GEANNULEERD Koor & Orkest Collegium Vocale Gent olv. Philippe Herreweghe
Dates
wed 09 dec 2020 - 20:00
location
Blauwe zaal
price
€ 30 (standard) / € 26 (under-25s/over-65s) / € 10 (under-19s)
duration
1h Collegium Vocale Gent and Philippe Herreweghe with cantatas by Bach. Moving as always!
In the midst of his intense work as Thomaskantor, it is astonishing that Johann Sebastian Bach still found the time to compose a large quantity of music for special occasions. Unlike what the term may suggest, it is often of outstanding quality. This is certainly true of the cantata BWV198 'Lass, Fürstin, lass noch einen Strahl'. It is a haunting musical farewell, written in October 1727 for the funeral of the Saxon queen Christiane Eberhardine. A contemplation on the transitory versus the eternal. For Bach, death is not at all a sad event, but rather a cause for passionate yearning and serene joy. This 'Todessehnsucht' is also the theme of the pietistic cantata 'Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben’ (‘Dearest God, When Will I Die?’). The story of the young man from Nain, the only son of a widow, who is raised from the dead by Christ, is interpreted allegorically. All believers may expect that Christ will raise up their soul to eternal life after death. They can therefore look forward to death with confidence, and even welcome it as a necessary step which brings them closer to eternal life.
Works
Cantate 'Liebster Gott, wenn werd' ich sterben', BWV8
Cantate 'Laß Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl', BWV198 'Trauerode'
Credits
musical performance
musical direction
soprano
alto
tenor
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