The program for the four concerts includes Johann Sebastian Bach’s (1685-1750) cantata “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” BWV 1, Antonio Caldara’s (1670-1736) Magnificat in C Major, which will be “an unnoticed modern premiere,” and the “Te Deum” in D Major by Jan Zelenka (1679-1745).
“In its first number, the ‘tutti’ of the ensemble, led by two solo violins, sets the atmosphere for the choir to present a highly elaborate version of a hymn’s melody, well known in Lutheran circles at the time. Bach’s genius does not impose itself or leap out to the listeners: it simply ‘is.’ It occurs as a natural necessity of the text’s expression and the composer’s creativity, as if it could not be otherwise, an auspicious inevitability,” states the concert’s program notes regarding Bach’s cantata.
The same text highlights Bach’s interest in Caldara’s work, noting that “somewhere among his belongings, perhaps in a drawer, Bach had a handwritten copy of a Magnificat in C Major by Caldara.”
“As for Caldara’s Magnificat, which will be sung in these concerts, little is known. Was it ever in Bach’s drawer? Or did it end up in the wastebasket? We only know it is a small gem, about ten minutes long. The choir, accompanied by the ensemble’s ‘tutti,’ has three interventions—at the beginning, middle, and end—that frame a series of small arias, a duet, and a trio, all intimate in character, accompanied almost exclusively by the continuo, punctuated here and there by some ensemble instruments,” indicated CACN.
Zelenka’s “Te Deum” is described as “an emblematic work of his repertoire: while fully Baroque, anchored in the compositional practices of the time, Zelenka’s music surprises and defines itself with harmonic singularities, non-evident melodies, phrasing asymmetries, and an abundance of rhythmic irregularities, syncopations, and polyrhythms.”
Under the direction of conductor Luís Lopes Cardoso, CACN will perform on Saturday at the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, repeating on Sunday at the Church of Nossa Senhora das Mercês. The following weekend, the same ensemble will perform at the Church of Sagrado Coração de Jesus on Saturday, and at the Basilica da Estrela on Sunday.
The concerts on Saturdays and Sundays will take place at 5:00 PM, while those on the weekend of the 13th and 14th are scheduled for 9:00 PM.
The concerts will feature soloists Inês Tavares Lopes and Beatriz Ventura, sopranos, Estrela Martinho, contralto, Tiago Simas, tenor, João Fonseca e Castro, bass, with Benedikt Gasenzer on the organ.
According to CACN, at the end of some concerts, a collection of donations will be made, with proceeds going to support CACN’s choral activities and for social works and/or improvements of the churches hosting the events.
