Johann Sebastian Bach 1. A One-Man Cantata Factory
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Episode 1 of 5: A One-Man Cantata Factory
As part of Radio 3's Classical Voice season, all this week Donald Macleod explores Bach's vocal music.
In April 1723, after a great deal of political wrangling between rival factions on the Leipzig town council, Bach was appointed Cantor of the celebrated Thomasschule. At last he had the opportunity to realize a vision he had had, 15 years and several jobs earlier, in his post as organist of St Blasius's Church in Mühlhausen. That vision - his "ultimate goal", he called it - was the creation of "a regulated church music". In practice, this simple-sounding aspiration entailed the Herculean labour of producing - not to mention preparing for performance - a cantata for every single Sunday and feast-day of the church year. Almost incredibly, he kept this up, with minimal reliance on previously composed material, for the first three years of his tenure at Leipzig - a period during which he was, in short, a one-man cantata factory. Today, Donald Macleod focuses on the first of those annual cantata cycles. The emotional range is huge, from the festive cheer of Cantata 40: 'Darzu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes' to the thrilling, borderline-operatic drama of Cantata 81: 'Jesus schläft, was sol ich hoffen?'.
00:01 Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata No. 75 Bwv.75 - Part 1; Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan Performer: Ton Koopman. Orchestra: Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.
00:05 Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata No. 90 Bwv.90 - Es reisset euch ein schrecklich Ende (Aria) Performer: Masaaki Suzuki. Performer: Toshio Shimada. Singer: Peter Kooij. Singer: Robin Blaze. Ensemble: Japan Bach Collegium.
00:21 Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata No. 40 Bwv.40 - Dazu ist erscheinen der Sohn Gottes (Chorus) Orchestra: Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. Director: Ton Koopman. Choir: Amsterdam Baroque Choir.
00:38 Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata No. 81 Bwv.81 (Jesus Schlaft, Was Soll Ich Hoffen) Singer: Peter Harvey. Orchestra: English Baroque Soloists. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Singer: Paul Agnew. Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Singer: William Towers.
00:56 Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata No. 50 Bwv.50 (Nun Ist Das Heil Und Die Kraft) Orchestra: English Baroque Soloists. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Choir: Monteverdi Choir.
First broadcast: 15 Jun 2015 (b05y61y7) http://vk.com/wall-71199334_82