CRYSTAL CLEAR

In 1726, Johann Sebastian Bach embarked on new artistic paths. Alongside his own cantatas, Leipzig audiences heard works by his relative Johann Ludwig Bach for the first time. Musica Viva celebrates this remarkable year by combining three solo cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach with Johann Ludwig Bach’s festive cantata Mache dich auf, werde Licht (“Arise, Shine, for Thy Light Has Come”).

Situated between the St John Passion and the St Matthew Passion, the year 1726 marks one of Bach’s most fascinating and productive creative periods. Rather than presenting a complete annual cycle of cantatas, he turned his attention to the music of other members of his extensive musical family, enriching Leipzig’s musical life with captivating new sounds.

An outstanding quartet of soloists, featuring Dorothee Mields, Elvira Bill, Georg Poplutz and Thilo Dahlmann, is joined by the period instrument ensemble L’Arpa festante. Under the direction of Stephan Lutermann, the music unfolds with exceptional clarity, transparency and expressive power.

The celebrated solo cantatas Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht and Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen reveal Johann Sebastian Bach at the height of his genius: music of crystalline structure, in which every individual voice remains distinct while contributing to a perfectly balanced whole. Johann Ludwig Bach’s Mache dich auf, werde Licht is one of the true treasures of the remarkable Bach year of 1726. This magnificent cantata ranks among the most precious rediscoveries within the Bach family repertoire and vividly illustrates why Johann Sebastian Bach held it in such high esteem and chose to perform it in Leipzig.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen, BWV 49
Cantata for soprano and bass

Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht, BWV 55
Cantata for tenor

Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56
Cantata for bass

JOHANN LUDWIG BACH

Mache dich auf, werde Licht
Cantata for SATB, soloists and choir