It's a most artfully composed song of glory: Bach created his motet Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied ('Sing unto the Lord a new song'), BWV 225 for a double choir - eight voices, divided into two, four-part choirs. In this video, the work is performed by RIAS Chamber Choir and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann. The 2008 concert was held in Berlin's Gethsemanekirche on the occasion of the RIAS Chamber Choir's sixtieth anniversary.
After his lifetime (1685-1750) many of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works languished in obscurity. His motets were some of his few works which continued to be consistently performed following his death - predominantly in the repertoire of Leipzig Thomanerchor boys’ choir, which Bach himself had led for many years. Many considered Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied a masterpiece - not least Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), who encountered it in 1789 on one of his numerous travels. Mozart reportedly instantaneously adored the Bach motet, asking for a copy of the sheet music to return to Vienna with.
Though Bach's handwritten motet score for Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied has been preserved, its precise date of composition remains unknown. What is certain is that it was composed in Leipzig between early summer 1726, and early 1727. As with the majority of Bach’s motets, the context for which the composition was created is a mystery. Each motet is appraised through varying criteria to determine whether it was a practice exercise, a celebratory piece for perhaps New Year’s Eve, festivals, birthdays, a funereal composition, or music of the Reformation.
Regardless of its background, the structure of BWV 225 is both refined, and highly virtuostic. The three movements performed by the double choir are complex, and each could stand alone as a choral composition. Biblical verses provide the lyrics; the first movement using Psalm 149:1-3, the third movement Psalm 150: 2&6. The second movement, however, is based on the third stanza of the Lutheran hymn Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren ('Now praise, my soul, the Lord’) - itself a paraphrasing of Psalm 103. Between the choral lines of the second movement, freely-composed passages of text are also interspersed.
The performance in this particular video is 'historically informed' - meaning that the RIAS Chamber Choir is not singing a capella, but rather performs using a method that was common during Bach's lifetime, according to which the lines of the singing voices are supported by the basso continuo and other instruments. This harmonic doubling of the singing voices is also called 'colla parte'.
(00:00) Applause
(00:13) 1.1. Sing unto the Lord a new song (Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied)
(02:23) 1.2. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King (Die Kinder Zion sei’n fröhlich über ihrem Könige)
(04:41) 2 Just as a father has compassion (Wie sich ein Vater erbarmet)
(13:15) 3.1. Praise the Lord for his acts (Lobet den Herrn in seinen Taten)
(14:37) 3.2. Let all that has breath praise the Lord (Alles, was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn)
Stephanie Petitlaurent | SOPRANO
Susanne Langner |ALTO
Christian Mücke |TENOR
Ingolf Horenburg |BASS
RIAS Kammerchor
Akademie für Alte Musik
Hans-Christoph Rademann | CONDUCTOR
The RIAS Chamber Choir was founded in Berlin in 1948. Shortly after World War II, when the American sector’s radio service 'Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor Berlins' (RIAS) wanted to found a choir, they could only gather enough singers for a chamber choir. This smaller choir nonetheless made a great impact, and had soon risen to national and international importance. Renowned for its precise sound, it is today one of the world's leading professional choirs. Its repertoire includes historically-informed interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque pieces, new interpretations of works from the Classical and Romantic periods, and regular premieres of works by contemporary composers.
A production of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg & EuroArts Music International in cooperation with ARTE
© 2008 RBB & EuroArts
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