The Bachs' Ascension: EMS 13 May

[doversoul1]

Hannah French looks at music celebrating the Feast of the Ascension through the eyes of father and son JS and CPE Bach.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b2jfq8

[doversoul1]

I thought the programme was an excellent mixture of academic and lay interest (?) All made a good sense to me with a good selection of music.

[ardcarp]

Lovely programme. What a surprise to hear Iestyn singing (what I think of as) the Agnus Dei from the B minor mass. Seems quite heart-wrenching for an Ascension Cantata. Hannah mentioned that JSB had used it before, so this must have been Bach's 2nd use of it...and the B minor mass the 3rd.

[Pegleg]

Lovely programme. What a surprise to hear Iestyn singing (what I think of as) the Agnus Dei from the B minor mass. Seems quite heart-wrenching for an Ascension Cantata. Hannah mentioned that JSB had used it before, so this must have been Bach's 2nd use of it...and the B minor mass the 3rd.

My copy of Matthew Halls recording of Ascension Oratorio had it's annual outing last week, the CD notes mentions that the alto aria “Ach, bleibe doch” was famously a parody of “Entfernet euch, ihr kalten Herzen”. Not so famous to me, I had to do a bit of searching to learn that "lto aria “Ach, bleibe doch” was based on the aria “Entfernet euch, ihr kalten Herzen” from the wedding cantata Auf! süß-entzückende Gewalt (now lost)".

Yes it was sung unmistakably by Iestyn Davies.