Anti-Melancholicus

Bach Cantatas

Alia Mens, Olivier Spilmont, Romain Bockler, Thomas Hobbs (tenor), Élodie Fonnard, William Shelton

Bach, J S: Cantata BWV13 'Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen'
Bach, J S: Cantata BWV106 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit' (Actus tragicus)
Bach, J S: Cantata BWV131 'Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir'

"Anti-Melancholicus" is the title of a theological book by August Pfeiffer, in which he professes the strict orthodoxy of faith in the sense of Luther. Bach, a spiritual son of Luther, had noted the title of the book on the first page of the music booklet for Anna Magdalena as a reminder. For Luther, melancholy was food for the devil. The echoes of this thought emerge revealingly in the construction of the three cantatas here. Bach's understanding of music is not that of an aesthetic, but of a spiritual pleasure.