J.S. Bach: The Church Cantatas, Vol. 1: Easter Oratorio, BWV 249

The Easter Oratorio BWV 249, the first of the three works Bach called an Oratorio (the Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 and the Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 are the later examples), is compiled of earlier material conceived for secular purposes. The original composition was a congratulatory cantata (BWV 249a) written for the birthday of Duke Christian of Saxony‐Weissenfels (1682–1736) and performed on 23 February 1725. The music for this cantata was promptly re‐used for a liturgical work celebrating the first Easter feria of the same year (i.e. 1 April 1725). Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach Artists: Christine Brenk (soprano), Anne Greiling (alto), Frank Bossert (tenor), Thomas Pfeiffer (bass), Trompetenensemble Pfeiffer, Motettenchor Pforzheim, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Rolf Schweizer (conductor) Online purchase or streaming (Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Google Play): The composition consis