Johann Christoph Bach, 'Meine Freundin, du bist schon'
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Brandenburg Concerto VI
Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue in D-Minor
& Arias from the Sacred Cantatas
Special Guests:
Rebecca Ringle, Mezzo Soprano
Jorg-Michael Schwarz & Karen Marie Marmer, Baroque Violin
& the Ars Antiqua Consort of Viols
For Johann Sebastian Bach, all music was a 'harmonious euphony for the glory of God.' His cantatas, motets and chorales were powerful vehicles for expressing a very personal and deep spirituality. Through his music, we are immersed in the reality of human anguish and death only to be transported to the joy and bliss of eternal life in heaven. Even in deepest sorrow, Bach continues to affirm the positive and hopeful aspects of faith. Bach was not a 'Sunday' Christian. His faith and a keen understanding of theology also carries into his secular works where even the most recreational of music has a spiritual meaning. This is BachÕs genius. He possessed an extraordinary ability to navigate the worldly and other-worldly realms simultaneously. Whether it is a hidden biblical message in a Brandenburg Concerto or a rapturous dance form transfigured into a solemn sacred work, Bach brings an optimistic and profound human quality to all of his music.