Sunday, November 19, 2023
Johann Sebastian Bach's church cantatas are often considered the pinnacle of German sacred music, works whose theological depth and emotional resonance touch deep places in the human soul. The Bach Cantata Series presents these musical masterpieces accompanied by other notable choral and instrumental works of the Baroque era. This concert presents two cantatas and one of Bach's great organ works:
- Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen (Wretched being, who will restore me), BWV 48
- Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548
- Wachet! betet! betet! wachet! (Watch! Pray! Pray! Watch!), BWV 70
Composed as part of Bach's first cantata cycle of 1723, Cantata 48 combines the Apostle Paul's exhortation to the Romans to live more truthful lives with the story of Jesus's cure of the paralyzed man. Cantata 70 takes the topic of the "Second Advent" and exhorts us to look for a new heaven and a new earth. The Prelude and Fugue in E minor will be played on the Flentrop organ by Organ Scholar Katherine Johnson.
There is no charge for admission. Paid parking is available on a first-come-first-served basis in the Bryan Center Garage at 125 Science Drive. ADA parking is available in the surface lot at the same address.
Dr. Zebulon Highben, director of Chapel Music, will give a pre-concert talk at 4:00 p.m. in Duke Divinity School's Goodson Chapel on “Cantatas and Chorales in Context."