Bach Festivals & Cantata Series
Neue Bachgesellschaft: Bachfest

Name:

Bachfest = Bach Festival

LocationS:

See Recent Festivals below

Venues:

Various

Years:

Since 1904: Triennial Festival
Since 1908: Biennial Festival
Since 1920: Annual Festival

Months:

Variable

Artistic Director:

KMD Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Christfried Brödel, Dresden (Chairman)
Kreuzkantor KMD Roderich Kreile, Dresden (Deputy Chairman)
Gerd Strauß, Leipzig (Executive Member)
RA Franz O. Hansen, Eisenach (Deputy Executive Member)
Prof. Dr. Johann Trummer, Graz (assessors)
PD Dr. habil. Michael Maul, Leipzig,

Ensembles:

V/A

Website:

Neue Bachgesellschaft e. V
78. Bachfest 2003 Frankfurt (Oder)
79. Bachfest Hamburg 2004
81. Bachfest Aschaffenburg 2006
82. Bachfest Freiberg 2007
83. Bachfest Salzburg 2008
84. Bachfest Mühlhausen 2009
86. Bachfest der Neuen Bachgesellschaft e.V
87. Das Bachfest Görlitz - Die Reformation und die Musik
88, Bachfest 2013 Detmold
92. Bachfest Dresden 2016

History & Mission:

The Neue Bachgesellschaft e.V. (= NBG) was founded on January 17, 1900 in Leipzig. It is the successor to the Bach-Gesellschaft which was founded in 1850 in Leipzig by, i.a., Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Ignaz Moscheles, Louis Spohr, Otto Jahn, Carl von Winterfeld, Siegfried Wilhelm Dehn, Carl Ferdinand Becker and the Thomaskantor Moritz Hauptmann with the object to publish all the compositions of J.S. Bach in a Complete Edition (Gesamtausgabe).
When this object was achieved in 1900 the Bach-Gesellschaft was dissolved according to its statutes. On the initiative of Hermann Kretzschmar and with the co-operation of Oskar von Hase, Martin Blumner, Siegfried Ochs, Joseph Joachim, Franz Wüllner and the Thomaskantor Gustav Ernst Schreck, the Neue Bachgesellschaft was constituted simutaneously in order to make Bach’s compositions known in the whole world. This has been the purpose of all Bach Festivals and of the Bach-Jahrbuch which has appeared since 1904.
From 1940 onwards World War II increasingly had a negative effect on the activities of the Neue Bachgesellschaft. The destruction of office documents and of members’ contributions during the bombardment of Leipzig in December1943 brought the activities to a temporary halt.
With publications (since 1947) and the organization of Bach Festivals (since 1950) the Neue Bachgesellschaft resumed its post-war activities. It was able to survive the time of the German seperation until 1990 undivided, since 1962 with equal representation from both German states and from abroad in its governing bodies. With the German reunification a new period of its history started for the Neue Bachgesellschaft. For this reason also its statutes were revised. The realization of its aims as set out in its statutes continues to be its first and foremost objective, with continuous reflection on the practical implementation thereof.

Bachfest ('Bach festival') is a term which might be used for any festival featuring J.S. Bach's music, but which is associated particularly with the festivals promoted by the Neue Bach-Gesellschaft since its foundation in 1900. As well as performances of music by Bach and associated composers, the festivals usually include a musicological conference. The festivals were held at first triennially, then biennially, and since 1920 annually (with interruptions to the series during the two World Wars).
In 1911, 1913 & 1917 there were Kleines Bachfest (shortened duration) in Eisenach.

Festivals Dates:
1901-1933

1. Bachfest: Mar 21-23, 1901 Berlin
2. Bachfest: Oct 1-3, 1904 Leipzig
3. Bachfest: May 26-27, 1907 Eisenach
4. Bachfest: Oct 3-5, 1908 Chemnitz
5. Bachfest: Jun 4-7, 1910 Duisburg
Kleines Bachfest: Sep 23-24, 1911 Eisenach
6. Bachfest: Jun 15-17, 1912 Breslau
Kleines Bachfest: Sep 27-28, 1913 Eisenach
7. Bachfest: May 9-11, 1914 Vienna
Kleines Bachfest: Sep 29-30, 1917 Eisenach
8. Bachfest: Jun 19-21, 1920 Leipzig
9. Bachfest: Jun 3-7, 1921 - Hamburg
10. Bachfest: Oct 7-9, 1922 Breslau

11. Bachfest: Jun 23-25, 1923 Leipzig
12. Bachfest: Jul 12-14, 1924 Stuttgart
13. Bachfest: Jul 11-13, 1925 Essen
Kleines Bachfest; Sep 26-27, 1925 (Köthen
14. Bachfest: Sep 20-Oct 3, 1926 Berlin
15. Bachfest: May 28-31, 1927 - Munich
16. Bachfest: Sep 20-23, 1928 Kassel
17. Bachfest: Jun 8-10, 1929 Leipzig
18. Bachfest: Oct 4-6, 1930 - Kiel
19. J Bachfest: un 3-5, 1932 Heidelberg
20. Bachfest: Oct 7-9, 1933 Köln

