By 
For 15 days, the International Bach Festival Stuttgart brings renowned ensembles and soloists, as well as aspiring music professionals from all continents, to a festival with international flair in the capital of Baden-Württemberg. Numerous city institutions are involved.
Latin American Music from 1600 to Today
“We are a worldwide Bach family. The immense enthusiasm for Bach and the long tradition of baroque music in Latin America motivated us to title the 2025 Bach Festival ‘Bach and Latin America,’” said Hans-Christoph Rademann, director of the academy. The festival highlights the rich musical history of Latin America and showcases the interconnections between the New and Old Worlds, from colonization to globalization.
The ensemble Los Temperamentos invites you to the Fiesta Peruana: they have reconstructed the Codex Martínez Compañón (1782–85) from a Peruvian archive and will present it during this exclusive concert evening, accompanied by dancers from the Ballet Folclórico Nacional del Perú with authentic choreography and traditional costumes (March 16, 7 p.m., Theaterhaus).
The Bach Consort Wien, led by its Argentine conductor Rubén Dubrovsky, will create a dialogue between madrigals by Monteverdi and villancicos by his Mexican contemporary Gaspar Fernández (March 13, 7 p.m., Stiftskirche). Also at the Stiftskirche, La Grande Chapelle from Spain will present two- and three-choir sacred music of the 17th century from Central American cathedrals (March 20, 7 p.m.).
The Huehuetenango Songbook from Guatemala offers insights into intercontinental musical exchange on the eve of the Baroque era. It will be performed in a night concert featuring singer Jonatan Alvarado and Ariel Abramovich on the vihuela (March 15, 10 p.m., Hospitalkirche). For his song program Pajarillos fugitivos, Alvarado will also play the baroque guitar. Members of the Cappella Mediterránea will honor the women of Latin America through folk songs from their native Argentina (March 10, 7 p.m., Dürnitz, Landesmuseum).
JSB Ensemble and Gaechinger Cantorey: The Ensembles of the Bach Academy
Whether it’s the Passion or the Ascension, sacred or secular, Bach or Handel, performed individually or together, the two ensembles of the Bach Academy – the Gaechinger Cantorey and the Young Stuttgart Bach Ensemble (JSB Ensemble) – play a central role in the festival program.
“About one hundred young singers and instrumentalists,” said Hans-Christoph Rademann, “from more than twenty nations will come to Stuttgart to study at the highest level and perform during the festival. This is unique in Germany in the field of early music.” The festival is preceded by an intensive study week with leading experts in early music at the Landesakademie Ochsenhausen.
You must be logged in to be able to post comments.
Sign in