Bach close to home

Concert day today. First up is Bach, specifically a cantata "Ach! Ich sehe, itst, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe" (= Oh! I see now that I'm going to the wedding) BWV162. This was embedded in an Evangelical church service at a church I knew but had not seen inside. Telemann Ensemble Frankfurt were the Bach performers, but there was an organist and of course the cleric. I had never attended an Evangelical service, but I recognised plenty from my Catholic days. But we never got Bach! The Telemann Ensemble was SATB singers out front with vln1, vln2, vla, flute, clo, violone and organ/director. The cantata had most sitting out most of the time, but they came together for the chorus movement 6 to finish it all. Otherwise there were snippets of organ and three songs for the congregation to sing with organ accompaniment and a psalm (36:6-10). And a recitation of Matthew 22:1-14 (wedding feast) with accompanying sermon and communion and out. The Bach was lovely. All period instruments so soft gut tones and those four lovely voices up front, mostly individual, but coming together for the final chorus. Bach, of course, was so ingenious, irrepressible, intelligent and other adjectives. The group were a little wavering at first, but settled to comfortable and sweet for long notes and triplet-feeling 12/8 and quick recovery semiquavers throughout. Hearing Bach in Germany just seems right. So to celebrate, I had a local beer in a local, old pub just next door with wattle and daub construction but laid on beer taps and TV and even disco lights. This is how you live with history, I guess.

Telemann Ensemble Frankfurt and Andreas Kohs (organ) performed at a Cantata service at Evangelical Dreikonigskircke (Two Kings church) in Frankfurt. The Telemann Ensemble comprised Simone Schwark (soprano), Anne Bierwirth (alto), Georg Poplutz (tenor), Konstantin Paganetti (bass), Leanne Hinnicks (transerse flute), Nebuko Yamahuchi (violin 1), Kerstin Fahr (violin 2), Keiko Suginaka-Munshgesang (viola), Petra Kohs (cello), Christian Zincke (violone), and Andreas Kohs (organ, director). Pfarrer Jurgen Seidl (liturgy, sermon) led the service. The local pub next door was Zur Glocke.