Fri, 13.11.2026
J. S. Bach: BWV 226 «Der Geist hilft» and BWV 229 «Komm, Jesu, komm»

Bach cultivated the polyphonic vocal art of his ancestors, doubled with strings and winds, only rarely, but when he did, he did so with artistic depth and creative mastery. As in the case of the motet BWV 226, composed in 1729 for the death of the school rector Ernesti, the occasion for these works was almost always a prestigious funeral within the circle of the Thomasschule and the upper echelons of Leipzig's citizenry. While the surprisingly joyful "Geist" motet, with its increasing vocal density, allows the music to powerfully "pray" in place of the fading word, "Komm, Jesu, komm" (Come, Jesus, come) takes up a funeral aria composed by Bach's predecessor Johann Schelle as early as 1684, but transforms it into a far more modern musical language of elegiac consolation.

With a reflection on the cantata text by Oliver Zimmer.

Program:
5:30 p.m.
Musical-theological introduction to the works with Rudolf Lutz and Pastor Niklaus Peter

7:00 p.m. - approx. 8:30 p.m.
1st concert performance
Reflection
2nd concert performance