Hampstead Collective – Fourth Concert – Bach Cantatas – Monday 21st September at 7.00 pm
One of the themes running through the Psalms is the visible presence of God. The notion of God pantokrator invites us to consider kratos-power-ut also kratein-to sustain-and in the balance of these two notions, we see an omnipotent God who benevolently sustains, yet does not interfere with, the universe. It is this subject that is celebrated in this week’s two cantatas. The famous virtuoso soprano & trumpet work Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen instructs its listeners-every creature in heaven and earth-to praise God both for his glory and for his sustaining help. ‘The heavens declare the glory of God,’ begins BWV 76, before describing both in the complexity of running semiquavers and in the words of the nineteenth psalm those ways in which the silent voices of the stars communicate across all time the praise of the Eternal. ‘So laot sich Gott nicht unbezeuget!’ announces the tenor soloist-‘Thus God does not leave himself unwitnessed!’.
The second part of the cantata takes an unexpected turn: ‘[May the world] hate me! To embrace Christ faithfully, I will abandon all joy’. We have, by this point, come some distance from the opening chorus, but the underlying principle is unchanged: it is precisely because the heavens unfailingly declare the glory of the eternal God that the hate of this temporary world is inconsequential. Before long, though, the full chorus returns and concludes: ‘The earth brings forth fruit… Your word is flourishing… May you, O God, be thanked and praised.’
If you want to listen to the concert live in church you can book a ticket through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-hampstead-collective-30975107523. Or you can watch on Facebook live via The Hampstead Collective Facebook page