1934-1965

21. Bachfest: Oct 6-8, 1934 Bremen
22. Bachfest: Jun 21-24, 1935 Leipzig
23. Bachfest: Oct 10-12, 1936 Königsberg
24. Bachfest: Jun 26-28, 1937 Magdeburg
25. Bachfest: Apr 22-26, 1938 Leipzig
26. Bachfest: Sep 5- 8, 1939 Bremen
27. Bachfest: Jul 23-30, 1950 Leipzig
28. Bachfest: Sep 7-10, 1951 Bremen
29. Bachfest: Sep 5-8, 1952 Lübeck
30. Bachfest: Jul 3-6, 1953 Leipzig

31. Bachfest: Jul 26-28, 1954 Ansbach
32. Bachfest: Jun 3-6, 1955 - Leipzig
33. Bachfest: Jun 22-Jul 2, 1956 Lüneburg
34. Bachfest: Jun 28-Jul 2, 1957Eisenach
35. Bachfest: Jun 26-Jul 1, 1958 Stuttgart
36. Bachfest: Jul 1-5, 1959 Mühlhausen
37. Bachfest: Oct 4-8, 1961 Essen
38. Bachfest: Jun 21-26, 1962 Leipzig
39. Bachfest: Sep 25-27, 1964 Weimar
40. Bachfest: Jun 10-14, 1965 Hamburg

1966-1975

41. Bachfest: May 28-Jun 4, 1966 Leipzig
42. Bachfest: Apr 20-24, 1967 Wuppertal
43. Bachfest: Dec 6-9, 1968 Dresden
44. Bachfest: Jun 25-30, 1969 Heidelberg
45. Bachfest: Sep 17-21, 1970 Leipzig
46. Bachfest: un 2-7, 1971 Bremen
47. Bachfest: Jun 15-19, 1972 Leipzig
48. Bachfest: May 30-Jun 3, 1973 Nürnberg
49. Bachfest: Oct 10-13, 1974 Frankfurt/Oder
50. Bachfest: Sep 16-23, 1975 Leipzig

51. Bachfest: Aug 25-30, 1976 - West Berlin
52. Bachfest: Nov 17-20, 1977 Schwerin
53. Bachfest: Jun 28-Jul 3, 1978 Marburg
54. Bachfest: Oct 18,-21, 1979 Bratislava
55. Bachfest: Oct 22-27 1980 Mainz
56. Bachfest: Dec 6-12, 1981 Leipzig
57. Bachfest: May 19-24, 1982 Würzburg
58. Bachfest: May 24-29, 1983 Graz
59. Bachfest: Nov 1-5, 1984 Kassel
60. Bachfest: May 25-27, 1985 Leipzig

1986-2005

61. Bachfest: May 24, Jun 5, 1986 Duisburg
62. Bachfest: May 28-Jun 4, 1987 Prague
63. Bachfest: May 10-15, 1988 Strasburg
64. Bachfest: Sep 13-18, 1989 Leipzig
65. Bachfest: Nov 13-29, 1990 Munich
66. Bachfest: Jun 29, Jul 7, 1991 Berlin
67. Bachfest: May 25-Jun 1, 1992 Braunschweig
68. Bachfest: Sep 25-Oct 3, 1993 - Bremen
69. Bachfest: Mar 30-Apr 5, 1994 Leipzig
70. Bachfest: Jun 4-11, 1995 Rostock

71. Bachfest: Nov 17-25, 1996.Freiburg
72. Bachfest: Oct 9-12, 1997 Frankfurt a.M.
73. Bachfest: Sep 10-13, 1998 Köthen
74. Bachfest: Mar 31-Apr 5, 1999 Köln
75. Bachfest: Jul 21-30, 2000 Leipzig (Bach – Ende und Anfang)
76. Bachfest: May 23-27, 2001 Eisenach (Bach und Thüringen)
77. Bachfest: May 25-Jun 2, 2002 Greifswald (Johann Sebastian Bach … die Messen gesungen)
78. Bachfest: Mar 20-25, 2003 Frankfurt/Oder (Marienfeste im Werk Johann Sebastian Bachs)
79. Bachfest: Oct 29-Nov 7, 2004 Hamburg (Der dram(m)atische Bach)
80. Bachfest: Apr 29, May 8, 2005 Leipzig (Bach und die Zukunft)

2006-

81. Bachfest: Jul 28-Aug 6, 2006 Aschaffenburg.
82. Bachfest: Sep 20-30, 2007 Freiberg
83. Bachfest: Oct 4-20, 2008 Salzburg
84. Bachfest: Aug 7-16, 2009 Mühlhausen
85. Bachfest: Jun 10 2010 Leipzig
86. Bachfest: Sep 20-25, 2011 Wetzlar
87. Bachfest: Sep 7-12, 2012 Götlitz/Breslau
88. Bachfest: May 3-12, 2013 Detmold:
89. Bachfest: Apr 30-May 4, 2014 Weimar:
90. Bachfest: Jun 12-21, 2015 Leipzig

91. Sep 23-Oct 6, 2016 Dresden
92. Jul 28-Aug 7, 2017 Ansbach
93. Sep 28-Oct 7, 2018 Tübingen
94. 2019 open
95. 2020 Leipzig

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