Motets in Kobe Although few in number, Bach’s motets include some much-loved works, such as Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied and Jesu, meine Freude. Remarkable for their beauty as well as for Bach’s virtuoso choral writing, they were recorded by Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan in June 2009 in the Kobe Shoin Chapel, and are now ready for release.
In a short film made during the recording, Suzuki talks about the special place the motets hold for him. Several of them were composed for funerals, and in them he finds music with a greater ability to console than human words, but also with ‘a creative power for us to survive in this world.’ There is not only grief in the motets, however – to Masaaki Suzuki’s mind there is also the sound of angelic hosts: ‘I think the angels’ choir [in the Gospel of St Luke] might have been a double choir – as in Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied!’
Bach – Motets (BIS-SACD-1841) will be released by BIS in January 2010. For national release dates, please contact the BIS distributor in your country.
