Magnificat
reconstruction of the programme with which Bach first presented his Magnificat BWV 243a on 25 December 1723 in Leipzig
Le Poème Harmonique
conductor Vincent Dumestre
Erhard Bodenschatz
Alleluia
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata “Christen, ätzet diesen Tag” BWV 63
Gottfried Vopelius
Ein Kindlein so löbelich
Johann Sebastian Bach
Magnificat BWV 243a
Chorale “Gott sei uns gnädig” BWV 323
In December 1723, J. S. Bach took up his post at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. By Christmas Day, he had finished the first version of the Magnificat, which would soon become one of his most renowned works. However, this was not the only piece he performed that day, as he alternated his own compositions with works by other composers, including selections from the Florilegium Portense, an anthology of motets compiled a century earlier by Erhard Bodenschatz, and the Gesangbuch by Gottfried Vopelius, who had been active in Leipzig until a few years prior. Renowned for their expertise in reconstructing Baroque performances, Le Poème Harmonique will recreate the musical programme of that Christmas concert, enriched with a brief yet powerful Bach chorale as a farewell to this intensely spiritual scene.
