October 29
Ich glaube, lieber Herr, hilf meinem Unglauben! BWV 109
I believe, dear Lord, help my unbelief!
Faith grapples with doubt in this cantata first performed on October 17, 1723, for the 21st Sunday after Trinity. The hauntingly beautiful chorus takes its text from Mark 9:24: “I believe, dear Lord, help my unbelief,” the cry of a man seeking healing for his son. An emotional dialogue between fear and hope follows, as the tenor sings of a trembling and anxious heart, while the graceful, dance-like alto aria reassures us that Jesus stands at our side even when it is hard to be hopeful.
Bulletin for Service HERE.
3:00 p.m. Cantata Preview Lecture
Mark Peters, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights
3:45 p.m. Orchestral Prelude
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: String Symphony No. 7 in D minor
4:00 p.m. Bach Cantata Vespers
Roger Ferlo, St. Paul & the Redeemer Episcopal Church, Chicago, Illinois, homilist
Heinrich Schütz: Das ist je gewisslich wahr
Bach Cantata Vespers Chorus and Orchestra
Grace Cantor Michael D. Costello, conducting
Sarah Ponder, mezzo soprano
Ace Gangoso, tenor
5:30 p.m. Post-Service Conversation with Michael Marissen
Michael Marissen, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Bach Scholar Michael Marissen joins us to discuss topics from his book Bach Against Modernity (Oxford University Press, 2023), moderated by Dr. Mark Peters of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights.