The Lord Thinks of Us – Concerts with Bach Cantatas Bach-Verein Chur

Christ lay in Death Bonds BWV 4
Look, dear God, how my enemy BWV 153
The Lord Thinks of Us BWV 196


Bach wrote the cantata "Look, dear God, like my enemy" (BWV 153) in his first year in Leipzig for the Sunday after New Year's Day 1724. The prescribed readings were the flight to Egypt. The unknown librettist took the murder of the children in Bethlehem as an opportunity to shed light on the situation of the Christian, who is besieged by enemies. This cantata is framed by two early works: "Christ lag in Todes Banden" (BWV 4) and "Der Herr denktt an uns" BWV 196. The finale is a wedding cantata, which Bach probably composed for the marriage of a friend. The text is completely attuned to the theme of Christian marriage and is based on Psalm 115.


The ensemble
Bach Choir Chur
Bach Orchestra Chur
Pieder Jörg, organ/harpsichord
Soloists: Manuela Tuena, soprano; Nora Bertogg, mezzo-soprano; Christoph Waltle, Tenor; Mattias Müller-Arpagaus, baritone


The Association
Committed musicians came together in Chur in 2019 to perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach. After successful first concerts, the Bach-Verein Chur was founded in the sense of a support association. This has set itself the goal of rehearsing concerts with music by J. S. Bach every year and, if possible, taking local musicians into account. From initial ripiano tasks, a 25-member choir of advanced amateur singers has been formed. The soloist and instrumental ensemble has been able to establish itself over the years. To date, the Bach-Verein Chur has performed 21 Bach cantatas. At the beginning of April 2022, the "St. John Passion", one of the most important works of church music, was on the program. In addition to the two usual concert weekends in Chur and the surrounding area, an engagement on October 27, 2024 also took our ensemble to Weiningen ZH - where a kind of "best-of" from our previous programs of recent years was heard.
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