Osterkonzert „Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu“ | Gellert Ensemble

In the organizer's words:

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788): Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus (1787) / Part III of the Ramler Trilogy

Performers:
Friederike Beykirch (soprano)
Stephan Scherpe (tenor)
Wolf Matthias Friedrich (bass)
GELLERT ENSEMBLE (Choir & Orchestra)
Andreas Mitschke (conductor)

After the great success of the first poem, Karl Wilhelm Ramler felt inspired to also provide texts for the other major Christian holidays. In quick succession, he composed "The Shepherds at the Manger in Bethlehem" (1757) and "The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus" (1760). These were set to music by various composers from the Berlin circle and always at the same time by Georg Philipp Telemann in Hamburg. After Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's move in 1768 from harpsichordist at the Prussian court of Frederick II to Hamburg's main churches as city music director in succession to Georg Philipp Telemann, Bach also set Ramler's poem on Easter and Ascension to music. It was to become one of his best-known and most successful works, which was published by Breitkopf in Leipzig during his lifetime.