All Souls’ Day — Nederlandse Bachvereniging

The sound of silence

The most beautiful and moving music often emerges from the silence of death. For this edition of All Souls’ Day, artistic director Johanna Soller has selected works from the early Baroque alongside pieces by John Cage, including his iconic ‘silent piece’ 4’33”. Additionally, the Nederlandse Bachvereniging (Netherlands Bach Society) commemorates the departed with music by Bach’s predecessors: Johann Schelle, Sebastian Knüpfer, and Johann Kuhnau, all of whom preceded Bach as Thomaskantor in Leipzig.  
Bach learned the art of composition by studying the works of Johann Rosenmüller and Dietrich Buxtehude. The recurring chorale melodies in their music are a profound, quiet meditation on mortality. With 20th-century composer John Cage (1912-1992), this reflection on death is stripped back to its absolute essence: not a single note or harmony is superfluous, culminating in his famous composition 4’33”. Here, nothing seems to remain but silence.

This programme takes place in the Waalse Kerk.