Bach: Cantatas BWV 4.2, 66.3, 37, 104 | Ton Koopman & Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir

The Bachfest Leipzig is marking a special anniversary in 2023: In the year 1723, so exactly 300 years ago, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) took up his post as cantor of St. Thomas Church in the Saxon city. This involved composing, arranging, and conducting the music for worship in several churches on around 60 days of the year, as well as teaching pupils at the St. Thomas School. To accomplish this mammoth task, Bach composed new cantatas or parodied earlier works at a rate of almost one a week during his first year in office alone. The compositions, which later became known as Bach’s “first cantata cycle in Leipzig,” not only astonished his contemporaries but continue to delight people to this day. These compositions are extraordinary not only for their diversity but also for the way in which Bach reworked traditional musical forms and expanded the genre into new creative terrain - all in the space of one year between 1723 and 1724. Despite their technical challenges, these cantatas are among the Baroque composer’s most popular and frequently performed works.
Ton Koopman, Bach expert and international star of early music, has chosen four favorites from the last quarter of Bach’s first cantata cycle in Leipzig, which he is performing with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. In addition, there are two interviews in which Michael Maul, artistic director of the Bachfest Leipzig, asks Ton Koopman about the unique features of the four cantatas. Enjoy an informative as well as musically first-class cantata concert!
At a glance:
(00:00) Welcome of conductor Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir by Michael Maul, artistic director of the Bachfest Leipzig
(00:55) Interview with Ton Koopman on the Bach cantata “Christ lag in Todes Banden” (BWV 4.2)
(05:39) Interview on “Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen” (BWV 66.3)
(07:44) Christ lag in Todes Banden (Christ Lay in Death’s Bonds) (BWV 4.2)
(30:14) Erfeut euch, ihr Herzen (Rejoice, You Hearts) (BWV 66.3)
(1:01:11) Interview on the Bach cantata “Wer da gläubet und getauft wird” (BWV 37)
(1:06:10) Interview on the cantata “Du Hirte Israel, höre“ (BWV 104)
(1:14:01) Wer da gläubet und getauft wird (He Who Believes and Is Baptized) (BWV 37)
(1:31:24) Du Hirte Israel, höre (You Shepherd of Israel, Hear) (BWV 104)
Performers:
Elisabeth Breuer | SOPRANO
Maarten Engeltjes | ALTUS
Tilman Lichdi | TENOR
Klaus Mertens | BASS
AMSTERDAM BAROQUE ORCHESTRA & CHOIR
Susan Jonkers, Caroline Andrade, Ana-Marija Brkic, Maria Goetze, Elisabeth Blom | SOPRANO
Jonathan de Ceuster, Iris Bouman, Rob Cuppens, Mieke van Laren, Peter de Groot | ALTUS
Henk Gunneman, Martí Doñate, Chris Postuma, Guido Groenland, Emanuele Petracco | TENOR
Donald Bentvelsen, Hans Wijers, Vincent de Soomer, Michiel Meijer, Andreas Goetze | BASS
Catherine Manson, Marta Jiménez, Anna Ryu, Rie Kimura | VIOLIN I
John Wilson Meyer, VIOLIN I, VIOLA
David Rabinovich, Marc Cooper, Daphne Oltheten | VIOLIN II
Liesbeth Nijs | VIOLIN II, VIOLA
John Crockatt, Annemarie Kosten-Dür | VIOLA
Robert Smith, Konstanze Waidosch | CELLO
Michele Zeoli | DOUBLE BASS
Antoine Torunczyk, Clara Espinosa Encinas, Stephan Esmeijer | OBOE
Martin Bolterauer | CORNETT
Simen van Mechelen, Claire McIntyre, Joost Swinkels | TROMBONE
Nicolas Isabelle | TRUMPET
Wouter Verschuren | BASSOON
Kathryn Cok | ORGAN
Ton Koopman | CONDUCTING & ORGAN
Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and university lecturer Ton Koopman is one of the leading interpreters of early music with a particular accent on historically informed performance practice. Koopman founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1979 and the Amsterdam Baroque Choir in 1992, which now performs together as the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir. Among many other works, Koopman has recorded all of Bach's cantatas with this ensemble specializing in early music. Ton Koopman has been President of the Leipzig Bach Archive (Bach-Archiv Leipzig) since 2019.
© 2023 Deutsche Welle/Bachfest Leipzig
Thumbnail photo: © Foppe Schut
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[@judithwhitehouse2149]

Catherine Manson - utmost respect and thanks!

[@Dave_VM]

Thanks for sharing. Really beautiful! Cantatas start with BWV 4.2 at 34:04 BWV 66.3 - 56:35 BWV 37 - 1:40:22 BWV 104 - 1:57:44

[@escueladejazzenespanol6875]

Muchas gracias por compartir este maravilloso trabajo.

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Dear Escuela de jazz en español, we're glad you enjoyed the concert 😊

[@johngreenhalgh3097]

Brava, bravo, brava, bravo

[@saidtoshimaru1832]

This is an abosulte gift.

[@andersoncarvalho4617]

Obrigado, obrigado, obrigado; um milhão de vezes obrigado! ❤

[@AlexanderWinkler]

Last year i had the opportunity to meet and hear Ton Koopman. His music truly is living music, and he does a great job of explaining this fantastic music.

