Koor en Orkest Collegium Vocale - Philippe Herreweghe

During his stay in Leipzig, since 1723, J. S. Bach (1685-1750) was remarkably envolved in religious music. His focus was on the composing of 'Hauptmusik': a cantata with text related to the Bible, written for Sundays and religious festivities - a practice he continued in line with his predecessors at the Thomas church. Bach however created a work of unseen volume. In relatively short time, between 1723 and 1729, he composed five complete cantata cycles for the church year, with sixty cantatas per cycle, which resulted in three hundred religious cantatas. The cantata was an essential part of Lutheran liturgy in Leipzig. The songs immediately followed the reading of the evangelical scriptures and came before the credo and the sermon. Collegium Vocale Gent will perform three cantatas, which were written for 'Domenica Jubilate' (sixth Sunday after Easter). Bach already wrote the cantata 'Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen' (BWV12) as Concert Master in Weimar (1714). This is when he first began to explore the melodic declamation and the expressive phrasing typical for the Italian style. Much later, in 1749, he elaborated on the themes of this cantata: 'Et incarnatus est' from the credo of his Hohe Messe (BWV232). The two cantatas 'Ihr werdet weinen und heulen' (BWV103) and 'Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal' (BWV146) illustrate his mastery of the genre developed in Leipzig.