Sunday 28 September 2025
1.30pm
Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall Krebs Harpsichord Competition 2025
adjudicated by Steven Devine, Masumi Yamamoto & Christopher Suckling
Welcome
This competition is generously sponsored by Andrew and Mary Watson, who write:
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The 21st Century is witnessing the long overdue reappraisal of Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713 – 1780), a much under-rated composer. Despite his fine reputation in Thuringia during his lifetime, his compositions (like those of many of his generation) have been overlooked by succeeding generations. In Britain, Handel reigned supreme, and the excitement in the rediscovery and canonisation of JS Bach (Bach)’s music, during the early nineteenth century, also resulted in Krebs’s works being mostly forgotten – or swept into the organ loft (where their value was indisputable but less publicly pronounced).
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It seems beyond dispute that writers of music history have not accorded him the respect he merits. On the one hand, some of his compositions have been valued sufficiently to be misattributed to Bach; but on the other hand, he is hardly mentioned in music history textbooks, other than in passing as (somewhat patronisingly) ‘one of Bach’s better pupils’.
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Today’s concert by finalists in the Krebs Prize (facilitated by Guildhall School of Music & Drama) is a hugely significant component of ‘The Krebs Project’ and indicative of the wider burgeoning of interest in his music. It is pleasing, for example, that:
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many more of his works are now published in modern performing editions (e.g. several volumes of harpsichord music, edited by the respected scholar Felix Friedrich and published by Carus-Verlag); and
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several recordings of his works have been released in recent years, including a complete survey of his harpsichord music, performed by Steven Devine (a distinguished member of today’s judging panel).
Another major contribution to the Krebs project is a forthcoming book, in English, on his life and works This is currently in preparation (for more details, see below).
Laura László
1.30–2pm
Johann Ludwig Krebs
Partita in A minor, Krebs-WV825
I. Fantasia
II. Fuga
III. Allemande
IV. Courante
George Frideric Handel
Fugue in G minor, HWV605
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Johann Mattheson
Suite No 1 in D minor
I. Prelude
II. Allemande-Double
III. Courante-Double
IV. Sarabande
V. Gigue
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Laura László started playing the harpsichord at the age of 14. She was influenced by her teachers, Ágnes Ratkó and Miklós Spányi, Nicholas Parle and Frédérick Haas, and she participated in numerous master classes, of which the meeting with Christophe Rousset was decisive. In addition to soloing, orchestral playing is an important part of her life. Music as a social experience was for her, which is why she finally committed herself to a career in music.
She would summarize her artistic creed as follows:
“Art does not exist in itself, it is an elemental part of its effect to find a receiver. And its beauty is precisely this, that the infinite ways of reception can give endless enjoyment and experience, keeping the creation alive throughout the centuries of humanity. I am a believer in getting to know the origin of musical works as much as possible. However, behind art there is always a soul, the expression of which should be everyone's own task, filling the performance with an individual voice.
Working with music is therapy. The performer sets the goal of transmitting himself through the works, but music does not allow anything through itself. It is a long process until we find the messages, the appropriate feelings that we can tell with music, and this formation also has an effect on our personality, this is the greatest task of self-knowledge. In my performance, I transmit myself through music, the self that music has shaped me into.”
Rachel Doubijanski
2.05–2.35pm
Johann Jakob Froberger
Lamentation faite sur la mort très douloureuse de Sa Majesté Impériale, Ferdinand le troisième FbWV633
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
12 Variations on the Folie d’Espagne Wq118/9, H263
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Johann Ludwig Krebs
Concerto in G Major, Krebs-WV821
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Vivace
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Rachel Doubijanski plays various keyboard instruments from different historical periods, ranging from the harpsichord to the modern piano. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance at the Robert Schumann University in Düsseldorf under Tobias Koch in 2021, she shifted her focus to early music, studying harpsichord at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp under Korneel Bernolet. Currently, she is continuing her education in historical keyboard instruments at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under Olga Pashchenko. She has participated in masterclasses with noted musicians, including Kristian Bezuidenhout, Costantino Mastroprimiano, Hardy Rittner, Christophe Rousset, Bertrand Cuiller, and Alexei Lubimov. In 2022, she released her debut CD featuring Alexander Scriabin’s Préludes Op 11, performed on an 1842 Pleyel grand piano from Edwin Beunk’s collection. In the 2023/24 season, Rachel received a clavichord scholarship from the Pianomuseum Haus Eller in Bergheim, Germany, and was a finalist in the International Harpsichord Competition Wanda Landowska in Memoriam in PoznaÅ„, Poland, where she received a special prize from jury member Menno van Delft. Recent performances include harpsichord recitals at the Fringe program of the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht and the FIMTE Festival in Spain, as well as a Bach and Sons program on the clavichord at the Pianomuseum Haus Eller.
