Bach Festivals & Cantata Series
International Bach Chamber Music Festival

Name:

International Bach Chamber Music Festival

Location:

Rīga, Latvia

Venues:

Reutern's House
Hall of Columns of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation
The Anglican Church
House of the Blackheads
Ave Sol Concert Hall
Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music
Great Guild hall / Small Guild hall

Years:

Since 2001 (Annual Festival)

Months:

Spring: March-April
Autumn: November December

Artistic Director:

Aina Kalnciema (2001-Present)

Ensembles:

V/A

Website:

International Bach Chamber Music Festival

History & Mission:

The International Bach Chamber Music Festival is focussed on the intimate, the soulful, the personal. It manifests the producers' desire to reveal J.S. Bach from the "quiet side" and show that the relatively few sounds in a chamber music score can say just as much in the way of fundamental ideas, thoughts and content as J.S. Bach's major vocal and symphonic compositions.
The concept of the Festival strives to embrace a wealth of aesthetic, cultural and historical values. For one thing, audiences at the festival hear seldom performed interpretations of J.S. Bach's chamber music, including the compositions that were produced by the great artist's sons and contemporaries, as well as the music inspired by J.S. Bach's personality. The festival is also a cradle for new music - each year there are new works commissioned especially for the festival.
It is also true that the responsibility of interpreting music at the festival always rests with global authorities in the performance of authentic music. In the festival's 1^st year, it featured the Baroque violinist Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch of Finland and the viola da gamba master Anatoly Grindenko of Russia. In the 2^nd year the audience heard the distinguished organist and harpsichordist Jon Laukvik of Germany. One year later it was the turn of counter-tenor and Hilliard Ensemble participant David James of Britain, flutist Stephen Preston of Britain and oboist Tilmann Zahn of Germany. In the 4^th year, there were the Baroque violinist Anne Katharina Schreiber of Germany, the flutist Charles Zebley of France, the Rīga-born cellist Iwan Monighetti, who lives in Switzerland, the pianist Thierry Mechler of France, the chamber orchestra Hermitage and oboist Alexei Utkin from Moscow, and the vocal trio Vox Silentii from Finland. Latvia's own best interpreters of the ancient music also participate each year.
The concerts are always held in the venues which are entirely appropriate for them - historical buildings of Old Rīga: the Reutern's House, the Hall of Columns of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, the Anglican Church, the House of the Blackheads, the Ave Sol Concert Hall, and the Latvian Academy of Music.

The ancient music of the Western Europe was never performed extensively under the censorship of the Soviet Union, and once Latvia regained its independence, the people could freely, study and play the music of the past. The Ancient Music Festival was born in the 1990’s, and the International Bach Chamber Music Festival joins it in the effort to preserve the professional level of ancient music performance. Students from the Academy and professional musicians each year have a chance to improve their skills with internationally recognised Baroque music authorities. In the course of the four years, master classes have been delivered by the aforementioned Kaakinen-Pilch, Schreiber, Preston, Zebley, Zahn, Utkin, Laukvik, James and Mechler, as well as by the flutist Neeme Punder of Estonia and the Vox Silentii trio from Finland.
The International Bach Chamber Music Festival has gained an important place in the cultural calendar in Latvia. Its outstanding artistic level and the overall concept of the festival have won recognition in the business and finance circles in Germany. Permanent co-operation partners include Vereinsbank, Dresdnerbank, Lufthansa, Siemens and the German Embassy in Latvia. German Ambassador Eckart Herold has been the patron of the International Bach Music Festival since 2002.

Recent Festivals:

5^th Festival: Jan 30-Mar 13, 2005
6^th Festival: Feb 8-Mar 31, 2006
7^th Festival: Feb 8-Apr 4, 2007
8^th Festival: Feb 26-Apr 4, 2008
9^th Festival: Mar 1-Apr 15, 2009
10^th Festival, Spring:Mar 19-Jun 19, 2010
10^th Festival, Autumn:Nov 2-Dec 5, 2010

11^th Festival: Mar 27-, Nov, 2011
12^th Festival: Mar 25-31, Jun 1-Aug 31, 2012
12^th Festival: Nov 14-Dec 5, 2012
13^th Festival: Nov 14-Dec 5, 2013
14^th Festival: Apr 6, 2014
14^th Festival, Autumn: Nov 8-Dec 9, 2014
15^th Festival, Spring: Mar 21-28, 2015
15^th Festival, Autumn: Nov 5-Dec 12, 2015
16^th Festival, Spring: Mar 22-24, 2016
16^th Festival, Autumn: Nov 4-16, 2016

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