Abbey Bach Festival
Escape to music, fantasy and surprises!
July 27, 28, & 29, 2022
We monks of Mount Angel Abbey warmly welcome all guests to this highly anticipated 50th anniversary of the Abbey Bach Festival! Delayed for two summers due to the pandemic, we look forward to once again celebrating fine classical music and fellowship with our festival guests and participants here at the Abbey in the mid-Willamette Valley.
Picnic Buffet at the Festival
The natural beauty of our Hilltop lawn serves as the perfect backdrop to enjoy a relaxing summer picnic supper. Under the shade of Mount Angel’s oak and pine trees, savor local food and engaging conversation with your monastic hosts each evening. While you dine, soak in gorgeous views of the agrarian Willamette Valley and the majesty of the surrounding Cascade mountains.
A note from Artistic Director Alon Goldstein
How I have missed being with you! I sincerely hope you have listened to the virtual festivals each summer. It was great fun to plan and present music to an international audience.
It is our great pleasure to plan this summer’s live series, full of music to touch your heart and expand your experiences and a few surprises!
Artistic Director Alon Goldstein is one of the most original and sensitive pianists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence, dynamic personality, artistic vision and innovative programming. A student of Leon Fleisher, he brings his superb piano skills and artistic vision to the Abbey Bach Festival. Learn more about Mr. Goldstein.
Daily Festival Schedule
5:20 pm Vespers
6 pm Church performance
6:30 pm Picnic buffet supper
8 pm Feature performance
Church & Feature Performance Schedule
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Wednesday | July 27 | 8 pm – From Vienna with Love
Recreating the romantic era in Vienna: featuring waltzes, polkas and fantasies. Beethoven’s Spring Sonata and Kreisler’s challenging Old Viennese Melodies: Liebesfreud (Love’s Joy), Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow) and Schön Rosmarin (Lovely Rosemary).Ilya Kaler is considered to be one of the most outstanding personalities of the violin world today. He is the only violinist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, the Sibelius Competition, and the Paganini Competition. He has been described as a “magician, bewitching our ears” by Gramophone for his hauntingly beautiful sound, flawless command of the instrument and mesmerizing phrasing. Not only does his career range from that of a soloist, a recording artist to chamber musician, he is one of the most sought-after teachers in the world.
Ilya Kaler, violin
Patti Wolf, piano6 pm in the church:
Trombone quartet plays Bach
Alan Morell, trombone-
Thursday | July 28 | 8 pm – The Love Triangle: Music and Letters by the Schumanns and Brahms
Stay tuned for more details about the 8 pm concert, The Love Triangle: Music and Letters by the Schumanns and Brahms.For the 6 pm church concert, experience the combined technical mastery, expressive depth, and performance experience of pianist Alon Goldstein, violinist Ilya Kaler, and cellist Amit Peled. The three musicians and friends have joined forces to form one of the most exciting trios on the international music scene. Each virtuoso member of the ensemble has a successful solo career and together they bring vitality to the concert stage with their dynamic musical interplay and collaborative spirit. The Tempest Trio has been recently compared by critics to the legendary “Million Dollar Trio,” of Arthur Rubinstein, Gregor Piatigorsky, and Jascha Heifetz.
6 pm in the church:Bach Cello Suite
Amit Peled, cello-
Friday | July 29 | 8 pm – Sweet! Chocolate and Bach's French Connection
When cacao arrived via Spain into France, chocolate became the fashion of the day at the royal court of Versailles and throughout Europe. Not adverse to the exotic flavor, J.S. Bach’s music was performed in the Coffeehouse Zimmerman and the French Riquet family’s store in Leipzig, offering sweets like chocolate and pralines. It goes without saying that Bach savored both the chocolate as well as French music. After all, French baroque music is to the ear what chocolate is to our taste buds: a symphony of ecstatic sensations. Anticipate chocolate treats!Matthias Maute, recorder and Baroque flute, composer, conductor
Sophie Larivière, recorder and Baroque flute
6 pm in the church:Bruce Nesbit, organ