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Wednesday 24 January 2007, at
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After a year of absence (in which our little boy, Alexander was born!), Realm of Music is back with a 'top of the pops' Bach recital with guest artist Soprano, Pepe Becker from my homeland, New Zealand. Pepe will be touring the UK in 2008 so this is a great chance for a sneak preview of a wonderful singer.
Bach's New Year Cantatas feature some of the most beautiful soprano arias in the cycle. The two we present in this programme have very different moods. BWV 171 is joyous and extrovert - this same aria was used in Bach's secular BWV 205 to represent sweet sweeping winds. BWV 58 however is a beautiful example of a pious paradox (I am happy in my suffering) which Bach expresses musically by a dancing rhythm combined with a sighing melody.
The famous d minor chaconne for solo violin is one of the great masterworks in the violin litterature, and it has been suggested that Bach actually wrote it as an epitaph to his first wife, Maria Barbara who died suddenly and unexpectedly while Bach was away with his then employer the Prince of Cothen. Certainly many musical motives of the piece are recognisable from the cantata BWV 4 'Den Tod'.
It is easy to forget that the genius who composed this wonderful music was also a father and family man. In fact the house the Bachs lived in in Leipzig was incorporated into the ThomasKirche school, so we can imagine the background noise Bach would have had to put up with while churning out his Cantatas. It was a family business to write them out in time for the service on Sunday too, so we can imagine the family sat around the table, candles burning and pens scratching! The virtuoso soprano part of BWV 51 was apparently written for one of Bach's sons (Friedeman) who was obviously an incredibly gifted singer. Bach must have been proud...
6:45pm: Wine and Drinks welcome with snacks
7.30pm: Concert
8.45pm: Post concert reception with the musicians