A musical pilgrimage to where Bach lived and worked
- A pilgrimage to the places where Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked.
- Nine private concerts and nine venues in the course of the week.
- Talks on the music by Roderick Swanston.
- Stay in Mühlhausen, Weimar and Leipzig.
Journeying to the places where Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked is an experience as near to pilgrimage as is offered by the history of music. And hearing his music in buildings which he frequented, or even where it was first performed, must rank among the highest delights available to music lovers. This unique festival provides the opportunity.
Nine concerts in nine different venues present a comprehensive range of Bach’s output, alongside works by other members of his family, contemporaries and predecessors. For this, the fourth J.S. Bach Journey, we have assembled artists and ensembles who are world leaders in performance of the repertoire.
The distances travelled are quite small, but the event is emphatically a journey. It starts, as Bach did, in the little towns and cities of the principality of Thuringia, and finishes, again like Bach, in the free city of Leipzig. The audience stays in hotels in three different places, Mühlhausen, Weimar and Leipzig, and the concerts take place here and in five other towns.
Admission to the concerts is exclusive to those who take a complete package which includes hotels, flights from the UK, private coaches, dinners and lectures. Except in Mühlhausen, where the only hotels are 3-star, a range of hotels from 3-star to 5-star is offered, enabling a choice between four different prices.
Pre-festival tours
Two tours, Organs of Bach’s Time and Dresden and Meissen, link with The J.S. Bach Journey.
Comments from participants on the Bach Journey 2007:
'The tour had the spirit, not of a purchased holiday, but of a shared experience, like pilgrimages of old. This was a beautifully crafted product that Bach himself would have appreciated.' Anon.
'I would describe the Bach Journey as the experience of a lifetime. I would like to thank Martin Randall for thinking up the idea and putting it into effect so very competently.' LD, Cheshire.
'It is a tribute to the quality of the MRT organisation that a tour as complex as this should be such a resounding success.' HM, Wiltshire.
'We much enjoyed our first Martin Randall holiday and now understand why they have such a high reputation! It was very friendly and so much care had been taken with the planning.' JB, Worcestershire.
'I have fulfilled my ambition to sit in Thomaskirche and hear Bach – an experience I shall never forget. Thank you.' SR, Kent.
'The absence of announcements and endless verbal instructions was most welcome. The printed programme contained all the information, and provided a valued souvenir and aide-memoire of an excellent week'. FH, Inverness-shire.
'It was an exhilarating experience to follow Bach’s career progression and sit in the very churches and palaces for which he composed.' DN, Devon.
'The range, standard of performance and choice of appropriate venues exceeded expectations…. Thank you for a life-enhancing experience. I look forward to more.' JP, Cheshire.
'All superlative performances: Cantus Cöln at Divi Blasii Kirche was perfect; very moved indeed by the performance of St John Passion; the Pohl’s organ recital at Sangerhausen was outstanding; loved the Brandenburgs and Suites at Schloss Köthen.' JL. & LL, West Sussex.
'... a revelation, in that Bach’s music unfolded to disclose a total range: concertos, unaccompanied sonatas, choral masterpieces, church music of unutterable penetration. Bach was positioned among the greatest, with Shakespeare and Michelangelo... As I told M. Randall personally, he has enriched our lives.' HW, Edinburgh.
'Randall and his team get highest marks for organization and selection of musicians. When there is not a sound from the audience you know that perfection has been reached.' JG, California.
'Amazing! At least six of the concerts were truly outstanding, exceeding our expectations. The choice of performers and the selection of music and venues were inspired. Overall, an outstanding holiday.' BC and PC, Hertfordshire.
'I have no hesitation in telling anyone who will listen how very wonderfully MRT does these things. The programme is excellent and one feels treated as an intelligent human being at all times by such superb staff.' RW, Surrey.
'The range of musical form offered in the various venues was the attraction of the Journey and this exceeded expectation. From the enchantment of the solo cello suites to the performance of St John Passion, the ardour of the performance in Arnstadt, the pure delight of the Brandenburgs in Köthen, to the climax in St Thomas – brilliant theatrical progression; brilliant musical experience. The organisation left me breathless with admiration. The experience was life-enhancing.' SB, East Sussex.
'All that I could have wished for and more. The planning of the concerts and the range of music were tremendous. Some of the performances were absolute perfection; others added character and colour to the week.' HB, Oxfordshire.
Read about the concerts