FULL Cantata O holder Tag BWV 210 (J.S.Bach) Naarden 2022 Netherlands Bach Society, Julia Doyle
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: Cantata O holder Tag BWV 210
- Composer: Bach Johann Sebastian
- Libretto:
- Venue & Opera Company: Grote Kerk, Naarden, The Netherlands
- Recorded: September 10, 2022
- Type: Concert Live
- Singers: Julia Doyle
- Conductor: Sayuri Yamagata
- Orchestra: Netherlands Bach Society
- Stage Director:
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: Netherlands Bach Society
- Date Published: 2024
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: yessubs, ensubs, othersubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
12 January 1729: Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels visits Leipzig and is lavishly feted – which, of course, includes music. Bach was the first to be appointed to write a new work for the occasion, leading to the premiere of O angenehme Melodei BWV 210a. The soloist is almost sure to have been Anna Magdalena Bach (Bach’s second wife), with whom the duke was acquainted from her days at his art-loving court.
An occasional work like this could easily have disappeared into a drawer, were it not for the fact that Bach continued to perform this cantata, at least four times. That was facilitated by its rather generic content: after all, an exposé of the power of music is suitable for practically any occasion. A few new recitatives here and a few small adjustments to the words of the arias there, and lustre was added once again to a prominent event, without too much extra work. This was the case for BWV 210a, which was rewritten to become BWV 210, O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit, for the occasion of a wedding.
A wedding? You might expect something a bit more festive for an event like that, such as the sparkling cantata 201, Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde. Because what should we make of a line like ‘bei verliebte Eheleuten soll’s stille sein’ (for loving spouses, it must be silent)? Silence at a wedding party? Was music a threat? Yet this pious reflection appears to have fitted the anonymous husband and wife perfectly. Recent research points towards an ambitious young couple: the Berlin court physician Georg Ernst Stahl and Johanna Schrader. They were good friends of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, whose father Sebastian occasionally stayed with them.
In five arias, Bach achieves maximum variety with regard to instrumentation and atmosphere. From the beautiful ‘beseelte Lieder’, we go via ‘matte Töne’ and ‘zarte Harmonie’ to the paradoxical third aria. Here, the flute is silenced in vain, as it goes its own way – more virtuoso than ever. This is followed by a stylised polonaise and a chorale-like closing aria; absolutely not a cheerful dance. This serious character suggests that the solo cantata was intended for connoisseurs. The lyricist who rewrote the words expressly thanks them again for their good taste… and undoubtedly their well-filled purse!