Bach & Brahms
BWV 027 // Special programme
In November 2024, the “With Brahms and Bach” tour took the Choir and Orchestra of the J. S. Bach Foundation, under the baton of Rudolf Lutz, to St. Gallen, Basel, Bern, Zurich, and Schaffhausen. Marking a departure from their usual repertoire, the ensemble performed a major work by the great Romantic composer – and devoted admirer of Bach – Johannes Brahms. The thoughtfully curated programme paired Bach’s cantata BWV 27 “Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende” (Who knows how near to me my end is) with Brahms’s A German Requiem, Op. 45, forging a musical bridge between the two composers and exploring the Romantic potential inherent in Bach’s oeuvre. Audiences enjoyed the opportunity to hear Brahms’s A German Requiem performed on period instruments—a rare event in today’s Brahms performance practice—and experienced how a Bach cantata may have sounded in the Romantic era.
Download Booklet of the digital audio release.
Choir
Soprano
Lia Andres, Alice Borciani, Maria Deger, Sybille Diethelm, Cornelia Fahrion, Katharina Held, Linda Loosli, Jennifer Riberio Rudin, Noëmi Sohn Nad, Alexa Vogel, Mirjam Wernli, Ulla Westvik
Alto
Anne Bierwirth, Nanora Büttiker, Judith Flury, Antonia Frey, Katharina Guglhör, Laura Kull, Francisca Näf, Damaris Nussbaumer, Alexandra Rawohl, Lea Scherer, Lisa Weiss, Sarah Widmer
Tenor
Marcel Fässler, Zacharie Fogal, Manuel Gerber, Achim Glatz, Florian Glaus, Matthias Lüdi, Joël Morand, Klemens Mölkner, Walter Siegel
Bass
Jean-Christophe Groffe, Serafin Heusser, Israel Martins, João Martins, Grégoire May, Valentin Parli, Philippe Rayot, Peter Strömberg, Tobias Wicky, William Wood
Orchestra
Conductor
Rudolf Lutz
Violin
Éva Borhi, Péter Barczi, Christine Baumann, Judith von der Goltz, Swaantje Kaiser, Markéta Knittlova, Jörn-Sebastian Kuhlmann, Petra Melicharek, Dorothee Mühleisen, Ildikó Sajgó, Sabine Stoffer, Lotta Suvanto, Lenka Torgersen, Aliza Vicente, Hannah Visser
Viola
Sonoko Asabuki, Lucile Chionchini, Matthias Jäggi, Anne Sophie van Riel, Rafael Roth, Regula Sager
Violoncello
Maya Amrein, Jakob Valentin Herzog, Bettina Messerschmidt, Stefan Mühleisen, Daniel Rosin, Esmé de Vries
Violone
Markus Bernhard, Dina Kehl, Guisella Massa, Miriam Shalinsky, Niklas Sprenger
Transverse flute
Daniela Lieb, Tomoko Mukoyama, Sophia Kind (Piccolo)
Oboe
Andreas Helm, Thomas Meraner
Clarinet
Ernst Schlader, Christine Foidl
Bassoon
Jani Sunnarborg, Susann Landert
Contrabassoon
Karl Nieler
Horn
Ricardo Rodríguez, Renske Wijma, Emmanuel Frankenberg, Daniele Bolzonella
Trumpet
Jaroslav Rouček, Karel Mnuk
Trombone
Christine Häusler, Max Eisenhut, Tobias Hildebrandt
Tuba
Alexander Rindberger
Timpani
Georg Tausch
Harp
Viktor Hartobanu
Musical director & conductor
Rudolf Lutz
Workshop
The concert programme was coupled with a broad educational initiative, incorporating school projects and interdisciplinary introductions to the music.
Ethicist Jean-Daniel Strub explored the topic of death in the digital age, psychologist Christina Röcke examined longevity, philosopher Barbara Bleisch reflected on the nature of transience, historian Anselm Hartinger investigated the culture of remembrance, and palliative care specialist Gian Domenico Borasio addressed the end-of-life process. These varied perspectives also served as inspiration for school groups, who created their own short videos documenting personal responses to the themes. The students’ contributions offered a powerful insight into how the younger generation engages with these profound topics, bringing their voices and viewpoints into the public sphere.
Insight videos
Barbara Bleisch
Rudolf Lutz
Gian Domenico Borasio
Anselm Hartinger
Christine Röcke
Jean-Daniel Strub
Kantonsschule Wohlen AG
Kantonsschule am Burggraben SG
Kirchgemeinde Nydegg BE
Reflective lecture
Downloads of the speakers’ texts (in German only)
Gian Domenico Borasio
Anselm Hartinger
Christina Röcke
Jean-Daniel Strub
Recording & editing
Texts (booklet)
Anselm Hartinger
English translations
Alice Noger-Gradon
Layout Design
Studio Silvio Seiler / Grafik und Design GmbH
Photography
Yannick Andrea GmbH, Schweiz
Recording location
St. Johann Church, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, 5 November 2024, concert as part of the ‘With Bach and Brahms’ tour
Production
Gallus Media AG, Schweiz
Producer
Johannes Widmer, GALLUS MEDIA AG, Schweiz
Sound engineer
Stephan Ritzenthaler, GALLUS MEDIA AG, Schweiz
Recording editor
Stefan Ritzenthaler, GALLUS MEDIA AG, Schweiz
Label
J. S. Bach Foundation, Museumstrasse 1, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland, www.bachstiftung.ch, vertrieb@bachstiftung.ch
