Three concerts for a great night of early music in Nuremberg

Solomon’s Knot, Maayan Licht and Chanticleer feature on the programme of Nuremberg’s Great Night of Music, organised on Friday 19 June by the ION festival and the radio and television broadcaster BR-KLASSIK. The three concerts will be filmed and broadcast live on the broadcaster’s channels, as well as on Total Baroque Magazine and its YouTube channel. Thorsten Preuß, Deputy Head of the Music Department at BR/ARD’s Nuremberg studio, tells us more about the event and about his organisation’s commitment to early music.

From the first pioneers of historically informed performance in the 1950s to Baroque videos viewed millions of times on YouTube, early music has long held a place within Bavarian public broadcasting, Bayerischer Rundfunk. On June 19, Musikfest ION and BR-KLASSIK will join forces for the “Grand Musical Night of Nuremberg,” an event that is expected to resonate far beyond the classical concert scene. In an interview with Total Baroque Magazine, Thorsten Preuß, Editor-in-Chief for Early Music and Deputy Head of the Music Department at the Nuremberg studio, discusses the origins of early and Baroque music at BR, the legendary programme Tafel-Confect, launched more than 70 years ago, digital strategies, and new podcast collaborations. He also explains why northern Bavaria now ranks among the most exciting centres of early music.

Let’s begin with the “Grand Musical Night of Nuremberg,” organised by BR-KLASSIK and Musikfest ION on June 19. What exactly does this project involve?

Thorsten Preuß: On June 19, Nuremberg will transform itself into a city of early music for one evening. Between 7:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., three concerts will take place in three historic venues. At the medieval Church of St. Sebald, Bach cantatas will be performed by Solomon’s Knot. In the historic hall of City Hall, Maayan Licht will sing Baroque arias with {Oh!} Orkiestra, under the direction of Martyna Pastuszka. And at the Baroque Church of St. Egidien, the vocal ensemble Chanticleer will present a programme ranging from Renaissance music to world music. A defining aspect of the evening is the opportunity for audiences to move freely between the different venues. Visitors will stroll through the old town between concert venues. This will create a festival atmosphere throughout the city. At the same time, we will broadcast the entire evening live on BR-KLASSIK radio. In addition, three video streams will be available on YouTube. The event will therefore be visible far beyond Nuremberg.

…and Total Baroque Magazine will also broadcast these three concerts live on our website and on our Total Baroque YouTube channel! So this is not merely a series of concerts, but a genuine cultural event?

T. P.: Absolutely. We deliberately want to take early music out of traditional concert halls and integrate it into public life. People should feel that something special is happening in Nuremberg. There will be a festival lounge in the inner courtyard of the Town Hall, from which we will host the event. The Minister-President of Bavaria, Markus Söder, has also announced his attendance. That naturally highlights the symbolic significance of the project. Our goal is to put early music in the spotlight and inspire new audiences. In Nuremberg, with its historic old town and cultural traditions, it works wonderfully.