Friedenskantate (Peace Cantata) for soli, choir, organ and orchestra is a work by German composer Jörg Widmann. It was composed in 2023, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach taking office as Thomaskantor in Leipzig. It was premiered on 8 June 2023 by Thomaskantor Andreas Reize conducting Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Thomanerchor at Thomaskirche.
In 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach was appointed Thomaskantor in Leipzig. His inaugural cantata was Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV 75. The cantata's theme is grave poverty, a serious problem of that time. Widmann took Bach's cantata and the Baroque form as starting point for his composition. The theme of the new composition is war, a contemporary subject. Friedenskantate was commissioned by the Bach Archive Leipzig financed by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.
Kantate is structured in seven parts.
A silent meditation for solo bass clarinet, the cantus is accompanied with tubular bells. The instruction for the bass clarinetist as homage to Bach is: Walk from sacristy to Bach's grave and then to the position in the orchestra while playing.
It's war! Torn style interspersed with drum attacks and shrill dissonance.
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Highly expressive setting.
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The emotional core of the cantata. The text was written shortly before his execution by the Nazis.
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At the end bright D major, in Baroque music regarded as the "key of glory", with trumpet and horn cheering and a big peal.
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8 June 2023, Leipzig, Thomaskirche
Anastassia Boutsko wrote at Deutsche Welle: "peace appeal" (""). Michael Stallknecht from criticized the final Halleluja of the "demanding" work as "dull" (""), but catchpenny. An anonymous reviewer wrote about the premiere: "lush, exuberant musical universe" ("") and "impressive interpretation" (""). Some in the audience could not stand the disturbing and agitative character of the work and fled the Thomaskirche.