Japan's First Performances and Recording of J. S. Bach's Newly Discovered Soprano Aria
by the Bach Collegium Japan
J. S. Bach's newly discovered aria was performed and recorded by the Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ) in September.
Michael Maul, a researcher at Leipzig's Bach Archive, discovered Bach's unkown aria for soprano, strings, and basso continuo. This aria was composed in 1713 in honor of the 52nd birthday of Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar and called "Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn Ihn" BWV 1127. The discovery of this aria immediately became big news around the globe. And the world's first performance was held by the English Baroque Soloists under the baton of John Eliot Gardiner, with Elin Manahan Thomas as the soprano singer.
Masaaki Suzuki, the music director and conductor of the BCJ, was eager to do this aria, too. So the BCJ performed it on September 15th and 17th in Tokyo and Kobe, respectively, at BCJ subscription concerts for all of Bach's cantatas, with soprano singer Carolyn Sampson from the UK.
The BCJ performed the aria with three stanzas from the entire twelve-stanza poem at the concerts and recorded all the work. This recording is scheduled to be released by BIS (a Swedish CD label) in December with the cantata called "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen" BWV 51.
