Twenty years ago, Martin Stadtfeld became the first German pianist to win the renowned Bach Competition in Leipzig, an experience which he views as a particular honor, since Bach’s music is his “alpha and omega,” the crossroads from which all paths lead out into the vast cosmos of music history. Stadtfeld’s first CD was thus a widely acclaimed recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Until today, Bach continues to play a pivotal role in Stadtfeld’s concert programmes. At times he presents music by Bach in combination with the master’s contemporaries, pupils, and descendants; at others, he concocts a personal “Homage to Bach” with his own arrangements and improvisations. Now, in 2022, Stadtfeld returns for the 11th time to the Festival with his programme “Total Bach”: a sort of résumé of Bach’s kaleidoscopic output. “Music has a direct effect on us. Thus it stands for human kindness, for universal emotions such as comfort and hope – and music demands that we constantly call ourselves into question”, Stadtfeld affirms. Indeed, such ideals are perhaps best fulfilled in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.