Paths to greatness: Johann Sebastian Bach – encounters with music of the highest order

Theme: Paths to a giant: Johann Sebastian Bach - Encounters with superlative music

Speaker: Hans-Jürgen Freitag, Evangelical Lutheran parish of St. Jakobus, Ilmenau

Time: Friday, November 28, 2025, 3:00 p.m.

Place: TU Ilmenau, Faraday-Hörsaal, Weimarer Straße 32, access via Prof.-Schmidt-Straße

Admission: 5 euros

"Not all musicians believe in God, but they all believe in Johann Sebastian Bach." These words by the Argentinian-German composer and conductor Mauricio Kagel make it clear how important Bach's music still is today, 275 years after his death. And Hans-Jürgen Freitag, cantor at St. Jakobuskirche in Ilmenau, also believes that no one who is serious about music can ignore Bach. He has been studying Bach's fascinating musical language with great enthusiasm for years.

Hans-Jürgen Freitag would like to pass on his enthusiasm to the audience with his lecture at the TU Ilmenau Citizens' Campus. He will take them on an exciting exploration of Johann Sebastian Bach's music, focusing less on Bach's life and more on his way of composing. Using various sound examples from Bach's church music, Freitag explores how the great composer dealt with music.

Ursula Nirsberger
TU Ilmenau Citizens' Campus
+ 49 3677 69 4794
buergercampus@tu-ilmenau.de