Following the mystery and soul searching of Advent, The Church longs for the birth of its Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Magnificat is the song of Mary – Jesus Christ’s mother, who tells the news of His longed-for arrival. With Baroque contrast at its heart, Bach’s Magnificat alternates grand choruses with intimate arias – excitable declamations with sensual invocations for the coming of Christ. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme must be one of Bach’s favourite Advent cantatas. Much like the sensual duet, Et Misericordia in the Magnificat, Bach writes beautiful duets between the soprano and baritone that represent the union of the Church and Christ. The first movement of this cantata is as fine a Fantasy as Bach ever wrote; a rich orchestration, French rhythmic grandeur and a syncopated Allelujah that is the personification of anticipation.
Bereitet die Wege from 1715 in Weimar, is more austere in its musical language and alternates arias and recitatives, and was written for the fourth Sunday in Advent. The fiendish opening aria for soprano and obligato oboe paints the word Bahn (road) with an endless, winding melisma signifying the difficulties that we have to go through during our earthly lives - hopefully reaching happiness in eventual Death. The final aria in the cantata for alto and obligato violin is astonishingly beautiful in its depiction of the Baptismal water, and reminds the listener of their Birth into the Church.
