In Leipzig, a hit parade of Bach’s cantatas!

From June 11 to 21, 2026, Bachfest Leipzig places its edition under the banner of dialogue. “Im Dialog”: the motto chosen by its director, Michael Maul, reflects a clear desire to open the festival even further to its own time, its performers, and its international audience. More than 200 events are scheduled throughout the city, with the highlight of the program being an ambitious “hit parade” of Bach’s cantatas, curated based on a global vote by the Bach community. Over several months, music lovers and specialists selected their favourite works, which will be performed in twelve concerts by some of the greatest figures of the international Baroque scene, from Philippe Herreweghe to Ton Koopman and Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Another major focus is the tricentenary of the Clavier-Übungen, celebrated through major cycles entrusted in particular to Sir András Schiff and Mahan Esfahani. As the festival’s artistic director since 2018, musicologist Michael Maul has continued to curate a program that bridges musicological research, major concert series, and the international circulation of audiences. In this interview, he shows that, more than a simple heritage celebration, Bachfest 2026 aims to be a living, collective work in motion.

How have preparations gone this year?

Michael Maul: We could not be more pleased. Several weeks ago, we already reached a historic milestone in advance ticket sales; at present, we have already sold a third more tickets than at the same point last year. This is certainly due to the “cantata hit parade” we have put together, but also, of course, to the unique appeal of Leipzig, Bach’s city!

How do you explain the great success of Bachfest?

M. M.: The historic sites associated with Bach, such as St Thomas Church and St Nicholas Church, the Bosehaus, home to the Bach Archive and the Bach Museum, as well as the composers’ houses, exert enormous international appeal—not only because of the music. In addition, I continue to observe great interest in discovering Johann Sebastian Bach’s works through complete cycles. The cantata cycle of 2018 and the “Bach’s Messiah” cycle of 2021 were both tremendous successes, so we have continued this programming direction consistently. Every year, we present cycles drawn from other genres within Bach’s oeuvre, such as the Passions or the keyboard works. Johann Sebastian Bach always remains at the centre, viewed from ever-changing perspectives. Expanding the programme to include compositions and themes drawn from the extensive Bach family tree may certainly appeal to specialists, and it is something very close to our hearts, but it is of less interest to our broader audience. I regret that somewhat. Even a genuine event in music history, such as the premiere of an unknown Passion by Reinhard Keiser, who came from Teuchern and became famous in Hamburg, unfortunately does not ultimately translate into large ticket sales at Bachfest.

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