Musica Sacra: Bachvent—Veni redemptor gentium

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The Bachvent program highlights Bach’s collection of Advent cantatas and, through these works of church music, reinterprets the late-antique hymn “Veni redemptor gentium” by Ambrose of Milan, which Martin Luther adapted into the chorale form we know today “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland.”

In the two-part cantata “Schwingt freudig euch empor” (BWV 36), which frames this evening’s program, the chorale is repeatedly incorporated, highlighted, and infused throughout the various movements. In this way, Bach transforms a formerly secular congratulatory cantata into an Advent piece.