The city of Leipzig annually awards the Bach medal to an artist who has stood out because of theirr dedication to the promotion and performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's works throughout their career.
Awarded artists are chosen by a committee comprising artistic directors of the Bachfest Leipzig Festival and other important figures from the city and the school of music of Leipzig.
This year the award has been given to conductor Helmuth Rilling (Stuttgart, Germay, 1933), founder and artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival.
Rilling has received many prizes and honours throughout his career. On March 21 1985, coinciding with the 300 anniversary of J.C. Bach's birth, Rilling completed a project that recorded all the church cantatas written by Bach, for which he received the Grand Prix du Disque. In 1990 he directed the Berlin Philharmonicon the day in which the German unification was celebrated. In 1995 he received the Theodor Heuss award and the Music award of the UNESCO. In 1999, he was awarded with the Cannes Classic Award for his recording of Christus, by Franz Liszt, with Hanssler Classic.
In this year's Festival, Rilling will conduct the Gaechinger Kantorei and the Bach Collegium Stuttgart in a concert in which Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht, Kantate BWV 105; and Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, Kantate BWV 147 by Johann Sebastian Bach and Kyrie d-Moll, Wie der Hirsch lechzt nach of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy will be performed. The performance will be at 8:00 p.m. at the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig.
May 25, 2004
