28 Opera Conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón on the Johannes-Passion Leonardo García-Alarcón grew up in an Argentinian family of musicians and dancers, and has been a fervent admirer of Johann Sebastian Bach since his childhood. These two leitmotifs in his life have come together in a staging of Bach’s Johannes-Passion that he developed together with choreographer Sasha Waltz. “At some point in his life, Bach must have considered composing an opera”, says García-Alarcón. “He knew the operas of Lotti, Telemann and Hasse well. The only problem was that there wasn’t an opera house in Leipzig. He had an inherent need for dramatic music, though. His profane cantatas – drammi per musica, as he called them – are like miniature operas. That need for the dramatic can also be heard in the Johannes-Passion. It’s music that seems more at home in the theatre than in the church.” Bach was a great musical rhetorician, García-Alarcón explains. “He took a text and transformed it within his musical architecture in a way that conveys the message as powerfully as possible. One of the first rules of rhetoric is that you have to capture your audience’s attention. That’s why Bach utilised techniques that were mostly used in operas, such as the concerto, the aria da capo and recitatives. Bach was not even remotely conservative. He was absolutely revolutionary within the church context.” What fascinates García-Alarcón so much about baroque composers is that they availed themselves of all the styles that were at their disposal. “It’s as if modernday composers were to simultaneously draw on twelve-tone, serialism, rap, techno, pop and folk music to create a grand polyphony of everything out there. Bach took inspiration from all over Europe – he knew and copied all the musical styles that the continent had to offer.” Visualising the music When the conductor was looking at how to celebrate the tercentenary of the Johannes-Passion, he immediately thought of the choreographer Sasha Waltz. “Together, we decided to focus on the human side of the Passion, which guides us towards the light. Great choreo- graphers like Sasha can render a state of mind visible. With them, dance is never superficial; there’s always a direct relation- ship with the emotions. When I listen to Bach now and close my eyes, it’s as if I can see Sasha’s movements. She knows how to transform musical forms into dance. When the orchestra plays a fugue, I see that fugue on stage – not just the symmetry of the form, but also the occasional asymmetries in the tempo. It all becomes visible. I find that intimate relationship with musical textures incre- dibly powerful and inspirational. As a conductor, I’m there to serve the composer and the choreographer. When such a deep understanding arises between those two, we become a potent triangle.” Lastly, García-Alarcón emphasises the importance of rhythm. “A strong rhythmic drive, like tango or flamenco dancers have, is really important. That pulse is something I’m constantly looking for, and Sasha has unlocked it in my interpretation of Bach. In baroque music, it is created by the basso continuo, the foundation and the engine of the music. It’s something that you can see in all kinds of musical genres today, from rock to metal.” Interview For conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón, the Johannes- Passion is a powerful musical drama. Together with choreographer Sasha Waltz, he explores how to use dance and movement to enhance the emotions in Bach’s music. “When I listen to Bach now, I see Sasha’s movements in front of me.” The theatrical power of Ba
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