Friday, June 13th (ooh ominous), I had the chance to attend what ended up being one of my favorite experiences so far in Leipzig. The rather unassuming street entrance just off Richard-Wagner-Platz led up several flights of stairs to an ornate Baroque-style hall. Over a rich coffee-breakfast, early music students from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig performed a spirited, genuine, and very well-prepared concert. There were assorted vocalists, string players, and wind players, and four beautifully decorated harpsichords, each with two manuals, much to my delight as a harpsichord owner and (aspiring) harpsichordist myself. The first part of the program was filled with various ensembles ranging from accompanied soloists to full chamber orchestra, including, at one point, all four harpsichords playing at once! Especially notable was the trumpet player who performed virtuosically on a natural (i.e. valve-less) instrument, no less. I cannot fathom the precision required to leap about and perform ornaments and trills on such closely placed partials. My ears are not accustomed to the 4th being tuned that high the 6th being tuned that low, so the instrument has a slightly unusual sound to me, but I very much enjoyed it.
The main attraction, however, was J.S. Bach’s Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht BWV 211, known as the Coffee Cantata. A tenor narrated from a balcony overlooking the hall while a soprano and bass acted out the humorous story of a father’s attempts to separate his daughter from her one true love: coffee. All of the performers were fantastic, but to me, the soprano stood out. Her voice was light and agile, but also effortlessly filled the hall and her dynamic control was also fully on display in impressively executed messa di voce. Overall, the students proved to be quite skilled technicians but also imbued the music with a fresh vitality. I felt a sense of transparency and authenticity, that kept me engaged through the whole program. I often have this experience when listening to ensembles of young musicians, where the music somehow feels much more alive to me than it otherwise would.
This experience was also made more memorable by the kind woman sitting next to me who was keen to practice her English and insisted on providing me translations of the musicians’ remarks. All in all, it was just about the best way I could imagine spending my breakfast.
