1 Oct 2022
Bach: Cantata no. 39, Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot
Vivaldi: Concerto in D minor for two oboes, RV 535
Nicolaus Bruhns: Cantata for two sopranos and strings, Erstanden ist der heilige Christ
Buxtehude: Cantata for choir and two violins, Befiehl dem Engel, daß er komm
Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in C minor, RV 401
The Thames Consort brings the season to a close with a programme of Baroque music for choir and chamber orchestra.
When JS Bach was appointed as Thomaskantor at Leipzig in 1723, his job included directing a cantata in the church every Sunday and festival, and he wrote three cycles of cantatas during his early years there. No. 39 was performed on the first Sunday after Trinity in 1726.
Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-97) was an organist, virtuoso violinist, viol player and composer, who was a favourite pupil of Dietrich Buxtehude. In 1689 he was appointed as organist at Husum, Schleswig-Holstein. Before his early death he wrote several cantatas and organ works.
Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707) was the leading German organist of the early Baroque. JS Bach famously walked 250 miles to hear him play.
Antonio Vivaldi taught music at the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls in Venice, which was noted for its orchestra and singers; he composed some 500 concerti for his pupils, for a wide range of instruments. His published sets of concerti achieved fame across Europe, and influenced other composers including JS Bach.