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Noontime Cantatas
The free Noontime Cantata Concert Series is a popular series of fifty-minute concerts presented on the first Tuesday of the month (October -- December and March -- May) at the Church of the Epiphany in downtown Washington, DC (1/2 block from Metro Center Metro station; click here for directions). Each concert features an organ work followed by one of Bach's cantatas performed by both chorus and period instrument orchestra. In 2006, after sixteen seasons, the Washington Bach Consort completed the entire cycle of 215 cantatas. In 2007, the Concert began the cycle anew on period instruments.
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Noontime Cantata
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 12:10 p.m. J.S. Bach
Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63
Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C Major, BWV 564: Jon Laird, organist
There are only two cantatas in the entire repertory for which Bach calls for four trumpets, instead of the usual three, and this is one of them! Written for Christmas Day, one of the most festive celebrations of the entire Christian Liturgical Year, it is also unusual in that it uses a libretto by Johann Michael Heineccius who was the Pastor of the Marienkirche in Halle (Handel's birthplace) and a great admirer of Bach.
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
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Noontime Cantata
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 12:10 p.m. J.S. Bach
Komm, du süsse Todesstunde, BWV 161
Prelude & Fugue in C Minor, BWV 546: Edward A. Moore, organist
This evocative work is based on the famous "Passion Chorale" whose melody is featured prominently in the first movement as an obligato organ part played on the church's Aoelian Skinner pipe organ. It returns again in the final chorale giving the cantata a formal, rounded-out structure. Despite its delicate orchestration of recorders and strings, this work has a very intricate texture of up to 10 individual parts. The libretto is by Solomo Franck.
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
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Noontime Cantata
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 12:10 p.m. J.S. Bach
Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe, BWV 185
Prelude & Fugue in G Major, BWV 541: Julie Vidrick Evans, organist
Written for the fourth Sunday after Trinity and again employing a text by Franck, this little gem treats the melody "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ" in the outer movements, first as an obligato line played by the oboe in the soprano/tenor duet and finally by the first violin weaving a beautiful descant above the four-part chorale.
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
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Noontime Cantata
Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 12:10 p.m. J.S. Bach
Erschallet, ihr Lieder, BWV 172
Prelude & Fugue in D Major, BWV 532: Scott Dettra, organist
The festive conclusion to this Cantata Series season is this splendid work scored for trumpets, timpani, flute, oboe and strings written for the Feast of the Pentecost, the celebration of the birth of the Christian Church. It was quite possibly also used, with a different text, as a New Year's Day cantata in honor of the Princely House of Weimar. The sixth movement is a chorale based on the tune by Philipp Nicolai (1599) usually associated with the words "How brightly shines the morning star." As with the previous cantata, No. 185, the first violin again creates a flowing musical halo above the familiar melody. Bach reprises the brilliant opening chorus to conclude this exuberant work.
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
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