Bach’s Cantata 140

Nathan Leaf, Conductor
Jeanne Fisher, Soprano
Aaron Carlyle, Tenor
Marc Callahan, Baritone

Cantata 140 is a chorale cantata composed by J.S. Bach in 1731, using a very famous chorale, “Wachet auf” (Sleepers, Awake!) which appears in many Christian hymnals. The original hymn was written in 1599 by German pastor Philipp Nicolai, after surviving a deadly plague in his town.

Bach’s setting has been called a “regal masterpiece” — the writing is self-assured, warm, and joyous, and shows Bach at his most melodic.

This program also offers a pre-performance discussion on cantatas, including live musical examples.

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Our Guest Artists

The Mallarmé Chamber Players are a flexible ensemble of professional musicians based in Durham, North Carolina, whose mission is to enrich the lives of the community through outstanding chamber music performance.

The groups performs programs that include rarely heard works from the traditional chamber music repertoire that celebrate the diversity in our community by featuring the music of African American, Asian, Latino and women composers.

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