Koor & Orkest van de Nederlandse Bachvereniging olv. Jos van Veldhoven

We live in a vale of tears, full of sorrow and misery. It’s fortunate that man is mortal! It seems this view was widespread in the 17th century, at least in Protestant circles in Northern Germany. The commemoration of the dead at All Souls is an exercise in humility. A search for calm in troubled and sombre times, driven by a profound yearning for light and deliverance.
The funeral music of Bach and Buxtehude expresses not only an intense supplication, almost a longing for death, but also jubilation and gratitude. Thanks, a thousand thanks for the consoling power of this soothing music. At about the same time, in Salzburg, Biber wrote an equally heartfelt requiem in which the Catholic hope of forgiveness is borne up by deep trombones, vocal parts full of sorrow and superb melodies in the strings. After the revival of Biber’s instrumental music, the 21st century is finally ready for his choral music. It is among the greatest, most progressive and hardest to grasp of its period.
The Nederlandse Bachvereniging and Jos van Veldhoven make the light sparkle in these sombre jewels. Opt for life.