When you’re employed as a composer, you don’t have the luxury of choosing when and what you want to write. In Johann Sebastian Bach’s case, his tenure as a composer in various locations often required that he write new music for every special day in the ecclesiastical calendar, which meant he had to produce close to 60 new pieces of music each year. Fortunately for those who love his music, the result of this composing schedule was a treasure trove of musical works, especially cantatas. While many of these works have been lost over centuries, enough remain that choral groups can still find a wealth of music to perform.
You can discover some of these treasures for yourself at the upcoming concerts by the San Francisco Bach Chorus on March 26 and 27. The concert is designed to showcase some of the choir’s favorite pieces from its almost 75 years of performances. The program promises to highlight the sheer genius of Bach’s choral compositions.
The centerpiece of the concert is the motet BWV 228 Fürchte dich nicht. Written for a double choir, this was composed for a funeral, but like Bach’s other motets, it also displays, according to Artistic Director Corey Jamason, “a tremendous joyousness and positivity.”
Some of the other favorite choruses to be sung include the familiar and the less-well-known, ranging from his earliest known cantata to works composed during his years at Leipzig. Yes, Wohl mir, dass ich Jesum habe (Jesu, joy of man’s desiring) will be a part of the mix, but listeners will have a chance to hear other cantatas that may not be as familiar. Perhaps the one most relative to events over the past two weeks is the cantata Aus der Tiefe, BWV 131. Composed around 1707–1708, it commemorates the victims of a huge fire that destroyed about one-fourth of the city of Mühlausen.
As an added bonus, Jamason notes, “We have a guest conductor and pianist, Hilda Huang, a 14-year-old student of mine in the SFCM Preparatory division. She is the most remarkable young interpreter of Baroque music I have ever heard, truly astonishing. I asked her to participate in order to celebrate the future; while we look to the past 75 years, we are very much looking forward and I can think of no better way to do this than to have this young, amazing performer share the stage with us.”
When it comes to Bach’s choral works, the S.F. Bach Choir knows the music as well as anyone. So it’s well worth a listen when it performs its favorites. You’re guaranteed an evening of inspiring vocal performances.