Chattanooga Bach Choir Cantata Concert

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Chattanooga Bach Choir

Cantata Concert

The Chattanooga Bach Choir & Orchestra, David Long artistic director and conductor, opens its 2023-24 season with a concert featuring J.S. Bach’s Cantata BWV 25, Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe (There is nothing sound in my body), written for the 14th Sunday after Trinity. The concert takes place on Sunday, September 10 at 5:00 p.m., at Christ Church Episcopal, 663 Douglas Street (at McCallie) in Chattanooga. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at: www.chattanoogabachchoir.org/.

In addition to Bach’s Cantata BWV 25, the Bach Choir will perform the Kyrie and Gloria from William Byrd’s Mass for 4 Voices (commemorating the 400th anniversary of his death), and the chorale prelude Freu’ dich sehr, o meine Seele by Johann Walther. Featured soloists are: Janelle Wagoner, soprano; James Harr, tenor; Zachary James Cavan, bass; and Karla Fowkes, organ.

David Long, comments, “We are excited to open our 2023-24 concert season, and we look forward to sharing our performances with Chattanooga music lovers. In keeping with our past performances of Bach’s Cantatas, this concert features one of his over 200 works for chorus, soloists and instruments and is being performed on the specific liturgical day for which it was written. In addition, we surround the Cantata with related choral motets and an organ solo to open the concert, as well as a brief explanation of the Cantata before its performance. We also invite the audience to join in singing the hymn that appears in the Cantata, creating a sense of unity and a shared musical experience. Cantata BWV 25 was written for the 14th Sunday after Trinity and was first performed on August 29, 1723, during Bach’s first year as the director of church music in Leipzig. Our concert also includes two movements from English Renaissance choral master William Byrd’s exquisite Mass for 4 Voices, as well as Johann Walther’s organ prelude based on the chorale heard in the cantata. We present these performances of Bach’s inspiring music to provide an hour of beauty and respite on a Sunday afternoon.”