Bach Magnificat

Bach Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226
Bach Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068
Bach Motet No. 2, Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225
Bach Magnificat in D major, BWV 243

Soloists from the Oxford Philharmonic Choir
Oxford Philharmonic Choir
Academy of Ancient Music
Laurence Cummings director/harpsichord

The Academy of Ancient Music visit from Cambridge – gleaming trumpets and Music Director Laurence Cummings in tow – joining the Oxford Philharmonic Choir and its soloists for this portrait of Bach both vocal and instrumental, excitable and reflective. We hear music from the festive season 1723/24, including the exuberant Magnificat Bach wrote for Christmas Day and the energetic Cantata he wrote for New Years’ Day. There’s rest for the trumpets in Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3, though here they underpin textures more than tracing the music’s outline. The concert opens with Bach’s motet Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf – almost a concerto for florid eight-part choir.