J. S. Bach (1685 - 1750)
Cantata 82 (Ich habe genug) was written for the Feast of the
Purification (2nd February) in 1727. In accordance with the principles of
Pietism the text does not refer directly to a biblical event (in this case, the
reaction of Simeon to the experience of seeing the infant Jesus in the temple),
but obliquely, in paraphrase. It reflects upon approaching death, depicting a
progression from resignation to the end of earthly life in the first aria to
positive joy at the prospect of eternal life in the last. The cantata form as we
encounter it here is a cross between the German 18th-century church cantata and
the Italian cantata spirituale in that it contains a sequence of arias separated
by recitative, but was intended for church use. Part of Bach's work as Kantor
involved the provision of a cantata every Sunday for performance at the
Hauptgottesdienst, or main service. Considering that his singers were culled
from the local Thomasschule, it was imperative that the bulk of the music be
left to competent soloists, and in several of Bach's cantatas the chorus sings
only a chorale at the end. A few, such as Ich habe genug, are written
entirely for one soloist. The three arias that form the bulk of this cantata are
all superb examples of Bach's artistry. The outer movements share the
time-signature of 3/8, but could not be more different in character, the first
highly reminiscent of Erbarme, dich from the St. Matthew Passion,
the last a gigue whose eloquent melismas graphically illustrate the idea of
final release and joy. The middle movement, Schlummert ein, uses falling
phrases and subdominant inflexions to represent sleep.
Schola Cantorum
Schola Cantorum is Oxford University's longest-running chamber choir. It was
founded in 1960 by the Hungarian dissident Laszlo Heltay, and over the last
three decades many of the choir' s former members have become involved in
professional music at the highest levels. Former singers include Emma Kirkby and
Jane Glover, while Andrew Parrott, Nicholas Cleobury, and Ivor Bolton are among
the choir's former conductors. Schola Cantorum's patrons are Sir Michael Tippett
and Lord Menuhin, and for specific projects the choir has worked under Leonard
Bernstein, Gunstav Leonhardt, Sir Colin Davis, and Sir Neville Marriner as well
as Britten, Tippett, and Stravinsky in performances of their own music, since
1990 Schola Cantorum has been conducted by Jeremy Summerly under whom the choir
has released many recordings and has toured extensively, both in Britain and
abroad.
Jeremy Summerly
Jeremy Summerly studied Music at New College, Oxford from where he graduated
with First Class Honours in 1982. For the next seven years he worked for BBC
Radio and it was during this time that he founded the Oxford Camerata and
undertook postgraduate research at King's College, London. In 1989 he became a
lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music and in the following year he was
appointed conductor of Schola Cantorum of Oxford. In 1991 he signed a long-term
contract with Naxos to record a variety of music with Schola Cantorum of Oxford
and the Oxford Camerata.
Northem Chamber Orchestra, Manchester
Formed in 1967, the orchestra has established itself as one of England 's
finest chamber ensembles. Though often augmented to meet the requirements of the
concert programme, the orchestra normally contains 24 musicians and performs
both in concert and on disc without a conductor. Their repertoire ranges from
the baroque era to music of our time, and they have gained a reputation for
imaginative programme planning.
Concerts take the orchestra throughout the North of England and it has
received four major European bursaries for its achievements in the community.
With a series of recordings for Naxos the orchestra makes its debut on disc.
Nicholas Ward
Nicholas Ward was born in Manchester, the son of parents who met when they
became members of the Halle Orchestra. At the age of twelve he formed his own
string quartet which remained together for five years until he entered the Royal
Northern College of Music in Manchester. Having studied with Yossi Zivoni in
Manchester and Andre Gertler in Brussels, he moved to London in 1977where he
joined the Melos Ensemble and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. " In 1984
he became co-leader of the City of London Sinfonia and leader of the Northern
Chamber Orchestra to which he was subsequently appointed Musical Director.
Nicholas Gedge
Nicholas Gedge was born in Brecon, Wales and read Law at Cambridge University
before taking up a postgraduate scholarship to study singing at the Royal
Academy of Music. He was supported by awards from the Countess of Munster
Musical Trust and the Wolfson and Leverhulme Foundations and was awarded The
Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and the Queen's Commendation
for Excellence. Since then he has sung Leporello, Charon, Sourin, Colline,
Inspector Otto, and Theseus, while on the concert platform his performances have
included the Bach Passions, Messiah, The Creation, and Belshazzar's Feast.