ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE
Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir, BWV 73
Missa brevis, BWV 235
Lass Fürstin, lass noch einen Strahl
(Trauer-Ode), BWV 198
Dorothee Mields soprano
Alex Potter countertenor
Guy Cutting tenor
Peter Kooij bass
Collegium Vocale Gent
Philippe Herreweghe
In the midst of his intense work as a Thomas Cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach surprisingly found the time to compose a large amount of occasional music. Contrary to what the term suggests, it is often of outstanding quality. This applies, for example, to the cantata BWV198 ‘Lass, Fürstin, lass noch einen Strahl’. It is a haunting musical farewell, written in October 1727 for the funeral of the Saxon princess Christiane Eberhardine. A contemplation on the ephemeral versus the eternal. For Bach, death is not a sad event at all, but rather a reason for a passionate longing and a stilled joy.