Arp-Schnitger-Festival V: Vergnügte Ruh

Programme:
Johann Sebastian Bach: sinfonia from »Gott soll allein mein Herze haben« BWV 169, cantatas »Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust« BWV 170 and »Ich habe genug« BWV 82, »Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin« BWV 616 (from »Das Orgelbüchlein«), »Von Gott will ich nicht lassen« BWV 658 (from »Leipziger Choräle«) and Trio in D minor BWV 583

Did Johann Sebastian Bach ever play on the organ built by Schnitger in 1693/4 for the church of the Hamburg orphanage, the instrument that has been in Grasberg since 1788? Pure speculation! What we do know is that Bach admired Schnitger’s organs and that the one in Grasberg is a perfect fit for his work. And this is where Alois Mühlbacher enters the stage, who openly declared Bach to be his holiest of holies. He was already a sensation as a solo treble with the St. Florian’s boys’ choir, and now as an almost 30 year old countertenor he has long been performing all over Europe, and not just Bach’s cantatas and passions. In 2023 he founded the Pallidor Ensemble together with Franz Farnberger, which has – how appropriate! – selected Bach’s vocal work as one of the cornerstones of its repertoire. Together with organist Erich Traxler, the ensemble they are the dream team to roll out the red carpet for Bach AND Schnitger…

Ensemble Pallidor
Alois Mühlbacher countertenor
Erich Traxler organ
Franz Farnberger director

supported by the Conrad Naber Stiftung, the Gottfried Stehnke Bauunternehmung, the Osterholzer Kreisblatt and the Wümme-Zeitung