Leipzig in 1720s was an intellectual hub, with the local university, organised in ‘collegia’ and learned societies. Especially formative for J S Bach was the open house kept by Christiana Mariana von Ziegler, one of the earliest forerunners of what became known as Enlightenment’s “Salonkultur”. Here the members of the ‘Deutsche Gesellschaft’, a literary society, intellectuals, and artists met. 300 years ago, in 1725, Bach set a series of cantatas by von Ziegler who later became the first female ‘Poet Laureate’ of Germany. The talks explores this intellectual scene and its influence on secular cantatas.

• Toccata in E minor BWV 914
• Excerpts for voice and harpsichord from the 1725 Klavierbüchlein for Anna Magdalena Bach
• Gamba Sonata in D major BWV 1028
• Toccata in C minor BWV 911

Save the date! More info to follow soon.