbours. But as before, the sound of this music is unique. The LENsemble stands for Lithuanian Ensemble Network and is devoted to the dissemination and development of new music in the Baltic region. The founder and guiding spirit is Vykintas Baltakas who presents his own work and works by other composer colleagues in this concert.

Programm

Isabella Leonarda 1620-1704
O dulce nomen Jesu (1641) op. 1
Resonate aurae (1676) op. 6
Ubi es o Domine (1684) op. 11
O caeli gloria (1695) op. 17

Bernardo Storace 1637-c. 1707
Partita sopra il cinque passi

Matthias Lucht, alto
Jürgen Banholzer, harpsichord and organ

Introduction 7.30pm: Dagmar Munck-Sandner

Admission free, donations welcome

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In 1636 Isabella Leonarda entered the Ursuline convent at Novara. She lived there for almost seventy years, rose from novice to mother superior and dedicated herself to her passion – music. She taught her fellow nuns, conducted choirs and ensembles and composed, always at the height of Baroque stylistic sensibility and with European-wide success. The renowned countertenor Matthias Lucht and his partner Jürgen Banholzer on harpsichord present her intimate and varied solo motets.

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Gerhard Kaufmann b. 1944
Ende und Anfang. Der bleibende Ruf des Dietrich – first performance

tbc, narrator
Claire Elizabeth Craig, soprano
André Khamasmie, tenor
Neven Crnić, baritone
BACHCHOR STUTTGART
WÜRTTEMBERG PHILHARMONIC REUTLINGEN
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 2.15pm: KMD Gerhard Kaufmann

Tickets at €20-44 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

With generous support from
the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gedächtnis-Stiftung

Accompanying programme of events in the Hospitalhof – Evang. Bildungszentrum Stuttgart, Büchsenstr. 33, 70174 Stuttgart
Wednesday 11 March, 6pm, Dr. Gottfried Claß: On the life and theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Wednesday 18 March, 6pm, Pastor Marion Gardei: How do we remember?
Wednesday 25 March, 5pm, Composer and conductor in conversation: Gerhard Kaufmann, Jörg-Hannes Hahn

In collaboration with the

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»It is certainly a bold venture to encapsulate a human destiny from the recent past such as that of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in music, to express his thoughts, actions and hopes in sound.« This is how composer Gerhard Kaufmann describes his oratorio, in which he portrays in music the life and teachings of the Christian martyr who died for his convictions because of his resistance to the Nazi regime. Written in 2006 for Bonhoeffer’s 100th anniversary, this striking work now receives its first Stuttgart performance.

Programm

Virtuoso choral music by Biber and Kerll

Johann Kaspar Kerll 1627-1693
Missa in fletu solatium obsidionis Viennensis (1689)

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber 1644-1704
Psalmi de B. M. Virgine – first performance in Baden-Württemberg
from: Vesperae longiores ac breviores una cum litaniis Lauretanis (1693)

Simone Schwark, soprano
Alexander Schneider, alto
David Munderloh, tenor
Eric Price, tenor
Dominik Wörner, bass
CANTUS STUTTGART
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 7.30pm: Andrea Braun

Tickets at €20-30 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

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In 1683 the city of Vienna was besieged by the Ottoman army. Johann Kaspar Kerll experienced the fears and horrors of these weeks and, overwhelmed by impressions, wrote his “Messe zum Trost in der Wehklage über die Belagerung Wiens” – an exceptional musical testimony of war. A few years later Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber published his vesper compositions in honour of the Mother of God – intimately scored, but grandiose works, which show the Salzburg court music director at the height of his inspirational power.

Programm

Joachim Raff 1822-1882
Dornröschen – First revival of the opera-oratorio for 170 years

Katinka Bohse Meyer, Sleeping Beauty
Julia Wirth, Water Fairy
Lars Tappert, Narrator
Gustav Wenzel Most, Count
Matthias Lika, Baritone
Lukas Krimmel, Baritone

Bachchor Stuttgart
WÜRTTEMBERG PHILHARMONIC REUTLINGEN
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 6.15pm: Volker Tosta

Tickets at €20-44 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

Recording by

With the kind support of Baden-Württemberg-Stiftung

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Joachim Raff’s »Dornröschen« did not just wait for a hundred years, but much longer to be kissed awake. During his lifetime, its composer was one of the most sought-after in Germany. Contemporaries ranked him along with Wagner and Brahms. In 1856 his fairy tale epic to a text by Wilhelm Genast was premiered with tableaux vivants at the Weimar Court Theatre, but after that, it fell into oblivion, like Raff himself. Now there is an opportunity to experience the work again for the first time in its complete form.

Programm

Detlef Heusinger b. 1956
The Foundlinghouse – first performance

Inga Schäfer, Alma Unseld, soprano
Doron Schleifer, countertenor
Lorenz Kauffer, baritone
FREIBURG CATHEDRAL GIRLS’ CHOIR
BACHORCHESTER STUTTGART
Detlef Heusinger, stage direction
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 7.30pm: Detlef Heusinger

Admission free, donations welcome

Further concert:
Sunday 16 May 2026, 19.30 Uhr, Pauluskirche Badenweiler

Recording by

Zum Programm

This is how it might sound if Handel’s music reaches the present day by magic. Composer Detlef Heusinger imagines a benefit concert tour by the Baroque master through the Germany of today. In aid of the first London foundling hospital, which Handel historically supported energetically, he now performs his oratorio “The Triumph of Time and Truth” together with the orphans. Whilst a narrator explains the scenes, the music goes more and more off the rails until it finally arrives in the present day.

Programm

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf BWV 226
Komm, Jesu, komm BWV 229
Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied BWV 225

Willibald Bezler 1942-2018
Ihr Völker alle, klatscht in die Hände – Psalm 47

CANTUS STUTTGART
Rüdiger Kurz, violone
Tim Krüger, organ
Jörg-Hannes Hahn, conductor

Introduction 7.30pm: Dr. Ute Harbusch

Admission free, donations welcome

Further concerts:
Friday 10 July 2026, 8pm, Stiftskirche Herrenberg
Saturday 11 July 2026, 7pm, Stadtkirche Ravensburg
Sunday 12 July 2026, 11.30am, St. Johann Schaffhausen

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The motets of Johann Sebastian Bach sound so artistic and magnificent, indeed they radiate joy! You could almost forget that they were composed for funerals and memorial services. The Kammerchor Cantus Stuttgart shows its artistry in three of the great motets, these incomparable vocal works written with great virtuosity in up to eight parts. These are complemented by Willibald Bezler’s setting of Psalm 47 from 2002. Like the Bach works, this also praises God’s greatness in joyful sounds.

Programm

“O sing unto the Lord!” – vocal music by Heinrich Schütz, Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms and others

Ludwig Böhme, conductor

Tickets at €20-30 (reductions of -50% for Cat. II-IV) via +49 (0)711/2 555 555, www.bachchor.com and at the box office

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The Windsbach Boys’ Choir celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. The talented young singers, ranging from 9 to 19 years old, give one of their much sought-after concerts in Bad Cannstatt. The choir’s main musical focus is on sacred music from the Renaissance to the modern. Annual concert tours take the Windsbach singers to other European countries, and to Israel, North and South America, Australia and the Far East. The “little provincial choir” has developed into one of the most highly-regarded boys’ choirs in the world.