Johann Sebastian Bach: Magnificat in E-flat major | Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir

Johann Sebastian Bach composed but one Magnificat in his lifetime, yet it would become a milestone in music history. Conducted by Ton Koopman, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir here present the difficult and rarely-performed original version of the Magnificat in E flat major, BWV 243.1, in Leipzig's St. Thomas Church, 2003.

(00:00) Intro
(00:15) Magnificat (Orchestra and Choir)
(03:16) Et ex(s)ultavit spiritus meus (Aria)
(05:40) Quia respexit humilitatem (Aria)
(07:50) Omnes generationes (Choir)
(09:11) Quia fecit mihi magna (Aria)
(11:05) Et misericordia (Duet)
(14:44) Fecit potentiam (Choir)
(16:38) Deposuit potentes, (Aria)
(18:44) Esurientes implevit bonis (Aria)
(21:39) Suscepit Israel (Choir)
(23:28) Sicut locutus est (Choir)
(24:41) Gloria Patri (Choir)

AMSTERDAM BAROQUE ORCHESTRA & CHOIR
Deborah York | SOPRANO
Bogna Bartosz | ALTO
Jörg Dürmüller | TENOR
Klaus Mertens | BASS
Ton Koopman | CONDUCTOR

They say "Save the best for last" – but for this concert, Dutch conductor Ton Koopman and his Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir put the best in the middle. It's exactly how Bach intended his Magnificat to be performed. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) came to Leipzig at the age of 38, taking positions as Thomaskantor and municipal music director. In his first year alone he composed 63 cantatas for church services on Sundays and public holidays. Of those, 38 were completely new, while the others were re-workings of the text or music of Bach's earlier pieces. That same year he also wrote the St. John Passion (BWV 245), and his largest choral work – the Magnificat. Despite the heavy workload, Bach composed many of his most famous cantatas during this period.

The Magnificat is a setting of the Latin 'Canticle of Mary' from the Gospel of Luke. Bach is said to have composed it for the Marian feast day on July 2, 1723 – scarcely a month after taking up his Leipzig post. In the Magnificat, the pregnant Mary praises the power of God's mercy, having learned from the archangel Gabriel that she is carrying God's Son. The prayer is amongst the most frequently set texts in music history.

The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, here performing the Magnificat in Bach's original version – in E flat major, BWV 243.1. In the 1730s, Bach would revise the work, opting to have it in the key of D major. It's that version which is more often played today; though the higher key of E flat major sounds more radiant, it's difficult to play, particularly for wind instruments.

It's not just the instrumentalists who have a lot to master in this work – much is demanded also from the singers of the five-part choir and arias. No two Bach cantatas sound the same, as he was continually experimenting with new sounds and forms. The Magnificat, for instance, is composed as for a festive cantata with choir and soloists, but features none of the recitatives on freely-composed texts. The structure is symmetrical: There are large choral passages at the beginning and end, and in the heart of the composition the 'Fecit potentiam' (He has shown strength) is sung by the choir. The five-part choral fugue – with its intense sound and intricate interlocking – is not only the climax of the Magnificat, it's also one of the piece's most difficult passages.

The Magnificat is often performed during the Christmas season, because Bach included melodies from well-known Christmas carols in an early revision of his E-flat-major version. For this concert, Ton Koopman – conductor, organist and early music expert – selected the original version in E flat major, without Christmas carols. The musicians of his Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra play on old instruments or replicas, presenting the piece as authentically as possible – and that in the very place that Johann Sebastian Bach worked as cantor from 1723 until his death in 1750: St. Thomas' Church, Leipzig.

© 2003 EuroArts Music International

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