Cantata – Zene-Szó 2. (Alba Regia Symphony Orchestra)

The second concert of Zene-Szó 2026 invites music lovers on a unique journey through time to Leipzig in the 1730s. For one evening, the ceremonial courtyard of the Diocesan Museum will be transformed into the garden of the coffee house that once stood by Leipzig’s Grimma Gate, where, during the summer months, guests were entertained by performances of the Collegium Musicum under the direction of Johann Sebastian Bach.

On 7 August, audiences can enjoy an evening devoted to Bach, featuring gems from the master’s sacred and secular music. Bach’s earliest surviving sacred solo cantata, Widerstehe doch der Sünde (“Stand Firm Against Sin”, BWV 54), was composed in Weimar in 1714 to a poem by Georg Christian Lehms. Its profoundly reflective text urges the listener to resist sin. The solo part will be performed by the outstanding singer Gabriella Busa.

Bach became acquainted with the concerto genre through his intensive study of works by his great contemporary Antonio Vivaldi. The influence of the Italian master’s brilliant music can be heard in many of Bach’s compositions, including the A minor Violin Concerto written in Köthen. Its demanding solo part will be performed by the talented young violinist Zsófia Fóris, a recipient of the Annie Fischer Scholarship.

An exceptional masterpiece in the history of sacred music is the St Matthew Passion, premiered in Leipzig in 1727. Its alto aria with solo violin, frequently performed as a standalone work, is undoubtedly one of the most sublime moments in Bach’s entire oeuvre. In this performance, the concert’s two guest artists will appear on stage together.

The programme will conclude with the third of the Brandenburg Concertos, a cycle dating from 1721 and regarded as one of the pinnacles of Baroque orchestral music. Scored exclusively for strings, this energetic concerto is written in G major.

The chamber ensemble of the Alba Regia Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by the orchestra’s artistic director, Péter Dobszay, a recipient of the Junior Prima and Artisjus Awards. The host of the evening will be music historian Dr Balázs Szabó.