New work inspired by Bach a unique musical experiment

A launch event at The Church of St. John the Evangelist in Kitchener Sunday afternoon is the first of three opportunities to be part of a “unique musical experiment” presented by Waterloo Region’s Spiritus Ensemble entitled “Hauptmusik: The Cantata Project.”

Spiritus is “a community of singers and players dedicated to the performance of the sacred music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries,” with emphasis on the more than 200 cantatas that he composed, mostly for special days in the liturgical calendar.

The Cantata Project engages a contemporary composer and a contemporary poet in a process that recreates Bach’s way of doing things. The cantatas are substantial works that average 20 minutes or so in length usually based on texts created by local poets that were produced quickly, often at a rate of about one a week.

It was Daniel Cabena, a Guelph-based, WLU-trained counter-tenor who performs internationally, who came up with the idea of commissioning a new work inspired by Bach and following his methods and stylistic elements, including working within a limited timeline.

Part of the background here is growing up with a father who is an accomplished and prolific composer, Barrie Cabena, who was consulted about the viability of the experiment early on.

The next step was engaging a poet. The singer knew about Amanda Jernigan and, as he told me when I spoke with him this week, “loves to read and memorize her poems,” but they’d never met. So when he called her with the proposition, it was out of the blue.

Like Cabena, Jernigan is an artist with extensive local connections and a growing international reputation. She readily agreed to write a text for the new work. They share a love for “Ich habe genug,” the cantata Bach wrote for the Feast of the Presentation, when Jesus was presented at the temple and Simeon sang his song of praise and thanks. So this became the Cantata Project theme. The composer Cabena recruited to the project, Zachary Wadsworth, is similarly young and known internationally. His local connection is through his partner, organist Tim Pyper, who grew up here and will be part of the Cantata Project performances.

The next step was convincing Spiritus Ensemble artistic director Kenneth Hull, who was enthusiastic from the outset but had some initial doubts about the timeline. It didn’t take long, however, to see the possibilities: As Hull puts it, “It’s a brilliant idea. Not only the musicians, but also the audience, will have a unique opportunity to participate in the creative process.”

Amanda Jernigan’s text, called “The Temple,” has been published as a hand-sewn, limited edition chapbook by Baseline Press, a poetry micro-press in London, Ont. Copies will be available at the launch tomorrow, which will also include a reading by the poet and performances of Bach’s “Ich habe genug” and a Zachary Wadsworth composition entitled “The Nativity.”

This will be Wadsworth’s first look at the text. He will have a week or so to create the new cantata, which will be performed on Sunday, Jan. 28.

The public is also invited to attend a rehearsal for this performance at St. John the Evangelist on the previous Saturday.

As with all Spiritus Ensemble presentations, admission is free; donations gratefully accepted.