Choir returns for 125th season
The tradition continues for The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, as the Bach at Noon concerts return for fall. The series begins Tuesday at Central Moravian Church and will be led by new Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Christopher Jackson.
The concerts are free to the public on the second Tuesday of each month (except December) through April, 2023.
“The September Bach at Noon is especially exciting for me, as it is my first concert here at Central Moravian Church — and it is going to be a big event,” Jackson stated in a news release.
The Choir will perform Orchestral Suite Number 4 and the early Cantata 71, Gott ist mein König, originally written to celebrate the inauguration of the new town council in 1708.
These selections are especially fitting as the Choir celebrates its 125th season in downtown Bethlehem.
“The Orchestral Suite demonstrates the heavy influence of French style on Bach’s instrumental music … the whole suite is exuberant!” Jackson explained. “Cantata 71 certainly matches that mood … What is particularly striking about Gott ist mein König is how Bach weaves in four vocal soloists into the fuller choral texture. He creates a variety of textures and affects by alternating between the groups of instruments — trumpets, oboes, strings — in addition to moments of outright surprise and sudden exclamations of joy.”
Bach at Noon is a series of 10 free concerts each season, including three in downtown Allentown. This year, the fall concerts feature orchestral and choral music from Bach, performed by members of The Choir and The Bach Festival Orchestra, with guest soloists.
November’s Bach at Noon will be performed on period instruments, including a selection from world-renowned flute soloist, Barthold Kuijken — one of the founders of the early music revival.
Confirmed repertoire and soloists for the first three concerts follow, with updates for the remainder of the season to come. Here is the lineup:
Tuesday
A program of J.S. Bach: BWV — 1069 — Orchestral Suite #4 and Cantata 71 —
Gott ist mein König
Soloists: Rebecca Myers, SopranoKate Jackman, Mezzo-SopranoNathan Hodgson, TenorDaniel Schwartz, Bass-Baritone
Oct. 11
A Program of J.S. Bach: BWV 82, Ich habe genug (Cantata for Baritone, oboe, and orchestra) and BWV 131, Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir
Soloists: Lawrence Jones, tenor; David Newman, baritone
Nov. 8
A Program of J.S. Bach: BWV 1013, Partita in A Minor — solo flute partita and BWV 209, Non sa che sia dolore — Cantata for soprano, flute, and strings
Soloists: Barthold Kuijkenm, flute; Sherezade Panthaki, soprano
The orchestra for this concert will be one-per-part and playing on period instruments: Elizabeth Field, violin; Linda Kistler, violin; Nina Falk, viola; Loretta O’Sullivan, cello; Heather Miller Lardin, double bass; Charlotte Mattax Moersch, harpsichord
Tickets and info
Bach at Noon concerts are free and open to the public; a free will offering will be gratefully received.
For tickets and information: bach.org 610-866-4382