Tom Dilley
2.40–3.10pm
Johann Sebastian ​Bach
Partita No 2 in C Minor, BWV826
I. Sinfonia
Georg Böhm
Suite No 8 in F Minor
I. Allemande
II. Courante
III. Sarabande
IV. Ciacona
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Johann Ludwig Krebs
Partita in A minor, Krebs-WV825
I. Fantasia
II. Fugue
III. Allemande
IX. Gigue
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Thomas Dilley is a harpsichordist and organist based in London. He studied at The Queen’s College, Oxford and Toulouse Conservatoire, completing organ scholarships at both H.M. Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace and Truro Cathedral.
During his undergraduate studies at Queen’s, Thomas accompanied the chapel choir, described by Classic FM as “one of the world’s most renowned choirs” for their three weekly services as well as concerts, broadcasts and tours. As a continuo player, he has performed and recorded with some of the country’s leading orchestras, including the Academy of Ancient Music, London Mozart Players and Instruments of Time & Truth, with appearances at the London International Festival of Early Music and London Handel Festival. Upon graduating, Thomas won an award from the Eric Thompson Charitable Trust to pursue a year of specialist study in organ and harpsichord in France, performing at major venues including St Sernin Basilica, Toulouse and Le Musée des Augustins as well as The Royal Chapel, Versailles in collaboration with La Maîtrise de Toulouse.
Thomas is currently studying for a masters in the Historical Performance department at Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London with James Johnstone, Nicholas Parle and Masumi Yamamoto.
Yuna Nakayama
3.30–4pm
Johann Ludwig Krebs
Overture ‘nach dem Franzoischen Gout’ Krebs-WV820
I. Ouverture
II. Lentement
III. Vivement
IV. Paisan
V. Menuett I & Menuett II en Trio
VI. Gavotte
VIII. Passepied I & II
IV. Rigaudon
Johann Sebastian ​Bach
Toccata in F-sharp minor, BWV910
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Yuna Nakayama was born in Yokohama, Japan in 2004. When she was 13, she went to a historical harp concert and became interested in early music. She started studying historical harp and harpsichord with Marie Nishiyama. She then studied harpsichord with Naoki Ueo at Toho Gakuen Music High School in Tokyo. In September 2022, she started learning the harpsichord from Yoshio Watanabe. At the age of 18, she won Third Prize at the International Competition for Early Music Yamanashi (Kohu, Japan), as well as the Couperin Memorial Prize. She has participated in masterclasses with Jean Rondeau, Francesco Corti, and Takashi Watanabe. She has also performed with Masahiro Arita, Hidemi Suzuki, Makoto Akatsu, Tamás Varga, Yuko Araki, La Fonteverde among others. In 2024 and 2025, she was awarded a scholarship from the Meiji Yasuda Quality of Life Cultural Foundation. She is currently a fourth-year student at Toho Gakuen College of Music.
Lawrence Chiou
4.05–4.35pm
Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita in D Major, BWV828
I. Ouverture
II. Allemande
III. Courante
V. Sarabande
VII. Gigue
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Johann Ludwig Krebs
Overture ‘nach dem Franzoischen Gout’ Krebs-WV820
I. Ouverture
II. Lentement
III. Vivement
V. Menuett 1 & Menuett II en Trio
VI. Gavotte
VII. Air avec Doubles
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Lawrence Chiou studied harpsichord and fortepiano with JungHae Kim, George Barth and Elaine Thornburgh while pursuing a graduate degree in biophysics at Stanford University. He was awarded the Graduate Prize in Music for harpsichord and performed with the Stanford Baroque Soloists, Stanford Philharmonia, and St. Lawrence String Quartet.
As president of Clavecin Society, a not-for-profit organisation focused on early music, Lawrence has been active in advocating for and supporting outstanding musicians and projects, including recent recordings by Jean Rondeau (Louis Couperin: The Complete Works) and the Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra (Dowland: Lachrimae).
As editor, Lawrence published a new edition of Georg Christoph Wagenseil’s Concerto for four harpsichords with JungHae Kim (A-R Editions). He is currently working on a new edition of the works of Jacques Duphly.
In addition to his work in early music, Lawrence previously worked on autonomous vehicle evaluation at Waymo (formerly the Google self-driving car project).
Johann Ludwig Krebs
Johann Ludwig Krebs was born in 1713 in Buttelstedt in Thuringia. His father, Johann Tobias Krebs, was an organist who studied with Bach in Weimar (1714–1717?). Following an improvement in the family fortunes, Johann Tobias was able to send his son to Leipzig to study at the Thomasschule, in 1726.
