A love story

The artistic direction of FLANDERS BACH-CONSORT joins forces in a scenic performance in an intimate setting. Discover the universal story of love as a mini-opera with Bach's music as a guideline.

First performance: July 2025

In this production under the direction of artistic directors Tom Van Bogaert and Arne Van Handenhoven, we started from Bach's cantata "Amore Traditore" BWV 203. This tells the story of a disappointed lover who accuses the God Amor of betrayal and deception. As a result, he decides to keep himself away from unrequited infatuations from now on. For us, young love. Then the lover meets a new love, "Willst du dein Herz mir schenk" BWV 518 and "Freude, du Lust der Götter und Menschen" Wq 202a (C.Ph.E. Bach, a nod to the further course of the story). The lover and this love have a child together, "Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier" BWV 469, and grow old together, "Bist du bei mir" BWV 508. Ultimately, his love dies, after which the old lover also dies, "Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben" BWV 244.

Instrumental works from Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord set the mood.

This program is the 2nd program in the series "by BACH"

In this series, we start from a story that we want to tell. We get to work with this story and convey it with a carefully composed program that is always a synthesis of Bach's vocal and instrumental oeuvre.