The Constellation Choir & Orchestra | Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his newly founded The Constellation Choir & Orchestra dedicate themselves to a selection of Bach cantatas that he has been researching and performing in European churches for decades. The concert in the Cologne Philharmonie brings together works that oscillate thematically between existential lament and comforting hope - from "Christ lag in Todes Banden" BWV 4 to "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis" BWV 21 and "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 140. The program is complemented by music from Johann Hermann Schein's "Israelsbrünnlein" and Schütz's motet "Selig sind die Toten" SWV 391. The instrumentation ranges from solo voices and choir to original sound instruments such as cornetto, viole da gamba and basso continuo. Gardiner's ensemble, founded in September 2024, sees itself as a continuation of his many years of work in the field of historically informed performance practice and focuses on a precise, text-oriented interpretation that combines musical and spiritual dimensions.