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Krebs was an assiduous pupil who participated in several musical activities, alongside his general education. He continued his keyboard studies, started to learn both the lute and violin, and sang in the choir. In a memo to the Town Council in 1730, Bach included Krebs among the singers he deemed most competent, having listed choir members as either ‘usable’, ‘potentially usable with more training’, or ‘unfit’!
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Between 1729 and 1731 Krebs was one of the principal copyists for Bach and occasionally assisted at the Thomaskirche. He also played harpsichord in the Collegium Musicum. He was recognised, even at that stage, as a thoroughly competent organist and applied for the position of organist at St Wenzel, Naumburg in August 1733, along with his father (who later withdrew), CPE Bach and several others. However, neither Krebs nor CPE Bach were successful on this occasion.
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A testimonial which Bach wrote for Krebs in 1735 is still extant (see The Bach Reader, edited by Hans David and Arthur Mendel) stating that Krebs had ‘distinguished himself on the clavier, violin and lute, as well as in composition’.
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In 1737 Krebs secured the position of organist at St Marien, Zwickau. During his 7 years there he married Johanna Sophie Nacke, with whom he would eventually have 8 children. However, neither the organ nor the salary were very attractive in Zwickau, and in 1744 he moved to Zeitz as organist at the castle.
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He spent 12 years there, despite again being unimpressed with the organ. When Bach died in 1750, Krebs was one of several musicians who applied for the position in Leipzig; but he was unsuccessful.
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Krebs’s final appointment, in 1756, was as organist in the court of Prince Friedrich of Saxe-Gotha-Altenberg. The organ, built by Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost, was a splendid instrument, now restored to its Baroque configuration. This must have compensated for a comparatively low salary. Indeed, he appears to have felt settled there and stayed until his death in 1780. His health had begun to deteriorate in 1776 and Krebs had requested that one of his sons (Ehrenfried Christian Traugott Krebs) be appointed as his successor – a request which was granted.
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In the two and a half centuries since then, Krebs’s reputation has relied almost solely on his organ compositions, many of which demonstrate the influence of Bach. Indeed, two works in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnishave catalogue were almost definitely written by Krebs (BWV 567 and 740).
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Whilst today’s concert has showcased his works for harpsichord (playable also on the clavichord or fortepiano), a number of Krebs’s chamber, orchestral and choral works are also extant and well worth exploring.
Selected recordings
Clearly any suggested recordings can only be both partial and subjective. However, the following are personal recommendations (from Andrew Watson):
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Steven Devine (member of today’s judging panel) has recorded all of Krebs’s harpsichord music for Resonus Classics.
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John Kitchen has recorded all Krebs’s organ music (6 CDs on Priory).
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As regards chamber music, a good place to start would be the recording of selected flute sonatas by Andrew Bolotowsky (flute) and Rebecca Pechefsky (harpsichord).
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There are fewer recordings of Krebs’s orchestral and choral works. An excellent and representative survey is provided on the 4 CD set entitled ‘Krebs: 300 Years’, issued on the Querstand label in 2013. It includes 2 Sinfonias, 3 Concertos (2 for Lute and 1 for Oboe, Harpsichord and Strings) and a selection of his choral music (including a Mass, Magnificat, Funeral Oratorio and 7 Cantatas).
Academic work on Kreb’s Life and Works
As part of the revival of interest in Krebs, the first book in English is in preparation, edited by Dr Penelope Cave and Professor Wiebke Thormählen. To date, the only major study has been Felix Friedrich’s biography (in German): Johann Ludwig Krebs: Leben und Werk, published in 1988. This new publication will therefore be of considerable value to the English-speaking world: to students, performers (both amateur and professional), and musicologists, alike.
The reader will be introduced to the composer’s life and the style and categories of music he adopted, with appropriate contextual material to exemplify his cultural history; contemporary performance practice; and Krebs’s place in the changing aesthetic aims in his area of Germany, during the middle of the 18th-century. Further to the specific initial area of research into Krebs and his compositions, the book will consider German eighteenth-century music and society, the galant style, and reference contemporary pedagogy.
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Programme notes by Andrew Watson.
Forthcoming Events
Chamber at Six: Astatine Trio
8 October 2025
Milton Court Concert Hall
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Join us for this rush-hour concert introducing our new Hans Keller Chamber Fellows, the Astatine Trio.
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Piano Masterclass with Stephen Hough
14 October 2025
Milton Court Concert Hall
We are delighted to welcome internationally acclaimed pianist Stephen Hough to work with outstanding Guildhall pianists in this free, open masterclass.
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Guildhall Cantata Project
13 November 2025
Milton Court Concert Hall
Harpsichordist James Johnstone leads an intimate programme of music for voice and continuo from around the turn of the eighteenth century.
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