VIRTUAL EASTER FESTIVAL 2-5 APRIL & ON DEMAND UNTIL 30 APRIL 2021 1 David Fisher David 2 OXFORD BACH SOLOISTS The Oxford Bach Soloists (OBS) is a Baroque ensemble whose ambition is to perform, in sequence, the complete canon of J.S. Bach’s vocal works over 12 years. Founded by Tom Hammond-Davies (Artistic Director) in 2015, OBS offers a unique musical experience that brings together a new generation of young soloists to perform these concerts. The OBS’s mission is distinctive and pioneering; while there have been many recordings and performances of Bach’s complete vocal works, OBS is performing them chronologically, programmed in real-time, and set in the context for which they were conceived – for instance, as Bach would have with performers, instruments and venues that echo the university and churches of his hometown of Leipzig. Bach’s music is community music – he was part of an extended network of musicians in northern Germany – and today, OBS champions our local students, scholars, players and soloists. Artistic Director Patron Tom Hammond-Davies Michael Chance CBE General Manager Trustees Flynn Le Brocq Miles Young (Chair) Helen Morton (Treasurer) Concert Manager Judith Finch Nathan Grassi Pegram Harrison Social Media Robert Quinney Rachel Lockwood Miranda Whiteley PR by Pumpkin PR www.oxfordbachsoloists.com [email protected] 3 WELCOME TO OUR FIRST EASTER FESTIVAL This year has been extraordinary. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragility of life and shown us how everything we know and love can be taken away from us overnight. And yet the seasons continue to turn, benignly unaware of the hardships we have endured. And even though this once-in-a-hundred-years event threatens to put the unshakeable on shaky ground, the human spirit somehow finds resilience in the face of crisis. Our capacity to seek out the silver linings in every situation has revealed immense innovation, leapfrogging our understanding of everyday life into a new age, precipitating what would have happened inexorably over a much longer period of time. Only through struggle does true innovation happen, and our achievements this year have been extraordinary. Our Easter Festival is an example of this. By coming together to find ways of connecting with our friends of family in spite of our bounds, we have discovered a panoply of generosity, warmth, and talent within our number, capable of shouldering the burden when others felt overwhelmed, and pulling together to keep things on course, following that message of hope that guides us all to find the things that bind us together in our common humanity. Easter is a celebration of renewal and rebirth. In the northern hemisphere, these themes are championed vividly in nature: new life and green shoots appear as Ēostre, or Ostara, the West Germanic goddess of Spring, ushers in her season of hope. During the past year, our capacity for maintaining hope has been put to the test like never before. The effects of the pandemic have created uncertainties that test even the most sanguine, buckling under the torment of hope deferred. But by definition, the object of hope is uncertain, synonymous to faith. Faith is what led John to write down his story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the greatest story ever told. Set to music by Johann Sebastian Bach, it finds a rhetorical power that is “daring, forceful and poetic” (Robert Schumann). In the final aria, the soprano mandates “Erzähle der Welt und dem Himmel die Not: Dein Jesus ist 4 tot!” (Tell the world and heaven the anguish: Your Jesus is dead!). This is exactly what John does, and it is painful, but necessary. Like John, our quest for truth can find reward, however hard the journey. There’s nothing ordinary in the story of Easter, and every year we are reminded of it. That makes every year extraordinary. Nick Pritchard (Evangelist), Peter Harvey (Christ), Alex Ashworth (Pilate), and our outstanding cast of young soloists present a brand new semi- staged production of Bach’s St John Passion directed by Tom Guthrie. Over the rehearsal period, our understanding of this monumental work deepened, and we found new insights that reveal a truth for us in the here and now. This is a performance for our time. At the heart of it, Martin Luther’s Easter hymn Christ lag in Todesbanden is an epic legend depicting the struggle between life and death. Told in 7 verses, it has the feeling of a folklore saga, passed down the generations by oral tradition around a fire. Picking up from where we left off at the end of the Passion, it graphically tells of how Christ vanquished death, each verse capped with a Hallelujah. It’s probably the first Cantata that Sebastian ever penned. Written at the age of 22, he sets Luther’s verses verbatim, each one cast in a unique musical style. Our young Bach defies all monotony with his