Bach's archive

When Johann Sebastian Bach turned fifty, he did not only look ahead, but mostly back. In the so-called Altbachisches Archiv, he gathered the music of his forebears – a precious collection that offers a unique window onto the musical roots of the Bach dynasty. The archive includes works by, among others, Johann, Johann Michael, and Johann Christoph Bach: an uncle and two cousins of his father.

Their compositions reveal how the Bach family shaped Lutheran church music over generations. From intimate motets to richly polyphonic structures, we hear the constant interplay between tradition and innovation, between the polyphonic legacy and Italian expressivity. The archive is not only Johann Sebastian’s tribute to his ancestry, but also a sonic document preserving the spirit of the seventeenth century.

With two concerts, Vox Luminis delves into this archive – today marks the first.

Artwork of the Day

With the Artwork of the Day we connect a work of art to one of the concert programmes. Sometimes the link is obvious, sometimes surprising or unexpected. With today: The Lute Player (1622) by Dirck van Baburen.

in this painting, the music seems to leap off the canvas. A young man looks us straight in the eye, his mouth open in song, his fingers on the strings of his lute. It feels as though he is inviting us to join in, to sing or play along.

Van Baburen was part of the Utrecht Caravaggisti, painters who learned in Rome how to use dramatic light and lifelike detail to strike an immediate chord with the viewer. No static pose here, but pure vitality. The painting shows what music can create: energy, emotion, and a connection from one person to another. You can’t help but wonder: is he playing a joyful tune, a love song, or a lament?

That same direct power of the lute can be heard today in the Lutherse Kerk. Evangelina Mascardi presents a programme dedicated to Silvius Leopold Weiss. In the eighteenth century, Weiss was a true star, admired for both his virtuoso playing and his refined compositions. His works range from graceful dances to introspective memorial pieces, such as the moving Tombeau sur la mort de M. Comte de Logy.

In the intimate acoustics of the Lutherse Kerk, this music gains an extra glow. Where Van Baburen gives us the image of a musician with paint and brush, Mascardi lets us experience its sound. In her hands, the lute is no longer just an instrument from a painting or from history, but a voice that still speaks directly to us today.

Tip from the team: Ensemble Masques

For many Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht is something to look forward to each year. That certainly goes for our Ambassador of Early Music, Pieter-Jan. Today, he recommends the concert featuring Rameau’s Pygmalion by Ensemble Masques.

"For me, there is no composer more entertaining than Rameau. His music is a celebration of colour and rhythm. Pygmalion, a short acte de ballet about a sculptor who falls in love with his own statue, is rightly considered one of his finest works. The first time I heard it, I was deeply moved by the stunning, melancholic recitatives. In the overture, you can hear the sculptor’s chiselling, and the music that accompanies the statue coming to life is pure magic. The suite from his first tragedy, Hippolyte et Aricie, is the icing on the cake."

Mona Lisa

Since day two of the festival, the musicians and actors of ART HOUSE 17 have been performing two shows a day about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa. Illustrator Carline Vrielink also attended the performance - you can see her interpretation below.

Also on the programme today...

… violin music from the Minoriten Convent with Stéphanie Paulet and Elisabeth Geiger, the next two concerts in Jean Rondeau’s odyssey, and a touch of Romanticism with Anders Muskens and horn player Nicolas Roudier.

Today on EMTV

Today, you can watch Cappella Mariana live on Early Music Television, performing in the Domkerk with the sixth mass from the Choirbook of Margaret of Austria. Later this evening, at 20:00 hrs, you can enjoy Rameau’s Pygmalion by Ensemble Masques in collaboration with circus artist Jef Everaert.