Bach à Pâques Festival

Bach à Pâques Festival: Baroque Excellence in the Heart of Poitou

Since 2004, the Bach à Pâques Festival has transformed the abbey church of Saint-Maixent-l'École into a temple of baroque music, offering music lovers a spring event of rare artistic quality. This festival, unique in Nouvelle-Aquitaine for its specialization in the work of Jean-Sébastien Bach, offers each year at Easter a program of concerts dedicated to the master of Leipzig and his contemporaries: Telemann, Handel, Buxtehude, Vivaldi.

Supported by CoRéAM (Regional Collective of Musical Activities of the Poitou-Charentes region), the festival was born from the passion of a group of musicians and music lovers for baroque music played on period instruments. Its ambition: to introduce as many people as possible to the masterpieces of the baroque repertoire in a historically informed performance, within a monument steeped in history.

The Greatest Names in Baroque Music

The Bach à Pâques Festival quickly built a reputation for excellence by hosting internationally renowned performers. Among the artists who have graced the festival's stage are Gustav Leonhardt, a legend of the harpsichord and early music, the Kuijken brothers (Sigiswald, Wieland, and Barthold), pioneers of the baroque movement, and Ton Koopman, a world-renowned Dutch harpsichordist and conductor. These legendary artists have helped make the festival a benchmark in the French early music scene.

The Abbey Church of Saint-Maixent: An Acoustic Gem

The abbey church of Saint-Maixent-l'École, whose origins date back to the 5th century and which was rebuilt between the 11th and 15th centuries in a style blending Romanesque and Gothic, offers an exceptional architectural and acoustic setting for baroque music. The soaring nave, the stone vaults, and the historic organ create a natural resonance that enhances the sounds of period instruments—harpsichord, viola da gamba, traverso, positive organ—and voices.

An Intimate and Demanding Chamber Festival

The Bach à Pâques Festival favors a chamber format, with small to medium-sized concerts that allow for rare proximity between artists and the audience. Harpsichord recitals, trio sonatas, cantatas, and organ works by Bach form the core of the programming, complemented by works by his contemporaries and sometimes by classical and romantic composers who drew inspiration from Bach's legacy.

The Young Performers of Tomorrow

With a focus on transmission, the festival also dedicates part of its programming to young performers, offering talented young musicians the opportunity to perform in a prestigious setting before a discerning audience. These discovery concerts contribute to the renewal of the French baroque scene.