Le Banquet Céleste

Hana Blažíková, sopranonn, altoThomas Hobbs, ténorBenoît Arnould, basse Le Banquet CélesteGeorg Philipp TelemannCantate TWV 4-17 « Du aber Daniel, gehe hin  »Johann Sebastian BachCantate BWV 106 « Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit  » (Actus tragicus)Cantate BWV 161 « Komm, du süßes Todesstunde  »Meditation on death was of fundamental importance in the Baroque era, and Bach returns to this subject time and again in his cantatas.

A work of his youth but already of absolute mastery, Cantata BWV 106, known as the « Actus tragicus  », is directly linked to death, since it was written in 1707 or 1708 for the funeral of a personage whose name is unknown.

By turns solemn, intense or tender, this cantata must have been dear to Bach, since ten years later he reused a similar ensemble (notably two eloquent flutes) for Cantata BWV 161, which depicts the believer weary of the turpitudes of the world and longing for death.

Bach is not the only one to evoke the Reaper: his fellow composer and friend Telemann offers, with his Cantata « Du aber Daniel  », a deeply moving lament, likewise inspired by the death of an unknown personage.

An assembly of exceptional singers and instrumentalists, Le Banquet Céleste continues its exploration of this fascinating world, in which it establishes itself as an undisputed reference.