Bach and the Light of the Reformation

Address

Akersbakken 32,
0172 Oslo

Bach and the Light of the Reformation

Description

As the autumn darkness settles over Oslo, Gamle Aker kantori and Oslo Circles invite you to a concert where light takes centre stage. In the concert "Bach og reformasjonens lys" the main work is the cantata "Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild" (BWV 79). The opening text is from Psalm 84 and describes God as sun and shield; a protective force that grants grace and honour. Martin Luther often used the sun as a metaphor for God's grace, a force that breaks through the darkness and gives new life. Light also recurs as an image of comfort, hope and joy in the motets "O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht" and "Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden". At the concert we will also hear music from the other giant of baroque music: Georg Friedrich Händel. With excerpts from "Water music" and a selection of "Neun Deutsche Arien" we encounter two very different sides of his music. Water music is festive, brilliant and extrovert music - written to resound over the Thames during a royal boat trip, and with a clear need to be heard. Neun Deutsche Arien, by contrast, are intimate and reflective. Here Händel puts nature, stillness and the inner life of the human being at the centre. With us we have the critically acclaimed, Spellemann-nominated baroque ensemble Oslo Circles. The ensemble was founded by the baroque violinist Astrid Kirschner, and she has leading musicians from the Scandinavian and international baroque scene on her team. With curiosity and passion the musicians dust off the old scores and show how modern, alive and surprising baroque music can be. Welcome to a concert about light, joy, comfort and hope, with music by two of the great masters of the baroque. Soloists: Hanne Marit Mordal Iversen, soprano Frøydis Fegran Kopperud, alto Filip Eshetu Steinland, bass Conductor: Alvilde Riiser