1st Bachchor Concert
César Franck: »Les Béatitudes«
Peterskirche
In 2022, the fin-de-siècle composer César Franck will celebrate his 200th birthday. Franck is today considered one of the most important French sound creators and organists of his time. To mark his anniversary, the Bach Choir concert will feature a performance of his major work: »Les Béatitudes«.
The work is a monumental oratorio setting of the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and is on a par with the great oratorios of the 19th century. Because of its symmetrical layout, the work describes a large arc: A short prologue is followed by eight movements in which the words of Christ are juxtaposed with earthly scenes - contrasts that the chorus comments on. The work ends with a great hymn: the entry into paradise.
Listen to an introduction in German by Christian Kabitz here.