J.S. Bach - The Apocalypse
the opera that Bach never wrote
On the occasion of the centenary of the Netherlands Bach Society, OPERA2DAY and the Bach Society present J.S. Bach – The Apocalypse: 'the opera that Bach never wrote'. A successor of Vivaldi - Dangerous Liaisons, the ‘new baroque opera’ by both partners, that was enthusiastically received by audience and press in 2019. In the words of the opera critic of Dutch newspaper the Volkskrant: “This combination of historicizing and innovative opera practice cannot be applauded loudly enough.”
J.S. Bach - The Apocalypse will tour from January through March 2022.
A dream comes true: on the occasion of the centenary of the Netherlands Bach Society, OPERA2DAY and the Bach Society present J.S. Bach – The Apocalypse: ‘the opera that Bach never wrote’.
For much of his life, Bach worked as a cantor in Leipzig, composing a great deal of church music. If things had turned out slightly different, he might also have become a celebrated opera composer. The dramatic power and radical innovations in his passions and cantatas even suggest that he may have conquered a unique place in opera history. With J.S. Bach – The Apocalypse you can hear what a Bach opera might have sounded like!
Bach's universal and timeless music, which so masterfully covers all aspects of human emotions, demands an equally dynamic libretto. An exciting story was found in the 16th century, an era full of natural disasters, violence and social discontent. J.S. Bach - The Apocalypse tells the story of Jan van Leyden. This sixteenth-century Dutchman saw himself as a prophet and founded an fundamentalist community in Münster in Germany, which soon evolved into a city-state under tyrannical leadership. Power, corruption and mass hysteria are at the heart of this almost archetypical chronicle of fundamentalism. The story therefore contains many parallels to our society today. The performances of the opera will be at the center of a wide range of activities exploring the theme, both in and outside the theatre.
The dramatic and musical scenario of J.S. Bach – The Apocalypse was developed by Serge van Veggel, artistic director of OPERA2DAY, and director of the performance. The leading German librettist Thomas Höft wrote the libretto. Composer Panos Iliopoulos, creator of a contemporary oeuvre as well as harpsichordist and baroque specialist, turns the opera - in which Bach's music plays the leading role - into a through-composed total. The musical direction is in the hands of Hernán Schvartzman, the musical director of OPERA2DAY.
J.S. Bach – The Apocalypse is a co-production of OPERA2DAY & the Netherlands Bach Society
ARTISTIC TEAM
MUSIC Johann Sebastian Bach, Panos Iliopoulos
LIBRETTO Thomas Höft
SCENARIO AND STAGE DIRECTION Serge van Veggel
MUSICAL DIRECTION Hernán Schvartzman
SCENOGRAPHY Herbert Janse
LIGHT DESIGN Uri Rapaport
TECHNICAL PRODUCTION Ronald Tebra
COSTUMES Mirjam Pater
CAST
JAN VAN LEYDEN Florian Sievers, tenor
BERNHARD KNIPPERDOLLINCK Wolf Matthias Friedrich, bass/baritone
BISSHOP / JAN MATTHIJSZ Sytse Buwalda, countertenor
DIEUWER BROUWERSDOCHTER Cecilia Amancay Pastawski, mezzo-soprano
BERNHARD ROTHMANN Mattijs van der Woerd, baritone
HENDRICK HENDRICKZ / JACOB DUSENTSCHUER t.b.d., countertenor
CLAES JANSSEN / ENVOY / PRIEST Wiebe-Pier Cnossen, baritone
MARIJTJE IJSBRANDSDOCHTER / ELISABETH WANDSCHERER Viola Blache, soprano
HEINRICH GRESBECK Jobst Schnibbe, actor
VOCAL ENSEMBLE AND ORCHESTRA Netherlands Bach Society
Sunday 16 Jan 2022 - 15:00 HOUR
Theater aan de Schie, Schiedam
Try-Out
Addres: Stadserf 1
City: 3112 DZ Schiedam
Phone: 010-2467467
Saturday 22 Jan 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag
Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 0900 3456789 (10cpm)
Sunday 23 Jan 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag
Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 0900 3456789 (10cpm)
Wednesday 26 Jan 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Stadsschouwburg Nijmegen, Nijmegen
