Schäfer and Goerne Sing Bach at the Barbican

Soprano Christine Schäfer, currently appearing at the Royal Opera House in Handel’s Tamerlano, and baritone Matthias Goerne will join the violinist Hilary Hahn for a unique, theatrical approach to chamber musical at the Barbican next week.

They are joined on stage by the Munich Chamber Orchestra and its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Alexander Liebreich on Tuesday 23 March for an evening of vocal works by J S and C P E Bach.

It was Hilary Hahn’s wish to do a project for violin and voice, as great singers have always inspired her in her playing of the violin. Also the chamber music aspect of the project thrilled her. The violin serves as a common thread in the selection of the arias and cantatas, creating a unity and showcasing Bach’s affinity for the dialogue of voice and violin. The concept has already served as the basis for an album and has been years in the making.

Hahn says, “That this project has come to fulfillment – and with such superb colleagues – is for me a dream come true. These magnificent pieces go to the heart of Bach’s artistry as a composer of polyphony: multiple voices, at once clean and complex, presenting layer beneath layer for discovery. No matter how many times I play this music, I am always surprised to find in it new intricacies, new touches of beauty.”

Tickets are available on 020 7638 8891 or www.barbican.org.uk