Würzburg Bach Days
The Würzburg Bach Days were brought into being in 1969 by the Cantor Günter Jena and take place every year in late autumn in Würzburg . What began with just four concerts has developed into a respectable festival that has grown from a modest succession of a few concerts devoted only to the works of Bach to a program festival with ambitious goals.
Günther Jena soon included Handel's Messiah in the Bach Days program. His successor Heribert Breuer brought an even greater expansion and introduced the focus on a second composer as an exciting counterpart and interesting addition to the work of the Thomas Cantor . The German Requiem by Brahms and Verdi's Requiem were subsequently performed at the Würzburg Bach Festival.
There are now 17 events on the program for the 10-day festival: oratorios, organ, piano and chamber music concerts as well as lectures and readings. In addition to the Würzburg Bach Choir and Bach Orchestra, well-known ensembles and soloists perform.
From 1979 until his retirement in 2015, Christian Kabitz was the artistic director of the Bachtage. It was his concern not only to limit the comparison to the performance of two great oratorios , but also to make them clear in the accompanying concerts. But of course the infinitely rich work of Bach always remained the linchpin of all concert planning.
From 2016 Matthias Querbach will lead the Würzburger Bach Days.