A “presentiment of deathly tedium”
An exhibition by the Zentralbibliothek Zürich at the Zurich Opera House, 2005–2006
27. August 2005 - 09. July 2006
Location
Opernhaus Zürich
Falkenstrasse 1
8008 Zürich
Opening hours
Die Ausstellungen der Zentralbibliothek im Foyer des Opernhauses Zürich werden jeweils eine Saison lang präsentiert. Sie sind während der Öffnungszeiten des Opernhauses frei zugänglich.
Anschliessend sind sie ein weiteres Jahr in der «Musikgalerie im Predigerchor» zu sehen. Die Exponate befinden sich dann im Treppenaufgang zum Lesesaal der Musikabteilung.
The early reception of Bach in Zurich
This exhibition sheds light on initial responses to Johann Sebastian Bach in 19th-century Zurich. The city plays a significant role in extending the impact of Bach, thanks to the publisher and commentator Hans Georg Nägeli who, along with Hoffmeister & Kühnel, Simrock and Breitkopf, began publishing works by the composer from 1800 onwards. To this end, Nägeli acquired an important collection of Bach manuscripts, including the autograph version of the Mass in B Minor, which he published as a first edition in 1832. Yet for many years, Bach simply did not feature in the Zurich concert calendar. It was not until the 1860s that his works began to be performed occasionally, in the subscription concerts of the Allgemeine Musik-Gesellschaft. The simultaneous professionalisation of the public music scene, with the establishment of the Orchesterverein, the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft and the Gemischter Chor, allowed performances of Bach’s great vocal works to take place in the new Tonhalle from 1867. The St Matthew Passion was first heard in Zurich in 1872, followed in 1878 by the Swiss première of the Mass in B Minor. The Handel-Bach celebration of 1885 saw Bach’s music finally established in the Zurich concert repertoire.
Exhibition concept: Urs Fischer