60 members of the St. Thomas Choir, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Akiko Ito (soprano), Anke Vondung (alto), Johannes Chum (tenor) and Thomas E. Bauer (bass) with Gotthold Schwarz as conductor will travel to Israel for four concerts in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Herzliya from 3 - 9 December 2015. At the end of the anniversary year, '50 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel', the Leipzig St. Thomas' Choir and the Gewandhaus Orchestra will perform the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach in Israel. The musicians will be accompanied by a city delegation led by Burkhard Jung, Mayor of Leipzig.
The concerts at the end of the anniversary year are expected to attract the highest political representatives of Germany, Israel, the Free State of Saxony and the city of Leipzig. They will include Joachim Gauck, German Federal President, Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel, Stanislaw Tillich, Governor of Saxony, Moshe Fadlon, Mayor of Herzliya, Burkhard Jung, Mayor of Leipzig, as well as numerous political, economic and cultural representatives.
The concerts will take place
- at 13.00 and 20.00 on 4 and 5 December 2015 in the 'New Israeli Opera' in Tel Aviv,
- at 20.00 on 6 December 2015 at the 'International Convention Centre' in Jerusalem and
- at 20.00 on 8 December 2015 at the 'Performing Arts Centre' in Herzliya
Cantatas 1 to 3 and 6 from the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) will be performed.
Burkhard Jung, Mayor of Leipzig: "I am delighted that the anniversary '50 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany' will end with such a highlight. The joint concert trip by the St. Thomas' Choir and the Gewandhaus Orchestra indicates the role played by culture in the partnership between Israel and Germany. I hope that music will also unite people in our two countries in future and bring them closer together."
For Leipzig, the concert in Herzliya in particular is very important as it is Leipzig's newest partner city. In addition to the musicians, a city delegation will therefore also travel to Israel primarily to cultivate and further intensify contacts with Herzliya. Numbering just under 40 people, the delegation from Leipzig will include Mayor Jung, city councillors from every faction, representatives of Leipzig University, members of the Leipzig-Herzliya City Partnership Association and business representatives from Leipzig.
The trip is being financially supported by the German Foreign Office, the Goethe Institute, the Saxony State Chancellery and the Leipzig City Council.
Background
The invitation to these guest performances was issued by Andreas Michaelis, German Ambassador in Tel Aviv, in 2012, following the establishment of the new city partnership between Leipzig and Herzliya.
Herzliya and Leipzig have been twinned since 2011. Intensive exchanges on different topics take place between the two cities. The focal points of the partnership are culture, sport, business and public administration. Generally speaking, the relations are primarily characterised by strong civic commitment. Each city contains a city partnership association which organises, for example, youth exchanges and citizens' meetings.