The ensemble
The ensemble
In the heart of Leipzig, a legendary café opened its doors in 1702. Under the leadership of Gottfried Zimmermann, this establishment became much more than just a place to enjoy a cup of coffee: it was a veritable hub of intellectual and artistic activity. Here, amid warm wood panelling and flickering candlelight, students, philosophers and enlightened bourgeoisie gathered to exchange ideas, debate new discoveries and savour the still exotic luxury of coffee. But above all, people came to listen to music. Every Friday, Café Zimmermann was transformed into a concert hall, resounding with the vibrant harmonies of the Collegium Musicum, founded by Georg Philipp Telemann and conducted by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Under the nimble fingers of the musicians, violins, harpsichords and flutes weave intoxicating melodies, uplifting the spirit as much as the refined taste of coffee. It is no longer just a mundane pleasure but a sensory and spiritual experience, where the ordinary and the sublime meet. Far from aristocratic salons, Bach's music finds an eager audience here, ready to be carried away by the audacity of the concertos and the eloquence of the cantatas. In this café, vibrant with conversation and emotion, an essential page in musical history is being written, forever engraving Zimmermann's name alongside that of Bach. Almost three centuries later, in homage to this legendary place and the man who made it an essential hub for music, Céline Frisch and Pablo Valetti chose to revive its spirit by naming their ensemble after it: Café Zimmermann.