J.S. Bach - The Apocalypse

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 Dutch actor, café owner and tailor, claimed that the end of time was near and convinced his followers that they could be the chosen ones at the Last Judgment. He subsequently crowned himself as king of a fundamentalist community in Münster, 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 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

Hair & make-up Pilo Pilkes

Artistic leader Netherlands Bach Society Shunske Sato

CAST

Jan van Leyden Florian Sievers, tenor

Bernhard Knipperdollinck Wolf Matthias Friedrich, bass/baritone

Bishop / Jan Matthijsz Sytse Buwalda, countertenor

Dieuwer Brouwersdochter Cecilia Amancay Pastawski, mezzosoprano

Bernhard Rothmann Mattijs van der Woerd, baritone

Henrick Hendrickz / Jacob Dusentschuer Kaspar Kröner / Oscar Verhaar, countertenor

Claes Janssen / Envoy / Priest Wiebe-Pier Cnossen, baritone

Marijtje IJsbrandsdochter / Elisabeth Wandscherer Viola Blache, soprano

Heinrich Gresbeck Jobst Schnibbe, actor

Katharina Lauren Armishaw, soprano

Woman in rebellious group (scene 3) Emilie Wijers, alto

Friend of Jan van Leyden Jasper van Hofwegen, actor

The Bishop’s Captain Niels van Laar, actor

The Bishop’s Soldiers Boris van Bochoven, Elmer Jurriaanse, Janusz Pawlak, Zweitze Zwart, supporting actors

VOCAL ENSEMBLE THE NETHERLANDS BACH SOCIETY

Sopranos Lauren Armishaw, Aldona Bartnik (solo), Amelia Berridge, Heleen Bongenaar

Altos Mercè Bruguera Abelló (solo), Georgia Burashko, Oscar Verhaar, Emilie Wijers

Tenors Felipe Gallegos, Pablo Gregorian, João Moreira (solo), André Pérez Muíño

Basses Matthew Baker, Hidde Kleikamp, Mitchell Sandler (solo), Samuel Wong

ORCHESTRA THE NETHERLANDS BACH SOCIETY

Violin Shunske Sato, Sayuri Yamagata, Anneke van Haaften, Lidewij van der Voort, Andrew Wong

Viola Staas Swierstra, Femke Huizinga

Cello Lucia Swarts

Double bass Robert Franenberg, Hen Goldsobel

Viola da gamba Alex Baker, Anna Lachegyi

Traverso Marten Root, Doretthe Janssens

Oboe Rodrigo Lopez Paz, Katharina Verhaar

Bassoon Benny Aghassi, Yukiko Murakami

Trumpet Christopher Price, Amir Rabinovitz

Timpani / percussion (on stage) Marianna Soroka, Robert Kendell

Organ / harpsichord Siebe Henstra

Theorbe Mike Fentross, Rafael Arjona Ruz

Tuner organ / harpsichord Eduard Bos

UNDERSTUDIES

Jan van Leyden, vocal Jan Willem Schaafsma

Jan van Leyden, actor, and others Merijn de Jong

Heinrich Gresbeck Howard van Dodemont

Bernhard Knipperdollinck Wiebe-Pier Cnossen

Bernhard Rothmann Matthew Baker

Bishop Franz von Waldeck Kaspar Kröner

Dieuwer Brouwersdochter Georgia Burashko

Marijtje IJsbrandsdochter Amelia Berridge

Claes Janssen, and others Hidde Kleikamp

Katharina Heleen Bongenaar

Woman on the lookout Mercè Bruguera Abelló

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.