Choreographic Episodes inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor by John Neumeier | Dona Nobis Pacem
Conductor
Holger Speck
Conductor
Holger Speck is the founder and artistic director of Vocalensemble Rastatt & Les Favorites. He has developed a distinguished international reputation as a charismatic musician who is capable of bringing to life the aesthetic sound details particular to different periods, while communicating emotive content to the listener. His keen sense of sound assures the unmistakable quality of his ensembles. Speck is praised regularly for his compelling, lively, and profound. He has conducted at famous festivals and concert halls such as Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Philharmonie Mulhouse, Händelfestspiele Karlsruhe, Europäisches Musikfest Stuttgart, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Festival Europäische Kirchenmusik Schwäbisch Gmünd, and RheinVokal Festival.
Holger Speck has won prizes at both national and international competitions with Vocalensemble Rastatt. His numerous recordings have received international acclaim (Gramophone Magazine, American Record Guide, Fanfare, Fono Forum, L’Orfeo, Pizzicato, Diapason, Classicstoday etc.). Frequentl collaborators are Anne Le Bozec (Piano), Reinhold Friedrich (Trumpet), Wolfgang Meyer (Clarinet), and Veronika Skuplik (Violin). Holger Speck is professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe and also in demand as a singer, as a guest conductor, and as a lecturer at seminars for conducting and interpretation.
Soprano I
Marie-Sophie Pollak
Soprano
Marie-Sophie Pollak was born in Bietigheim-Bissingen/Germany. She studied with Professor Gabriele Fuchs at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich and graduated with honors. While completing her studies, she made her debut at the Innsbrucker Festival of Early Music. Since then she has been involved in several more productions. Innsbruck is also the city where her career started. Many concert and opera engagements followed, both domestic and abroad. She can be heard at well-known European festivals like LuganoMusica, Potsdamer Musikfestspiele Sanssouci, Münchener Biennale, Innsbrucker Festspiele of Early Music, Stuttgarter Musikfest, Trans-Sibirian Art Festival Novosibirsk and was already on stage of the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Wiener Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthaus, Hamburger Staatsoper, Konzerthaus Berlin, Herkulessaal München, Prager Rudolfinum, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, as well as the Théatre du Chatêlet in Paris. Just recently she performed Haydn’s „Jahreszeiten“ in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Her musical career was also shaped by the cooperation with renowned conductors including Kent Nagano, Thomas Hengelbrock, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Václav Luks and Alessandro de Marchi. Marie-Sophie Pollak is an award winner of the competition Jugend Musiziert 2006 of the Federal Republic of Germany and reached the final at the international Voice Competition for Baroque Opera Pietro Antonio Cesti. Twice she was honored with the scholarship Deutschlandstipendium. She is sponsored by the organization Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now and is a scholar of the Christl and Klaus Haack-Stiftung.
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photo: Shirley Suarez
Soprano II
Sophie Harmsen
Alto
Mezzo-soprano Sophie Harmsen is especially in international demand as an interpreter of Mozart's works. During the past season she was on tour as Dorabella with René Jacobs in Europe and Asia to great critical acclaim, as well as performing Annio in "La clemenza di Tito" at the Teatro Real Madrid with Christophe Rousset with overwhelming success. Mozart of course also had to be present on the concert stage. In between Schumann's "Faust Scenes" with Daniel Harding and Rameau's "Suites from Zoroastre" with Jérémie Rhorer, she sang numerous "C Minor Masses", amongst others with Adam Fischer.
Sophie Harmsen is looking forward to debuting with some renowned conductors this season. She will be singing with Iván Fischer (Mozart "Requiem"), Philippe Herreweghe (Schubert "Mass in E flat") and Markus Stenz (Mozart "C Minor Mass"). She feels it is a great honour to be part of the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Freiburger Barockorchester, where she will be performing Beethoven's "9th Symphony". A tour to her native city Montreal with Václav Luks and Bach's "B Minor Mass" completes an exciting season.
In her work with famous directors such as Robert Wilson, William Kentridge and Andreas Dresen she was able to hone her already convincing and much praised acting skills.
Early Music is one of Sophie Harmsen's greatest loves. Her solo recitals with Concerto Köln and Capella Augustina were raving successes and concerts with Vaclav Luks, Jos van Immerseel, Raphaël Pichon, Andrea Marcon, as well as numerous concerts and CD recordings with Frieder Bernius are documentation of her artistic versatility. She also feels a bond with the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart with whom she will be on a tour of South America this season.
