Die Wege Bachs – ensemble reflektor – Strauss-Bach

In the organizer's words:

Festival The Paths of Bach (Chemins de Bach)
Conductor: Raphaël Pichon

Raphaël Pichon and the young chamber orchestra ensemble reflektor embark on a musical journey that connects two highlights of German music history: Johann Sebastian Bach and Richard Strauss. From the intimacy of the sacred aria Vergiss mein nicht BWV 505 (1725) to the simplicity of the cantata Ich habe genug BWV 82a (1727), the works are like an enveloping prayer. The Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 BWV 1048 (around 1271) celebrates the power of the collective. Bach draws on a contrapuntal tradition for whose development Lüneburg was instrumental. Two centuries later, the work of Richard Strauss drew on this spiritual and musical heritage. In the song Morgen! op. 27 no. 4 (1894), the vocal line is like a whispered promise full of bright hope: "And tomorrow the sun will shine again...", as the verses of John Henry Mackay's poem of the same name say. Deeply affected by the catastrophes of the Second World War, Strauss composed his Metamorphoses for 23 strings in 1945, a melancholy meditation on memory and loss in which each voice melts into a dense and poignant polyphony. The concert focuses on loneliness, consolation and the shared search for light and hope.

Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach: Vergiss Mein nicht BWV 505
Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings
Johann Sebastian Bach: I have had enough BWV 82a
Richard Strauss: Morning! Op.27 no. 4
Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 BWV 1048, G major

This concert is part of the festival Die Wege Bachs, which takes place from 23-25.05.2026 in Lüneburg and is organized by the Kulturforum Lüneburg in cooperation with Pygmalion and ensemble reflektor.

About The Ways of Bach
In 1705, Johann Sebastian Bach was twenty years old. As a young organist from a modest background, he wanted to perfect his musical education - and so he set off from Arnstadt to Lübeck to meet the composer Dietrich Buxtehude, an undisputed master of his craft. Few details are known about his journey of more than 400 kilometers, which must have been partly on foot along the Roman salt road. For Bach, however, it represented a personal and artistic awakening that would shape his entire future work. Pygmalion was founded in 2006 by Raphaël Pichon. To mark its 20th anniversary, the French ensemble Pygmalion is undertaking a similarly formative journey, partly on foot, which includes concerts as well as encounter projects. The Ways of Bach was accompanied by ARTE Concert and France Musique in 2024. Join us on the last leg of our journey!