Few composers have maintained such a constant presence in Western musical culture as Johann Sebastian Bach. More than two and a half centuries after his death, Bach’s music continues to be performed, studied, and adapted in contexts very different from those for which it was originally conceived. This enduring presence is due not only to the preservation of his repertoire, but also to the ability of his works to generate new interpretations and to function in different instrumental settings without losing their musical identity.
Presented on the date marking the composer’s death, this programme reflects on this capacity for permanence and transformation, highlighting a fundamental characteristic of his writing: the close relationship between vocal and instrumental music. In his cantatas, oratorios, and chamber works, instruments do not merely fulfil an accompanying role, but actively participate in the construction of the musical discourse, while the composer’s vocal writing itself displays a distinctly instrumental quality.
The works in the programme, both instrumental and vocal, belong to different periods of Bach’s output. The Trio Sonata in G major, BWV 1038, belongs to the body of chamber works associated with his Leipzig period. Although doubts remain regarding the complete authorship of the piece, it is generally attributed to Bach today, with the possible involvement of one of his sons. At the centre of the programme is the Largo from the Sonata sopra il Soggetto Reale, part of the Musikalisches Opfer (BWV 1079), one of Bach’s final major works. Composed following his celebrated encounter with Frederick II of Prussia in 1747, the collection brings together canons, fugues, and chamber works constructed around a theme provided by the monarch. Often regarded as a synthesis of the composer’s contrapuntal thinking, the work demonstrates Bach’s extraordinary ability to develop a single musical idea through multiple formal solutions.
The Trio Sonata in E-flat major, BWV 525, is the first of six trio sonatas for organ, probably composed during Bach’s Leipzig years as part of the musical education of his son Wilhelm Friedemann. These works occupy a unique place in the organ repertoire: although intended for a single performer, they feature three completely independent voices, reproducing the Italian trio sonata model. The version for flute, oboe, and basso continuo presented in this concert makes this structure particularly clear and illustrates the ability of Bach’s music to retain its coherence beyond its original instrumentation.
The cantata Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten (BWV 202) is one of the few surviving secular cantatas preserved in its entirety and is thought to have been composed during Bach’s Köthen period for a wedding celebration. At a time when Bach’s responsibilities focused primarily on instrumental music, this work stands out for the quality of its vocal writing and for its succession of recitatives and arias, which accompany the blossoming of nature as a metaphor for love and marital union.
Meine Herze schwimmt im Blut (BWV 199) is a sacred cantata composed in Weimar in 1714 to a text by Georg Christian Lehms. Written for solo soprano, it traces a spiritual journey from guilt and repentance towards reconciliation and the hope of salvation. The aria Stumme Seufzer, stille Klagen occupies a central place in this dramatic trajectory, condensing some of the expressive procedures most characteristic of the young Bach.
From Bach’s late vocal output comes Seele, deine Spezereien, from the Easter Oratorio (BWV 249). The work originated as part of a secular cantata composed for the Köthen court and was later adapted to the liturgical context of the Easter celebrations in Leipzig. This process of transformation illustrates a recurring practice in Bach’s compositional activity, as he frequently reused and reworked earlier pieces for new circumstances and functions. Far from being a simple reuse of material, this practice allowed the composer to give the same music new musical and textual meanings.
The enduring presence of Bach’s music is not solely the result of these practices of transformation. It also stems from the singularity of his musical language. Heir to several European traditions, Bach brought Baroque writing to a degree of complexity and elaboration unparalleled in his time, exploring the possibilities of counterpoint, harmony, and formal construction with a depth that continues to challenge performers, composers, and listeners. Yet this sophistication never becomes a mere intellectual exercise: even in his most elaborate works, the clarity of the musical discourse and its expressive power remain intact. Perhaps it is this rare combination of complexity and intelligibility, of structural rigour and communicative power, that lies at the heart of the universality of his music. Between memory and transformation, his music remains in motion, continually renewing its presence in contemporary musical life.
Diana Vinagre | Baroque cello & artistic direction
Carolina Andrade | Soprano
Tami Krausz | Baroque transverse flute
Pedro Castro | Baroque oboe
Haru Kitamika | Organ