Bach, the Universe and Everything: View from the Pale Blue Dot
MUSIC & GUEST SPEAKER
MATTHESON Fugue 12 from Die Wohlklingende Fingersprache
TALLIS Magnificat from Dorian Service
JS BACH Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147 (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life)
TELEMANN Sonata in D Major (TWV 44:1) – Spirituoso
Rowan Pierce soprano
Bethany Horak-Hallett mezzo-soprano
Michael Bell tenor
Dominic Sedgwick bass
with
Dallas Campbell guest speaker
The cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben was written for the Feast of the Visitation, which marks Mary’s visit to Elizabeth after her own encounter with off-world beings. A substantial and celebratory cantata with original poetic text, the final version dates from 1723. It features four soloists, chorus and a large ensemble with trumpets, oboes and strings.
Dallas Campbell is a broadcaster and writer on science. As a presenter he is known for The Gadget Show (Channel 5), City in the Sky and Bang Goes the Theory (BBC). His first book is Ad Astra: An Illustrated Guide to Leaving the Planet.
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Bach, the Universe and Everything is a concert series with a difference. Guided by the work of JS Bach, composer and intergalactic genius, our mission is to explore the human desire to better understand our place in the cosmos through his 200 cantatas.
Each concert is built around a Bach cantata and a talk from a guest speaker, alongside choral and instrumental music by other baroque and renaissance composers. The concert lasts approximately one hour.
In 2022-23 we look to the stars as six eminent scientists, writers and broadcasters explore why humans started looking beyond our planet in the first place, space exploration and what lessons we can learn for life on Earth from future discoveries.
"It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
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Bach, the Universe and Everything: The end of Enchantment?
Sun 16 Oct 2022 | 11:30am London, Kings PlaceIn the first of our Sunday morning series inspired by Bach's cantatas, Dr Stuart Clark explores how Bach’s life coincides with the most profound change in our view of the night sky and we perform Herr Christ, der einige Gottessohn (BWV 96).
Bach, the Universe and Everything: Stepping on to the Cosmic Path
Sun 13 Nov 2022 | 11:30am London, Kings PlaceIn a Universe with hundreds of billions of galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars, how do we get out of bed every morning? Chris Lintott explains with the help of Bach's cantata Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn (BWV 152).
Bach, the Universe and Everything: Astronomy and Poetry
Sun 29 Jan 2023 | 11:30am London, Kings PlaceGuided by the stars. Bach's cantata BWV 155 and a talk by Jocelyn Bell Burnell on poetry inspired by the night sky.
