* En anglais uniquement
The
Bach Collegium Japan has become perhaps the finest Japanese period-instrument ensemble. Consisting of a chamber orchestra of 20 or so members and a choir of about 25, the ensemble has devoted itself largely to the cantatas and other choral works of
J.S. Bach, and to those of various Baroque-era composers, such as
Handel,
Schütz, and
Buxtehude. The group occasionally pares down its forces for instrumental works, such as the Brandenburg Concertos. The
Bach Collegium Japan regularly appears in concert at home, as well as at major international locales and has made over 100 recordings for the BIS label.
The
Bach Collegium Japan was founded in 1990 by its music director
Masaaki Suzuki. Over the years, the ensemble has performed its regular concerts at two locations: Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall and the Kobe Shoin Women's University Chapel. The
BCJ initiated its first international tours in 2000 with appearances in Israel, Spain, and Australia. The following year included a highly successful tour of Italy (Rome, Milan, and Florence), and, in 2003, the group debuted in the United States, giving concerts in six cities, including New York (Carnegie Hall), Boston, and Los Angeles.
Suzuki has performed at the keyboard in many concerts and recordings, typically on the harpsichord or organ, two instruments on which he had developed virtuosic skills. It should be noted that
Suzuki, apart from his work with the
BCJ, has forged a highly successful career as a recitalist and soloist with other ensembles and as a recording artist. Concert activity of note by the
BCJ has included a return tour of the U.S. in 2006 and appearances in that same year in London, Amsterdam, and Madrid. In 2011, following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the ensemble and presenting organizations donated proceeds from its U.S. tour concerts to relief efforts.
In 1995, the
BCJ began a massive project for the BIS label -- recording all the church cantatas of
Bach. The
BCJ completed this cycle of 50 albums in 2014. In 2018, the ensemble issued the final volume of its complete cycle of
Bach's cantatas. Intermixed with these releases were albums of other
Bach works, including
Violin Concertos and Orchestral Suites, as well as albums devoted to
Handel (Messiah),
Buxtehude (Membra Jesu Nostri), and many others. Admirers were astonished at the pace of the
Bach cantata series, and continue to be, as the ensemble carries on recording at a persistent clip. In 2020 alone, the
BCJ issued recordings of
Bach's
St. Matthew Passion,
St. John Passion, and the first volume in a cycle of the composer's
Harpsichord Concertos.