The Leipzig Bachfest invited its audience to choose the works for two programmes of Bach cantatas, filled with masterpieces: John Eliot Gardiner met the audience's expectations by composing two programmes based on these recommendations
This first programme offers an illuminating dialogue between the tradition of the 17th-century German motet and the masterful artistry of Johann Sebastian Bach, a leading figure in Baroque music.
Michael Prætorius' motet Wie schön leuchtet opens the evening with an exclamation of joy: that of divine light personified by the morning star. This poetic and mystical image finds a striking echo in Bach's Cantata BWV 1, based on the same Lutheran chorale. Bach's rich writing magnifies the text with splendour and depth, setting the tone for this musical meditation.
Johann Hermann Schein's Ich bin die Wurzel returns to a more stripped-down form, rooted in sacred rhetoric. The work illustrates the art of the Germanic motet, where polyphony in the service of the word expresses an embodied spiritual truth.
The cantata Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, one of Bach's rare cantatas for solo voice, marks a moment of deep introspection: the acceptance of earthly suffering as a passage to eternal peace. The writing is poignant, almost operatic in its expressiveness.
The second part opens with another master of the German motet: Heinrich Schütz. His Ich bin eine rufende Stimme embodies the prophet's call in the desert, announcing the coming of Christ. The musical language is direct, but imbued with fervour.
With the cantata Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, Bach captures the anguish of twilight – both spiritual and earthly. This work of striking tenderness plunges us into the intimacy of the believer imploring the divine presence as night falls.
Schütz's motet Ich bin ein rechter Weinstock gently and clearly recalls the biblical image of Christ as the vine, source of life and spiritual fruitfulness.
Finally, Es erhub sich ein Streit brings the programme to a close with a triumphant fresco: the cosmic struggle between Good and Evil, in an exhilarating, jubilant, almost celestial musical language.
This musical journey, carried by the excellence of the Constellation Choir and Orchestra under the inspired direction of John Eliot Gardiner, highlights the theological and artistic inspiration that runs through more than a century of German sacred music.
Michael Prætorius' motet Wie schön leuchtet opens the evening with an exclamation of joy: that of divine light personified by the morning star. This poetic and mystical image finds a striking echo in Bach's Cantata BWV 1, based on the same Lutheran chorale. Bach's rich writing magnifies the text with splendour and depth, setting the tone for this musical meditation.
Johann Hermann Schein's Ich bin die Wurzel returns to a more stripped-down form, rooted in sacred rhetoric. The work illustrates the art of the Germanic motet, where polyphony in the service of the word expresses an embodied spiritual truth.
The cantata Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, one of Bach's rare cantatas for solo voice, marks a moment of deep introspection: the acceptance of earthly suffering as a passage to eternal peace. The writing is poignant, almost operatic in its expressiveness.
The second part opens with another master of the German motet: Heinrich Schütz. His Ich bin eine rufende Stimme embodies the prophet's call in the desert, announcing the coming of Christ. The musical language is direct, but imbued with fervour.
With the cantata Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, Bach captures the anguish of twilight – both spiritual and earthly. This work of striking tenderness plunges us into the intimacy of the believer imploring the divine presence as night falls.
Schütz's motet Ich bin ein rechter Weinstock gently and clearly recalls the biblical image of Christ as the vine, source of life and spiritual fruitfulness.
Finally, Es erhub sich ein Streit brings the programme to a close with a triumphant fresco: the cosmic struggle between Good and Evil, in an exhilarating, jubilant, almost celestial musical language.
This musical journey, carried by the excellence of the Constellation Choir and Orchestra under the inspired direction of John Eliot Gardiner, highlights the theological and artistic inspiration that runs through more than a century of German sacred music.
