Herreweghe. Collegium Vocale Gent – 30 Jahre Heidelberger Frühling

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The year 2027 marks the 300th anniversary of the premiere of the St. Matthew Passion. But it was not until Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy revived the work in 1829 that its significance was recognized; it marked the beginning of an unprecedented Bach renaissance. The question of how to bring historical material to life in the present was answered very differently in the 19th century than it is today. Rather than allowing changes and expansions to the instrumentation, as was done back then, the Belgian Bach specialist Philippe Herreweghe and the Collegium Vocale Gent, which he founded, are instead seeking to capture Bach’s original sound. Herreweghe’s award of the Leipzig Bach Medal proves that he succeeds in this endeavor most convincingly.