Schubert and the Art of Longing – Trans-cendence I

Choral and Orchestral Concert

Saturday, 13 July 2024
7.30 pm, Saanen Church

Did you know this already? Before Philippe Herreweghe became the esteemed conductor we know him as today, he led a double life: his mornings were spent as a resident doctor in the hospital, and his evenings were dedicated to performing on stage as a choir conductor. In a conversation with Tobias Stosiek for BR-Klassik in 2017, Philippe Herreweghe reflects on his early days: “Gustav Leonhardt was my hero. As a child, a picture of him hung above my bed. One day, when I was conducting my first St John Passion – I was just twenty years old at the time – I saw him approaching to buy tickets for the evening. I was shocked. Thankfully, he enjoyed our performance and asked me if I would like to be part of his significant project for the complete recording of the cantatas, which he was planning with Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Naturally, I agreed.” And just like that, the beginning of an exhilarating adventure at the helm of Collegium Vocale Gent was sealed, with Philippe Herreweghe continuously exploring repertoire since 1970. Herreweghe strongly emphasizes, “I’m not a Baroque fanatic! I just believe that Bach comes to life better played on historical instruments. And that holds true for Haydn, even Beethoven, Mendelssohn, all the way to more contemporary works.” In a repertoire list that is so open and wide, one name certainly can’t be missing: Schubert!