[@FlexingClassicalMusic]

🎼 I often find myself humming tunes from videos I watch, and I have a feeling I'll be humming this one for a while. The music lingers in your mind, leaving a lasting impression. Well done to the composers and creators! 🎶

[@bernadettedewit7688]

*composer

[@vsobko]

Дуже дякую! Молодці!

[@VideoFunForAll]

Everything is great except for the English narrator, please let them talk in German and subtitle it instead.

[@albertohernandezreyes7365]

Love it!!!!!! Thank you very much!

[@bellinivernon]

Que bien ... !

[@ab122459]

so beautyful❤❤❤

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Amazing experience :)

[@carloma.3511]

Grazie Maestro Koopman

[@Reasonable22]

This is exquisite.

[@quaver1239]

Wonderful. Thank you so, so much. And the lovely Dutch people; much appreciated that they give as an English translation of the discussion. Certain other countries don’t bother doing this.

[@dieterbarkhoff1328]

The discussion was in German: the Dutch are still learning how to speak it properly - a german joke, Joyce...

[@Henk_H]

@@dieterbarkhoff1328heh heh… we Dutch like think we took the German language and “cleaned it up a bit” from all the harsh “sh” sounds and diphthongs… (a Dutch joke 😘😉)

[@dieterbarkhoff1328]

@@Henk_H Thanks, wonderful reply: I appreciate it.🤣🤣😍😍

[@Henk_H]

@@dieterbarkhoff1328 graag gedaan!!! 😝

[@fulgenjbatista4640]

❤

[@carmencasanova443]

Aquí fue maestro nuestro querido Karl Richter

[@bidouilleux]

Nous y étions et ce fut un magnifique concert. Dommage que la MDR ne retransmettent pas tous ces concerts en son surround.

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thank you for your comment. The Bachfest has an overview on its website of all concerts that are streamed or recorded and published later, perhaps that is interesting for you? www.bachfestleipzig.de/de/bachfest/mitschnitte-und-streaming-von-bachfest-konzerten (Unfortunately, the site is only in German - if you have problems understanding it, we will be happy to help you). Best from Berlin!

[@Coffebucks]

❤❤

[@rickmarti77]

I'd love to listen to these cantatas. Koopman is great. Without an index it is hard to know where we are . Not interested in listening to six in a row.

[@nlamorte90]

a few comments down someone listed them with timestamps

[@rickmarti77]

@@nlamorte90 Thanks

[@armine.rinkewitz293]

Schade: Entweder die Aussteuerung der Aufnahme war fehlerhaft, oder die männlichen Solisten haben der Sopranistin sehr unmusikalisch die Melodieführung in den Duetten nicht überlassen.

[@danybur]

Como siempre, impecables, aunque mal balanceadas las cuerdas. El programa está armado como al revés, ya que la primera parte es más interesante musicalmente.

[@domasbutvila2608]

2000 m. 😢

[@hangpham6168]

Opa Koopman kämpft gegen die träge Masse. Traurig. Die Clarine ist eine Zumutung. Kann der nicht mal üben bevor er auftritt?

[@hangpham6168]

Kann nicht weiter anhören. Ganz kalter Café zum Bach Geburtstag. Ladet Rademann ein oder Veldhofen oder gleich Pichon oder Herreweghe. Oder Lutz. Aber nicht diese Geriatrie Truppe

[@user_user1337]

Deine Kritik ist schon bissig. Ich würde sagen, dass ist eben Kopmann's Interpretationsstil, der historisch orientiert ist, aber gleichzeitig, zugegeben, etwas bedächtig und verweilend. Ich würde nicht sagen, dass es etwas mit dem Alter der Stimmen (oder Instrumentalisten) zu tun hat.

[@alindmay]

La musica de Bach es tan excepcional que es excelente ya sea ejecutado mas vigorosamente o mas lento , esto ultimo da oportunidad de escuchar mejor el contrapunto entre todas las voces. A medida que envejezco (64), disfruto mas esto ultimo. Los musicos son intachables.

[@dieterbarkhoff1328]

Yawohl, Lutz ist besser....

[@WinrichNaujoks]

Koopman, 78. van Veldhoven, 71. Herreweghe, 76. Lutz, 72. Sind alle nicht die jüngsten.

[@jesuslozanofuentes5123]

No vemos el mundo como es vemos el mundo como somos.Pronto te tocará la geriatría, y te acordarás de estos comentarios, disfruta pues, el infierno es la mente de cada uno juzgando. Ojalá miles de estos conciertos se propagarse por toda la tierra, para erradicar la maldad ignorancia e inconsciencia de los humanos. Viva los geriatría,donde tu serás uno más.

[@hangpham6168]

Ist eigentlich schon jemand aufgefallen das sich die Aufführungspraxis von Bach Cantatas revolutionär veändert hat. Ich weise nur auf Franzosen wie Pichon hin. Und Leipzig spielt einen breitfüssigen langweiligen unspannenden Bach. Koopman hatte auch mal Biss. Lang lang ist's her. Top Langweilig

[@stephend7420]

Why wear black? So gloomy! Why have instrumentalists standing? So tiring! And why do modern conductors have to grin throughout the performance as if they were conducting children?