The new season of Bach Vespers begins on 28 September, with a 6.30pm cantata service at St Mary-at-Hill in the City of London, hosted by St Anne’s Lutheran Church. City Bach Collective presents Bach’s beautiful and uplifting cantata BWV 27, Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende?, which dates from 1726, Bach’s fourth year in Leipzig. The poetic text paints death in a positive light, something to be welcomed, not feared, a release from worldly burdens and path to eternal bliss.

A highpoint of the cantata is the jaunty alto aria, with a nod to Vivaldi’s Spring (published just one year earlier) in it’s opening theme, accompanied, unusually, by both oboe da caccia and a sparkling keyboard obbligato. Other notable moments include the recitative interpellations within the opening chorus movement, and the contrast between the lullaby-like melody and agitated concitato string semiquavers (representing turbulence of life) in the bass aria. The cantata ends with a magnificent chorale setting, not by Bach, but by Rosenmüller. Composed in 1649, its archaic harmonisation and imitations are in earlier madrigal style. The last-minute swing into triple time at the end symbolises Heaven.

The service will also include other music from the German Baroque performed by our specialist team of voices and period instruments.

Everyone is welcome, so do come along and bring a friend. You don’t need to be religious, you can just come to enjoy the music. Entrance is free (with a voluntary collection). We look forward to seeing you and sharing Bach’s wonderful music.

Following Bach Vespers: 26 October (BWV 80)

A stunning performance of the brilliantly dramatic BWV 45 to a large and appreciative congregation formed a magnificent end to the season on 27 July.

We’re taking a break in August, but will be back for Bach Vespers in September.

Here are the autumn dates for your diary:

28 September: BWV 27

26 October: BWV 80

30 November: BWV 62

Meanwhile, we wish all our friends and supporters a wonderful summer!

Come and join us for our next Bach Vespers on 27 July at 6.30pm! It takes place at St Mary at Hill in the City of London, hosted by St Anne’s Lutheran Church. We’ll be performing Bach’s little-known cantata BWV 45, Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist, which was written in 1726. This powerful declamatory work exhorts the listener to lead a good and humble life in order to gain redemption. It is in two parts, intended to be performed on either side of the sermon. Two flutes are included in the scoring, which combine with the usual strings and oboes to create a special colour. The magnificent opening chorale fantasia represents a merging of the old motet vocal style and the new instrumental concertante style, to create a movement of epic proportions, including a majestic fugue. The second part of the cantata opens with a virtuosic bass aria in which evil-doers are condemned with operatic aplomb, to the accompaniment of energetic strings. The mellow sound of the flute in the following alto aria provides a stark contrast, before a simple final chorale. The service will include other music from the German Baroque performed by our specialist team of voices and period instruments.

Everyone is welcome, so do come along and bring a friend. You don’t need to be religious, you can just come to enjoy the music. Entrance is free (with a voluntary collection). We look forward to seeing you and sharing Bach’s wonderful music.

29 June marks the date of our next Bach Vespers performance. It takes place at 6.30pm at St Mary at Hill in the City of London, hosted by St Anne’s Lutheran Church. We’ll be performing Bach’s little-known cantata BWV 7, Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, which was written in 1724 to celebrate the feast of St John the Baptist (depicted here by Titian, 1540). With the opening reference to the River Jordan, Bach makes the most of the opportunity for word painting, with swelling waves clearly represented in the first movement and a watery theme pervading the whole cantata. The extensive and elaborate opening chorale fantasia is based on a the tune of a hymn by Martin Luther which references Christ’s baptism. This first movement is a tour de force in Italianate concertato style, featuring a virtuosic violin part. Later the tenor soloist is put through his paces in an athletic aria, matched by two violins which dip and dive around the melody. In addition to the cantata, the service will include other music by Bach’s contemporaries performed by our specialist team of voices and period instruments.

Everyone is welcome, so do come along and bring a friend. You don’t need to be religious, you can just come to enjoy the music. Entrance is free (with a voluntary collection). We look forward to seeing you and sharing Bach’s wonderful music.

Following Bach Vespers: 27 July (BWV 45).

Our next Bach Vespers is on 25 May at 6.30pm. It takes place at St Mary at Hill in the City of London, hosted by St Anne’s Lutheran Church. City Bach Collective presents Bach’s moving but rarely performed cantata BWV 87, Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen. First performed in 1725, this cantata is set to a text by a female librettist, Christiana Mariana von Ziegler, exploring how faith turns anguish to joy ‘über Honig süße’ (‘sweeter than honey’). The opening is dark, focusing on human guilt and fear, but the mood is transformed in the tenor aria, a soothing pastoral siciliano, reminiscent of the opening of Part 2 of the Christmas Oratorio. A central highlight of the cantata is the alto aria accompanied by two oboe da caccias (instrument pictured). With its highly chromatic harmonies and special caccia sound, this extraordinary movement has been likened to the dramatic ‘Ach Golgotha’ from Bach’s St Matthew Passion. The service will also include other music from the German Baroque performed by our specialist team of voices and period instruments.

Everyone is welcome, so do come along and bring a friend. You don’t need to be religious, you can just come to enjoy the music. Entrance is free (with a voluntary collection). We look forward to seeing you and sharing Bach’s wonderful music.

Following Bach Vespers: 29 June (BWV 7)