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Buxton International Festival

The English Concert

Dialogues of the Soul – Bach cantatas for Soprano and BassSt John's Churchbutton--dates-and-timesDates & Times

Kristian Bezuidenhout, director
Rachel Redmond, soprano
Matthew Brook, bass

Bach Cantata 32 – Liebster Jesu mein Verlangen
Telemann Water Music suite in C Major, TWV 55:C3
Bach Cantata 57 – Selig ist der Mann
Bach Cantata 58 – Ach Gott, wie manches Herzelied

While Bach’s large choral works are among the great pillars of Western art music, it is in his cantatas that we find him at his most adventurous. His dialogue cantatas – in which the soprano sings the role of the ‘Soul’ and the bass embodies ‘Jesus’ – draw upon a tradition dating to early Christian and medieval mysticism, their forms unfolding like miniature operas. Here, we see the drama in Bach’s music turns inwards, the emotional development taking place in the listener’s mind; what we lack in terms of stage paraphernalia, transforms into a profound experience that these dialogue cantatas capture with such searing intensity.

The English Concert, directed by their acclaimed guest principal conductor Kristian Bezuidenhout, bring the richness of Bach’s music to our festival together with Matthew Brook, one of the greatest Bach singers today, and young soprano Rachel Redmond, nominated in 2018 for the South Bank Sky Arts Opera Breakthrough award.

  • Duration: 1hr 30mins
  • Price: £30