Koor & Orkest Collegium Vocale Gent . Philippe Herreweghe

In Bach's day, the first Sunday of Advent was considered an important public holiday. It was the start of the ecclesiastical year and signalled a new beginning, and was thus celebrated with due attention. It therefore comes as no surprise that the three cantatas Bach wrote for this holiday were inspired by this famous chorale 'Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland'. At the beginning of Advent all believers eagerly await the birth of Christ that comes at Christmas four weeks later. A ten-year gap is wedged between the two cantatas, both of which are entitled 'Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland'. BWV61 was written in 1714, when Bach was in a post in Weimar, and BWV62 in 1724, written during one of his most productive years, when he seemed to be able to dash off one cantata after another. Remarkably, the earlier work is not inferior to the later piece. Here, the younger Bach is drawn to theatricality, while ten years later he employs a more contemplative approach. The performance of these three cantatas should raise little cause for concern as they are expertly handled by Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale. This concert ties in with the 'Bach Academy' project; an initiative coordinated by Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent, deSingel, Bozar and the Concertgebouw Bruges. This project combines educational workshops with innovative concerts that will be repeated again in Brussels from 2nd to 4th November 2007.