J.S. Bach: Around Thirty

In 1714, when Bach was working for the court at the city of Weimar, the young composer was given the opportunity to compose, rehearse and perform a cantata each month for the princely chapel, the Himmelsburg. Over the next several years, he created an amazing collection of these choral-orchestral works for various occasions. The moods of the pieces vary from soul-searching penitence to exuberant celebration, complemented by varying instrumentation and a dizzying succession of highly expressive musical ideas. We will perform a tour of three years of Bach's musical life at the age of around thirty, including excerpts from Cantata 21: Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis; Cantata 147: Herz und Mut und Tat und Leben; and Cantata 80: Ein Feste Burg.