Thomana 2012

The St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig – one of the world’s oldest and most famous boys’ choirs – commemorated its 800th anniversary in 2012. Its reputation is primarily tied to Johann Sebastian Bach’s position as cantor of St. Thomas’s between 1723 and 1750. The St. Thomas Choir prides itself in having performed the world premieres of many of Bach’s choral works. Even today, the choir’s repertoire is strongly devoted to Bach’s legacy. The outstanding achievements of the St. Thomas Choir have set standards of choral performance for centuries and provided inspiration for later compositions and interpretations. The city of Leipzig was now revitalizing this tradition by commissioning five internationally renowned composers to produce new works which premiered at St. Thomas’s throughout the commemorative year 2012. The new Festive Musical Works for Boys’ Choir consciously followed the tradition of church musical performance to mark significant events of the liturgical year. As was the custom of Bach’s cantatas, each piece lasted 20 to 30 minutes and was incorporated into the liturgy during festive church services.

Artistic directors: Dettloff Schwerdtfeger, Christoph Wolff, Elmar Weingarten
Composers: Georg Christoph Biller, Brett Dean (AU), Hans Werner Henze, Heinz Holliger and others

Venue and schedule:
Leipzig, Thomaskirche, performances: 6 Jan. 2012, 8 Apr. 2012, 26 May 2012, 3 Nov. 2012, 25 Dec. 2012, 06 Jan. 2013