12 May 2011
Musical inspiration in Leipzig
To visit Leipzig - and to walk in the footsteps of J.S. Bach, the Schumanns, Mendelssohn, David, Goethe and the young Wagner - is an inspirational and emotional experience for any musician. The schools they attended, the houses in which they first lived, the coffee houses and cafes they frequented, the churches in which they worked and worshiped and the halls in which they performed are mostly still there.
As a contemporary practising musician, it was especially a treat for me to conduct Bach in the Mendelssohnsaal at the Gewandhaus. The four concerts there with Michael Barenboim and the Kammerphilharmonie Leipzig were all played to sell-out audiences. During my preparation, I found myself drawn to the famous Nicolai Kirche and to Bach's own St Thomas Kirche, as well as to the home in which Robert and Clara Schumann lived in the early years of their marriage and collaboration.
Whether real or imagined, there was something about the sound of the Brandenburg string interaction in that space that really connected the players to the audience members. It's this combination of entertainment, excitement and education which makes for a wonderful concert experience. My ear and my attitudes to performance have definitely been changed permanently by my Leipzig experiences.
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