Daniel F. Azar baritone
Nina Violetta Aichner piano

Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach

Cantata BWV 56 “Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen”

Cantata BWV 82 “Ich habe genug”

- INTERMISSION -

Aria “Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm” from the cantata BWV 4 “Christ lag in Todesbanden”

Aria “Ächzen und erbärmlich Weinen” from the cantata BWV 13 “Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen”

Cantata BWV 158 “Der Friede sei mit dir”

Aria “Es ist vollbracht” from the cantata BWV 159 “Sehet! Wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem”

Aria “Ach, wo hol ich, Armer, Rat?” from the cantata BWV 25 “Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe”

Recitative & aria “Die Wunden, Nägel, Kron und Grab … Nun, du wirst mein Gewissen stillen” from the cantata BWV 78 “Jesu, der du meine Seele”

Johann Sebastian Bach accorded the bass voice a prominent position within his sacred output. Qualities such as nobility, authority, devotion and vocal suppleness are here coupled with virtuosity, ease in the upper register and depth of sonority in the lower range. In three of his most compelling cantatas (BWV 56, 82 and 158), the bass appears as the only solo voice, and it is frequently entrusted with the role of the vox Christi, giving voice to the words of Jesus in the Passions, Masses, oratorios and some cantatas.
In Bach’s lifetime, however, the term ‘bass’ embraced a wide spectrum of low voices; it was only towards the end of the eighteenth century that the baritone began to establish itself as a clearly defined vocal category. This invites the question of which voices today are best suited to the demanding repertoire Bach conceived for the ‘bass’.
At the point where the dramatic baritone meets the lyrical bass, one encounters a vocal timbre that brings together all the qualities Bach appears to have sought: dark-coloured yet expressive, weighty yet flexible and with a natural ease above the stave. Whether described as a dramatic baritone, a bass-baritone or a basse chantante, the designation ‘Bach-Baritone’ offers a persuasive way of capturing this vocal identity, while paying tribute to a composer who wrote for such voices with exceptional insight.
In this recital, the francophone Lebanese baritone Daniel F. Azar and the Austrian pianist of Hungarian descent Nina Violetta Aichner present a programme devoted entirely to Bach’s sacred cantatas. Performed in the intimate medium of voice and piano, their interpretation is poised, modern and inward-looking, illuminating the enduring vitality of a musical language that continues to speak across the centuries.

Organised by Daniel F. Azar. Tickets at € 30,-/20,- (regular/students and pensioners) are available from eventjet.at (Link) available. There is no box office!