fecund imagination, and the 14th century chapel at New College is the perfect location for this delicious medieval pageant. Our performance is preceded by a short lecture-concert presented by Professor Henrike Lähnemann, with music performed by the Lay Clerks and Organists of Christ Church Cathedral. Together they trace the development of the melody from its Roman Catholic roots (Victimae paschali laudes) through to its firm position in the Reformation canon. The Roman Catholic trope Quem queritis? (Whom do you seek?) is perhaps the best-known Medieval Mystery Play. It is a dramatised liturgical dialogue between the angel at the tomb of Christ and the women who are seeking his body. Bach takes up this ancient idea of the Mystery Play in his Osteroratorium (Easter Oratorio). Whereas the Quem queritis is directly lifted from the bible, the Easter Oratorio takes up an imagined narrative between Mary Magdalene, Mary Mother of James, Simon Peter, and John the Evangelist. Peter and John, at first incredulous, find hope and faith from the Mary’s who had seen an Angel with the news of Jesus’s resurrection. The story is interspersed with some of Bach’s finest arias and flanked with euphoric festive choruses. No one writes in D major like Bach! 5 Triumphant festivities bring our weekend to a close with Bach’s Easter Cantata 31 Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret (Heaven laughs! The earth rejoices). Written when he was 30 years old, it is a rich scoring for full suite of brass, woodwind, strings, and five-part chorus—a foretaste of the B minor Mass. The chorus cackles in triumph at the victory over death, and the soloists exhort us to jettison the old in favour of the new—like a good spring-clean! The famous heart-stoppingly beautiful soprano aria Letzte Stunde, brich herein (Final hour, break forth) points heavenward, before taking flight on the wings of a transcendent trumpet descant in the final chorale. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our thanks to the Dean and Canons of Christ Church Cathedral, and to the Warden and Scholars of New College for allowing us to come and film in their beautiful spaces. Special thanks to Joseph Denby and Nancy-Jane Rucker who went above and beyond to make it such a smooth experience for us. Fisher David In particular, I want to thank Tom Guthrie and Simon Wall. It has been extraordinary to have them join us on this project, particularly at short notice and we are so proud to witness the finished product! I also want to say a huge thanks to our General Manager, Flynn Le Brocq, whose unflagging energy, brilliance, and optimism has been phenomenal. No request is too great. No detail too small to worry about. He has been the linchpin in bringing about this extraordinary project. And finally, to you, our Bach Family of Friends and supporters. Thank you for sustaining OBS throughout this year, and beyond. Without your help, none of this would be possible. You foster the inspirational talents of our musicians whose energy and dedication shine gloriously. We have all grown musically, personally, and spiritually throughout the making of this project, and your support has given us the space to create something truly remarkable. Thank you! Tom Hammond-Davies 6 FESTIVAL OVERVIEW 3pm Friday 2nd April 10 BWV 245 St John Passion 3pm Saturday 3rd April 32 BWV 4 Christ lag in Todesbanden 3pm Sunday 4th April 52 BWV 249 Easter Oratorio 3pm Monday 5th April 58 BWV 31 Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret All Festival content is available to view ‘on demand’ at www.oxfordbachsoloists.com/easter2021 David Fisher David Nick Rutter Nick 7 David Fisher David CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL Christ Church Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in Oxford and one of the smallest cathedrals in the Church of England. For almost 900 years this church has stood here as a place of worship and prayer. Since 1546, uniquely in the world, it has had a dual function as both College Chapel and Cathedral church for the Diocese of Oxford. This beautiful building is home to a vibrant worshipping community and hosts a wide range of events, music, art and drama. The Shrine of St Frideswide, our patron saint, lies at the heart of the Cathedral in the Latin Chapel. The Latin Chapel also houses the St Frideswide Window, by the famous pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne- Jones. The Cathedral also boasts a Chancel with a remarkable stone vaulted ceiling which was created in 1500 and is considered to be one of the finest examples of its type in any English cathedral. 8 NEW COLLEGE OXFORD New College was founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham (1324-1404), bishop of Winchester, as ‘the college of St Mary of Winchester in Oxford’, and it was the largest college in Oxford at that time.