Credit: INECC
On Thursday 21 March 2024, The Institut National du Chant Coral Luxembourg (INECC) and the Ad Libitum Ensemble will once again organise a series of free mini-concerts around Luxembourg-Ville, in commemoration of Johann Sebastian Bach's 339th birthday.
Bach in the Subways is a grass-roots movement aiming to bring the Baroque composer's music into people’s busy daily lives and bring more public attention to classical music. Cellist Dale Henderson first performed solo concerts in the New York City Subway in 2010, but the event quickly spread to other countries. By 2015, thousands of musicians in 150 cities in 40 countries offered Bach’s music for free to a wide public, and it has since become a new practice celebrated around the world in March. The performances sometimes include unusual interpretations, for instance, Bach-inspired jazz pieces or arrangements for instruments he would not have known about or considered.
Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Arend Herold, the Director of INECC Luxembourg discussed the initiative’s evolution over this and last year, noting that “around 100 musicians will perform in 36 concerts across eleven venues, showcasing 29 distinct concert programmes.” Last year, around 120 musicians played in 34 concerts, presenting 31 different programmes in nine venues.
According to Arend Herold, this year’s highlight will be the “open singing” event led by INECC founder, Luxembourgish composer and conductor, Pierre Cao. The event will feature Bach chorales and take place in the Protestant Church in Luxembourg-Ville. The public is welcome to participate and music scores will be available at the church’s entrance for all attendees.
Discussing the significance of Bach in the Subways, Arend Herold said: "The Bach in the Subways movement was initiated to rejuvenate the appeal of J.S. Bach's compositions and Baroque music at large, during a time when public interest in classical genres was waning. By bringing this historically revered music from conventional venues to the vibrant, everyday setting of the New York Subways, the founder aimed to introduce Bach's work to an audience that had previously been unexposed to it. Recognising the persistent perception of classical music as exclusive, our commitment is to demystify this art form. On 21 March, we will once again take Bach's timeless pieces to unconventional spaces, inviting everyone to experience the allure of his music firsthand."
Various concerts will take place across the Luxembourg City centre, for example at the Gare Centrale, at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Villa Vauban, the Musée national d'archéologie, d'histoire et d'art (MNAHA), Arendt House, the University of Luxembourg’s Kirchberg campus and the Lëtzebuerg City Museum, among others.
More information will be available on the website: https://www.inecc.lu/bach-subways.