Tickets soon available
Addres: Keizer Karelplein 32h
City: 6511 NH Nijmegen
Phone: 024-3221100
Sunday 30 Jan 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Stadsschouwburg Haarlem, Haarlem
Tickets available soon
Addres: Wilsonsplein 23
City: 2011 VG Haarlem
Phone: 023 - 512 12 12 (keuze 1)
Wednesday 02 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
30CC, Leuven (BE)
Addres: Bondgenotenlaan 21
City: 3000 Leuven (BE)
Phone: 016 300 900
Friday 04 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
TAQA Theater De Vest, Alkmaar
Addres: Canadaplein 2
City: 1811 KE Alkmaar
Phone: 072-5489999
Saturday 05 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Deventer Schouwburg, Deventer
Addres: Leeuwenbrug 2
City: 7411 TJ Deventer
Phone: 0900 3000 200
Tuesday 08 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag
Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 0900 3456789 (10cpm)
Wednesday 09 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag
Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 0900 3456789 (10cpm)
Friday 11 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Theater Kerkrade, Kerkrade
Addres: Theaterplein 30
City: 6461 DR Kerkrade
Phone: 045-571 66 07
Sunday 13 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Stadsschouwburg Utrecht, Utrecht
Addres: Lucasbolwerk 24
City: 3512 EJ Utrecht
Phone: 030-23 02 023
Tuesday 15 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Theater Rotterdam (Schouwburg), Rotterdam
Addres: Schouwburgplein 25
City: 3012 CL Rotterdam
Phone: 010 - 40 44 111
Wednesday 16 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Theaters Tilburg, Tilburg
Addres: Louis Bouwmeesterplein 1
City: 5038 TN Tilburg
Phone: 013 543 22 20
Friday 18 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Schouwburg Amstelveen, Amstelveen
Addres: Stadsplein 100
City: 1181 ZM Amstelveen
Phone: 020 547 51 75
Saturday 19 Feb 2022 - 20:15 HOUR
Schouwburg Kunstmin, Dordrecht
Addres: Sint Jorisweg 76
City: 3311 PL Dordrecht
Phone: 078 639 79 79
Wednesday 23 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Flint, Amersfoort
Addres: Coninckstraat 60
City: 3811 WK Amersfoort
Phone: 033 4229 229
Thursday 24 Feb 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Stadstheater Zoetermeer, Zoetermeer
Addres: Theaterplein 10
City: 2711 EK Zoetermeer
Wednesday 02 Mar 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Koninklijk Theater Carré, Amsterdam
Addres: Amstel 115-125
City: 1018 EM Amsterdam
Phone: 0900 - 25 25 255 (€ 0,45 p/m)
Friday 04 Mar 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
SPOT Groningen (Stadsschouwburg), Groningen
Tickets available soon
Addres: Turfsingel 86
City: 9711 VX Groningen
Phone: 050-3680368
Saturday 05 Mar 2022 - 20:15 HOUR
Stadsschouwburg De Harmonie, Leeuwarden
Addres: Ruiterskwartier 4
City: 8911 BP Leeuwarden
Tuesday 08 Mar 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Parktheater, Eindhoven
Tickets available soon
Addres: Elzentlaan 50
City: 5615 CN Eindhoven
Phone: 040 - 2111122
Wednesday 09 Mar 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
De Goudse Schouwburg, Gouda
Addres: Boelekade 67
City: 2806 AE Gouda
Phone: 0182 - 513 750
Friday 11 Mar 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag
Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 0900 3456789 (10cpm)
Saturday 12 Mar 2022 - 20:00 HOUR
Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag
Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 0900 3456789 (10cpm)
Sunday 13 Mar 2022 - 14:30 HOUR
Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag
Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 0900 3456789 (10cpm)
DURATION OF THE PERFORMANCE
Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes (intermission not included).
SUBTITLING
The opera will be sung in German, with English and Dutch subtitling.
PLEASE NOTE
Most theaters haven't published their full 2021-2022 season yet. Check their websites for the start of ticket sales.