Kristallklar

KRISTALLKLAR. In 1726, Johann Sebastian Bach charted a new course. Alongside his own cantatas, the works of his relative Johann Ludwig Bach sounded for the first time in Leipzig. Musica Viva dedicates itself to this remarkable year and combines three solo cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach with the festive cantata "Mache dich auf, werde Licht" by Johann Ludwig Bach.

Lying between the St. John Passion and the St. Matthew Passion, the year 1726 marks both a fascinating and fruitful creative period. Rather than presenting a complete cantata cycle, Bach opened his gaze to the music of other members of his far-flung family, enriching Leipzig's musical life with captivating new sound worlds.

Dorothee Mields, Elvira Bill, Georg Poplutz, and Thilo Dahlmann form an outstanding quartet of soloists, accompanied by the period-instrument ensemble L'Arpa festante. Under the direction of Stephan Lutermann, music of striking clarity and expressive power unfolds.

The celebrated solo cantatas "Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht" and "Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen" reveal the incomparable artistry of Johann Sebastian Bach: music of crystalline structure in which every voice remains audible, yet everything combines into a perfect whole. In "Mache dich auf, werde Licht" by Johann Ludwig Bach sounds a true gem of the Bach year 1726. This magnificent cantata ranks among the most precious discoveries of the Bach family and makes immediately clear why Johann Sebastian Bach performed it in Leipzig with great reverence.