• O Mensch, errette deine Seele aus "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort" BWV 20; Wie furchtsam wankten meine Schritte aus "Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ" BWV 33; Wohl euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen aus "O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe" BWV 34; Geist und Seele wird verwirret aus "Geist und Seele wird verwirret" BWV 35; Gott hat alles wohl gemacht aus "Geist und Seele wird verwirret" BWV 35; Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde aus "Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde" BWV 83; Was mein Herz von dir begehrt aus "Es ist euch gut, daß ich hingehe" BWV 108; Du machst, o Tod, mir nun nicht ferner bange aus "Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost" BWV 114; Ach, schläfrige Seele, wie? aus "Vergnügte Ruh', beliebte Seelenlust" BWV 170; Sei bemüht in dieser Zeit aus "Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe" BWV 185

Until he was appointed cantor at St. Thomas Church, Johann Sebastian Bach tackled one of his most ambitious projects: the composition of cantatas for the entire church year. Between 1723 and 1726, he created one for every Sunday. These cantatas were true laboratories for musical creativity, as the composer scored them with various vocal and instrumental ensembles. In this repertoire, the alto voice is of particular importance, sometimes sounding sad, sometimes fervent, and to which Bach dedicated some of his most beautiful arias.

Christophe Rousset and the countertenor Zoltan Darago explore this repertoire in a program that mainly dates from the rich Leipzig early years and in which the concertante parts with sublime dialogues between violin, oboe d'amore or organ and voice occupy a large place.