The Musical Offering of J.S. Bach

Moscow
On March 14 Sts Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, supported by the German Embassy, hosted a concert of the famous German organist Martin Welzel as part of the fifth “Musical Offering of J.S. Bach Festival.” The program of the concert included works by the German composers J.S. Bach, J. G. Rheinberger, M.Regera and also French masters of organ music Louis Verna and Jean Langlais.
Martin Welzel is one of the world’s foremost contemporary organists. He was born in 1972 and received his education at the Higher School of Music in Saarbrücken , then in Washington University in Seattle. He has had the opportunity to give solo concerts in Notre Dame de Paris, in St. Paul Cathedral, in Westminster Abbey in London, at the cathedral of Stanford University (USA) and many other prestigious places throughout the world. Professor Welzel also teaches at the University of Ludwig-Maximilian in Munich.
The concert was opened with words by Archbishop Dietrich Brauer and by the permanent vice-Ambassador of Germany, Beate Grzeski, who directed attention to the fact that Johann Sebastian Bach was a Lutheran and supported the Reformation and added: “in Russia there is a special appreciation of this composer. His works were performed here even at the time when they were forgotten in Western Europe.”
The Archbishop emphasized that the concert is taking place in the year of the 333 birthday of the great composer: “The language of Bach is the language of faith, the language of eternity. Therefore it is accessible and understandable for any person whose soul is directed toward Divine mystery and who longs for its presence. I express my heartfelt thanks to the German Embassy and to the wonderful organist Martin Welzel for the musical gift of this evening and also for all of you who take part in this good deed, since the funds gathered at this concert will be donated to the Carl Blume home for the elderly in the Kaliningrad oblast.”
The Carl Blume House is one of the most important diaconal projects of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia. It receives no state help and run solely on the support of donations from the church.
Many fans of organ music came to the concert; not only was the sanctuary full, the balcony was as well. Representatives of the German embassy and other invited guests were in attendance.
Julia Vinogradova

Moments of Silence in Petrikirche

St. Petersburg

On April 6, the third day of mourning for victims of the terrorist attack in the St. Petersburg subway, there was a concert at Sts. Peter and Paul Сhurch - “The World of the Cantatas of J.S. Bach.” This joint German-Russian musical project – one of the highlights of the 14th annual Week of Germany in St. Petersburg – gathered no fewer than 400 guests to the Lutheran Cathedral. After the completion of the restoration of the organ gallery this concert was the first event in the building of Petrikirche.

At the opening of the concern Pastor Michael Schwarzkopf spoke about how he had just returned from an event of public mourning at the “Technologichesky Institute” subway station. There representatives of all Christian confessions and various other religions had gathered together with representatives of the government in order to state their common opposition to terrorism.

Everyone at the church rose for a minute of silence.

The well-known “Reformation Cantata” of Bach (based on the text of Martin Luther's «Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott») was performed; this piece was, without a doubt, a special gift to the Lutheran church from the project planners during this, the 500 anniversary of the Reformation.

"Reformation Cantata" in Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral

Moscow
  As part of the “Cranach Family: between Renaissance and Mannerism” exhibit 
being hosted at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Art in Moscow from March until May, the General Consulate of Germany organized a unique concert in the Lutheran Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul. On April 18th J.S. Bach's “Reformation Cantata” (BWV 80) was given a rare performance in Russia. 
  The Cantata, composed around 1730, was performed by famous musicians – international award winner Konstantine Volostnov (organ), soloists of the Moscow “Helikon-Opera” theater Alisa Gitsba and Michael Davidov, soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of the Moscow Conservatory Maria Chelmakina and Taras Yasenkov, the Tula State Choir, and the State Assemble of Soloists “Orpharion.” The director was Alexander Solovyev.
  One of the unique parts of the “Reformation Cantata” was that it includes four lines of Martin Luther's famous song  «Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott» (“A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”) 
 A special guest at the concert was the Minister-President of Thuringia Bodo Romelow, who was in Russia on an official visit. He gave a word of greeting, as did the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Rüdiger von Fritsch and Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia Dietrich Brauer. 

Based on material from   http://www.germania.diplo.de/

Ambassador Rüdiger von Fritsch, Archbishop Dietrich Brauer, and President-Minister Bardo Romelow