Sophie Harmsen is a frequent performer at large international festivals such as the Salzburger Festspiele, the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival, the Rheingau Musik Festival and the Bachfest Leipzig.
She sees the collaboration with large symphony orchestras such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is an integral part of her artistic journey.
Having already travelled the world at a young age as the daughter of German diplomats, Sophie Harmsen studied at the University of Cape Town and with Prof. Dr. Edith Wiens and now lives in Berlin with her family.
photo: © Tatjana Dachsel
Tenor
Florian Sievers
Tenor
German tenor Florian Sievers was born in Hamburg and gained his first singing experience as a soprano in Uetersen Boys' Choir. He later studied with Berthold Schmid at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater 'Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy' in Leipzig, where he graduated with distinction in 2021.
A sought-after concert soloist in Germany, he is rapidly establishing himself on the international stage. Highlights of the 2022/23 season include his US debut with works by Handel and Bach at the Boston Early Music Festival, Mozart's "Great Mass in C minor "with the B'Rock Orchestra in The Hague, Brussels and Antwerp und Beethoven's "9th Symphony" in Sønderborg, Denmark. In 2024, he will be performing the role of the evangelist in Bach's "St. John Passion" with the RIAS Kammerchor and the Akademie für Alte Musik in Berlin and Paris under the baton of Justin Doyle.
Florian Sievers collaborates with conductors like Jordi Savall, Frieder Bernius, Lionel Meunier and Wolfgang Katschner and with orchestras like the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Dresden Philharmonic, Sønderjyllands Symfonieorkester, B'Rock Orchestra, Lautten Compagney, the Freiburger Barockorchester and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging.
Alongside his concert schedule, Florian is a keen opera performer. In 2022 he performed the title role of Jan van Leyden in the world premiere of the opera "J. S. Bach – The Apocalypse" in The Hague, produced by Opera2Day and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging. The production is scheduled for over 20 shows in the Netherlands and Germany in 2024.
During 2019-2021, he worked at Chemnitz Opera, where he sang in Mozart's "Entführung aus dem Serail" (Pedrillo), among other roles.
A vivid performer of the art song repertoire, he regularly gives recitals, including a notable appearance in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg with Ragna Schirmer in 2019. In 2021 he initiated the experimental project "Schubertlied.Salon", combining Franz Schubert's Lieder with two guitars, the famous "Erlkönig" contrasting with the sound of electric guitars amongst them.
Numerous radio broadcasts, CD and video recordings covering works from the baroque era to contemporary opera bear witness to Florian Sievers' active artistic work and wide repertoire. Two recent recordings with the ensemble Ælbgut have been awarded a Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Leipzig 1723) and an Opus Klassik (Johannespassion 1725).
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photo: Adam Markowski
Bass
Konstantin Ingenpass
Bass
For baritone Konstantin Ingenpaß, born in Osnabrück, music has been the focus of his life since early childhood and he has been musically active across multiple genres ever since. He began his professional singing training as a junior student with Gerhild Romberger at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and studied with renowned singers such as Teru Yoshihara, Sibylla Rubens, Bo Skovhus, Thomas Quasthoff, Mitsuko Shirai and Brigitte Fassbaender.
His personal preference for lyricism as well as the artistic freedom and independence found in the interpretation of art song led to an intensive engagement with this genre during and after his studies. In October 2020, his work was rewarded when he recieved First Prize at the Hugo-Wolf-Akademie's International Competition for the Art of the Lied. He has given performances of his extensive art song repertoire at festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Heidelberger Frühling and the Gargan Music Festival in Kanazawa, Japan, among others.
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photo: Biff-Foto
Choir
Vocalensemble Rastatt
Choir
Vocalensemble Rastatt & Les Favorites - these names stand for excellence, liveliness and authenticity and with its conductor Holger Speck they now are among the best ensembles of their kind. The Grammy nomination for the production of Mozarts "Le nozze di Figaro" (Deutsche Grammophon) or its role as a cultural ambassador of Germany in the context of the G20 summit testify the outstanding reputation.
Compelling, faithful, and historically informed interpretations, laced with passion and emotion, characterise its performances. "His sound is akin to pure gold"(American Record Guide), "Enchanting, captivating" (Rondo), "perfect singing" (FonoForum), "crystal clear, subtle" (SR), "little wonder" (MDR) are just a few reviews attributed to the young ensembles. Home of the ensemble is the baroque city of Rastatt in Baden-Württemberg with its magnificent baroque residence, where music lovers from all over the country come to the concert series "Klingende Residenz”.
