Greg’s Photo Blog

A Clash of Cultures

Today we journeyed from Paris to Leipzig. That’s not the clash of cultures I’m talking about.

After rising at 4:00 am and some minor dramas along the way, we arrived at our lovely AirBnB in Leipzig around 2:30 pm.

The day ended with an uplifting performance of four Bach Cantatas in the stunning Nikolaikirche.

Highlights Slideshow

Our Plan for Germany

The plan is to fly in to Berlin from Paris and catch a train to Leipzig. Spend a few days in Leipzig then train back to Berlin. We plan to spend one day in Potsdam.

Brandenburg and Saxony are two of Germany’s 16 federal states (Bundesländer).

Travel Protocol Update

Note to future self: Plan to have a quiet day after a day of travel, especially after using mixed modes. Sometimes trains are delayed: even in Germany.

Traveling takes more out of you than you expect.

Getting up very early. Will the cab arrive on time? Navigating airports and train stations. Worrying about connections. Finding the right tram. Schlepping luggage.

And sometimes reality gets in the way of the perfect plan.

The Journey

We booked a cab for 5:00 am. Our flight to Berlin Brandenburg (the airport not the concerto or the gate) was departing at 7:10 am, but we were supposed to get to the bag-drop by 5:30 am.

All that went smoothly.

The train platforms at Berlin Brandenburg are a long way from where you disembark. Thank God for travelators.

The train to Berlin Züdkreuz was delayed. We had 8 minutes to change to the train to Leipzig. The Berlin train made up some time but we missed the connection. The next train to Leipzig was in about 45 minutes. At least we’d found the right platform.

At this point Cathy flaked out. She had understandably been resisting upping her dose of prednisolone, so her adrenals had had it.

The train was packed, but we found some seats. We arrived in Leipzig and found a tram to get us near to our AirBnB just a couple of stops from the station.

The AirBnB was great. We got our host on a FaceTime call and he walked us through everything. His English was excellent and he could not have been more helpful.

Leipzig: Festival and Football

This is the clash of cultures.

Johann Sebastian Bach started working in Leipzig in 1723 and remained there until his death in 1750. He was appointed as the Thomaskantor, the director of music at the main churches in Leipzig, including the St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche) and the St. Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche).

He wrote many of his most famous works during his time in Leipzig. The city is rightly very proud of this and the tourism relating to Bach is a big thing.

What we did not realise until about a week before we arrived, is that the annual Bach Fest Leipzig would be in full swing.

Most concerts were booked out, but we had managed to get tickets to a performance of four Bach Cantatas in the Nikolaikirche for tonight.

What we did not realise until we got to Germany, is that Euro 2024 was also in full swing. And Leipzig was hosting some of the games.

The place was buzzing.

Leipzig Railway Station

This is what greeted us.

Pretty standard billboard. Tasteful.

Then I looked left.

Okay. A statue of Bach in front of the Euro 2024 logo.

It looks a lot like a big Bach doll. The next few photos show the different outfits he can wear.

The Bach Fest was competing with Euro 2024. The Open Stage meant the Fest could at least put on some live performances in the railway station. Not a gig I’d want.

In Paris I’d noticed that an online gambling website had appropriated Louis XIV in its advertising.

I guess the Bach Fest has the rights to use Bach as it sees fit. I do wonder what demographic they are aiming at.

Nice hair.

Is this Bach as a pirate or as the Phantom of the Opera.

Bach as John Lennon?

A First Look at Leipzig

After settling in and having a rest, we set out around 5:00 pm to get something to eat and have a look around. The concert started at 8:00 pm.

Our AirBnB was an easy 15 to 20 minute walk from the centre of the old town where the Thomaskirche, Nikolaikirche and Bach Museum are located.

We had an early dinner at a great Vietnamese restaurant. Because of the Football and the Festival, many restaurants were booked out. We were ready for a really good meal.

Vegetarian Pho at Hà Nôi Cuisine, Leipzig

On the way to a pre-concert talk at 7:00 pm, we took in a few sights.

Spire of the Nikolaikirche.

Nikolaikirche - the venue for tonight’s concert.

Side view of the Old Town Hall

Still looking good.
Old Town Hall on the Markt (market place).

Old Town Hall tower and clock.

What did you just call me?

Billboard at the main ticket office.

2023 marked 300 years of Bach in Leipzig. His remains are in the Thomaskirche.

Nikolaikirche and the Concert

Bachfest Leipzig really know how to put on a great concert. Being able to hear Bach’s music in the churches where he performed them is very special.

The pre-concert talk was held in the Central Kabarett (cabaret) on the edge of the market place. It was delivered by Dr. Michael Marissen, a Canadian professor of music, and was entertaining, full of interesting information and a good preparation for the performance.

We were full of anticipation as we arrived to take our places in the St. Nicholas Church.

It’s an impressive building that’s in excellent condition. The tourism dollar at work.

St. Nicholas church, Leipzig.

Our sight line to the performing area was not great, but it did not affect the sound in the church.

That’s the back of my head just to the left of the first large white column.

What a ceiling. St. Nicholas church, Leipzig.

The ceiling is stunning.

The Program

Four Cantatas:

• J. S. Bach: Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3
• J. S. Bach: Was mein Gott will, das gscheh allzeit, BWV 111
• J. S. Bach: Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BWV 14
• J. S. Bach: In allen meinen Taten, BWV 97

Artists:

• Nikolaikantor Markus Kaufmann (organ)
• Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, direction: Ton Koopman (organ)
• Robin Johannsen (soprano)
• Maarten Engeltjes (altus)
• Tilman Lichdi (tenor)
• Klaus Mertens (bass)

Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra have been around for as long as I’ve been involved in performing 18th-century music. Their reputation is well earned. It was a treat to hear playing and singing of such high quality.

The cantatas were presented in a way I had not encountered before. To appreciate how brilliant this was, I need to give a bit of background.

Bach’s cantatas were performed as part of a service. They are responses to or reflections on the texts (readings) set for each Sunday. Like a sermon in music. The Lutheran tradition also has a rich repertoire of chorales (hymns) that are associated with particular Sundays.

Each cantata ends with one or more verses from the chorale sung by the full four-part choir, but Bach also often incorporated the chorale melody, or musical figures taken from it, in the solo arias and the opening chorus (if there is one).

In Bach’s day the congregation knew the chorales, so our appreciation of a cantata is enhanced if we are familiar with its chorale. This is where the presentation of the cantatas was so brilliant.

Before each cantata, Markus Kaufman (the St. Nicholas church music director and organist) played an arrangement of or improvisation on the chorale featured in the cantata. So we heard the chorale melody.

Then the audience was invited to sing two verses of the chorale accompanied by the organ. To facilitate this, Carus-Verlag, the company that publishes Bach’s vocal music, had printed a special A4 8-page booklet with the words and music of the chorales just for this concert.

These booklets were free for anyone who wanted to join in. They are a lovely memento of the concert.

By now we all knew the chorale.

From the Carus-Verlag Mitsingheft (sing along book)
Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit (BWV 14)
Text by Martin Luther

Then the cantata was performed.

At the end of each cantata, the closing chorale was repeated so the audience could sing along with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir.

We got to do this four times. Brilliant.

Thomaskirche at Night

We walked home via the St. Thomas Church. It looked beautiful.

St. Thomas Church around 10:15 pm.

This was a truly musically memorable day.

Stay tuned for more adventures on our European Odyssey!