"Dresden Vespers": Gala concert celebrating 10 years of the Ensemble Polyharmonique

The soloist ensemble discovers and interprets the wonders of vocal music from the late Renaissance to the Baroque period in accordance with historical performance practice. Contemporary presentations in outstanding video and film productions, combined with first recordings of hidden musical treasures, build a bridge to 21st-century audiences.
Projects with orchestras from all over Europe and an extensive concert program accompany this journey. In 2024, the ensemble will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Together with the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra under the baton of Jarosław Thiel, this concert will feature Johann David Heinichen's solemn Vesper Psalms in combination with Johann Sebastian Bach's virtuoso motet "Singet dem Herrn" and Jan Dismas Zelenka's magnificent prayer for peace "Da Pacem Domine."

In the first half of the 18th century, Dresden developed into an important Baroque residence, earning it the nickname "Florence on the Elbe." With the Saxon Elector Augustus the Strong (1670-1733) taking over the Polish crown, effective representation became more important than ever. This allowed architecture and painting to flourish in all their splendor. While the works of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), and increasingly those of Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) are now part of the standard Baroque repertoire, the high-quality oeuvre of Johann David Heinichen is still waiting for its breakthrough. During his lifetime, Heinichen enjoyed a high reputation as a composer and theorist. The music displays the modern Venetian concert style with magnificent choruses, virtuoso arias, and ensembles in varied instrumentation, which, in combination with Johann Sebastian Bach's virtuoso motet "Singet dem Herrn" and the magnificent prayer for peace "Da Pacem Domine" by J.D. Zelenka, is capable of stirring the spirit and soul of the audience.

Magnificent music full of elegance and liveliness, artfully crafted with magnificent choirs, virtuoso arias, and ensembles in varied instrumentation—never academic, but lively and imaginative. In short: a brilliant festive concert!

Performers:
Ensemble Polyharmonique & Wrocław Baroque Orchestra

Magdalene Harer, Joowon Chung – soprano | Jaro Kirchgessner, Alexander Schneider – alto | Johannes Gaubitz, Fabian Kelly – tenor | Matthias Lutze, Felix Rumpf – bass 

Jarosław Thiel – conductor

Program: Dresden Vespers – Bach/Heinichen/Zelenka

Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann David Heinichen, Jan Dismas Zelenka

SINGET DEM HERRN - BWV 225 - J.S Bach
SATB/SATB coro/oboes, strings & basso continuo

DIXIT DOMINUS No. 1 in F - J. D. Heinichen
ATB solo/SATB coro/oboes, strings & basso continuo

CONFITEBOR in G
SATB solo/SATB choir/oboes, strings & basso continuo

BEATUS VIR in E flat
SATB solo/SATB choir/strings & basso continuo

LAUDATE PUERI in F
SATB solo/SATB choir/oboes, strings & basso continuo

LAUDATE DOMINUM in F J. D. Heinichen
SATB solo/SATB choir/oboes, strings & basso continuo

HYMNUS - ISTE CONFESSOR in G minor
SATB choir, strings & basso continuo

MAGNIFICAT No. 2 in B flat
SATB solo/SATB choir/oboes, strings & basso continuo

ANTIPHON - ALMA REDEMPTORIS MATER in E flat
SATB solo/SATB choir/oboes, strings & basso continuo

DA PACEM DOMINE in B flat - J.D. Zelenka
SATB/SATB choir/oboes, strings & basso continuo

Tickets: €25, reduced €15

online via eventim or at the box office. Free choice of seats.

Further information on ticket prices can be found here: Service/Tickets

The discount applies to school pupils, students, trainees, recipients of unemployment benefits and citizen's income (Berlin Pass), people with severe disabilities, federal volunteers and voluntary military service personnel. 

Organizer:
Ensemble Polyharmonique & Wrocław Baroque Orchestra

Sponsored by:
Les Klingelis, Basel, Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation, and the National Forum of Music.

Photo © Kristijonas Duttke