The instrumental ensemble Les Favorites is the musical companion of the Vocalensemble Rastatt, performing on period instruments. The ensemble varies in size according to musical requirements, ranging from a small continuo group to a full-sized baroque orchestra, featuring internationally acclaimed baroque specialists. The ensemble is named after the playfully designed "Schloss Favorite" near Rastatt, the summer residence of the Duchess Sybilla Augusta of Baden.
The Vocalensemble Rastatt & Les Favorites have performed at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Musikfest Bremen, Kölner Philharmonie, SWR RheinVokal Festival, Mozartfest in Würzburg, Festivals like "Heidelberger Frühling" or "Europäische Kirchenmusik" in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Europäisches Musikfest Stuttgart, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Wartburgkonzerte and Merseburger Musiktage among other venues. The flexible choir does not shy away from excursions into the world of opera, having performed "Lucia di Lammermoor"and "Norma"with Edita Gruberová and with Rolando Villazón, Thomas Hampson, Diana Damrau in the operas "Don Giovanni", "Così fan tutte", "Entführung aus dem Serail" and "Le nozze di Figaro", working together with famous orchestras like Mahler Chamber Orchestra for the label Deutsche Grammophon. Together with Klaus Maria Brandauer and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the choir also performed Mendelssohn's "Sommernachtstraum" at Musikfest Bremen. There, as well as in "Alte Oper"Frankfurt, are planned perfomances of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with "Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie" under Paavo Järvi.
The ensemble is supported by the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg as well as by its home city of Rastatt.
Orchestra
Ensemble Resonanz
Mit seiner außergewöhnlichen Spielfreude und künstlerischen Qualität zählt das Ensemble Resonanz zu den führenden Kammerorchestern weltweit. Die Programmideen der Musiker setzen alte und neue Musik in lebendige Zusammenhänge und sorgen für Resonanz zwischen den Werken, dem Publikum und Geschichten, die rund um die Programme entstehen.
Das 18-köpfige Streichorchester ist demokratisch organisiert und arbeitet ohne festen Dirigenten, holt sich aber immer wieder künstlerische Partner wie die Bratschistin Tabea Zimmermann, die Geigerin Isabelle Faust, den Cellisten Jean-Guihen Queyras oder den Dirigenten Emilio Pomàrico an Bord. Auch die enge Zusammenarbeit mit Komponisten und die Entwicklung eines neuen Repertoires ist ein treibender Motor der künstlerischen Arbeit. Seit Sommer 2018 ist mit dem Geiger und Dirigenten Riccardo Minasi ein langjähriger Freund Artist in Residence des Ensembles.
In Hamburg bespielt das Ensemble Resonanz mit der Elbphilharmonie und dem resonanzraum St. Pauli zwei besondere und unterschiedliche Spielorte. Die Residenz an der Elbphilharmonie beinhaltet die Konzertreihe resonanzen, die in der 18. Saison für Furore sorgt. Aber auch mit Kinderkonzerten sowie im Rahmen diverser Festivals gestaltet das Ensemble die Programmatik des neuen Konzerthauses entscheidend mit und setzt Akzente für eine lebendige Präsentation klassischer und zeitgenössischer Musik. Der resonanzraum im Hochbunker auf St. Pauli, der europaweit erste Kammermusik- Club, ist die Heimat des Ensemble Resonanz. Hier laden die Musiker monatlich zu der Konzertreihe urban string, die von den Ensemble-Mitgliedern gestaltet und im Dialog mit der Musik internationaler DJ-Künstler präsentiert wird. Aber auch die an die Konzerte angedockten Ankerangebote, die das Publikum zu neuen Erfahrungsräumen rund um die Programme laden, finden zum großen Teil hier statt: von Werkstätten und Hörstunden über die Philosophie-Gespräche bunkersalon bis zum experimentellen Format offbeat. Der resonanzraum wurde 2017 für sein innovatives Programm zum Hamburger Musikclub des Jahres gewählt, zudem erhielt er verschiedene Architektur-Preise wie den AIT-Award oder den Publikumspreis des BDA. Die Reihe urban string wurde 2016 mit dem Innovation Award der Classical Next ausgezeichnet. Ausgehend von Hamburg gastieren die Musiker auf diversen Festivals und an den führenden Konzerthäusern weltweit und lassen von Wien über Amsterdam bis Tokio, Hanoi und Bangkok ein begeistertes Publikum zurück.
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photo: Tobias Schult
