
Toward the light (concert recording)
Music for Easter time
Händel – Telemann – J. S. Bach
Juho Punkeri, tenor
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
Click here to get to the FiBO's YouTube channel. The concert is for free, but if you want you can buy a support ticket from FiBO's online shop.
Among the Christian holidays the oldest and most important is Easter. Easter Day occurs after the first spring full moon, when the winter darkness is over and the days are already long. In the Bible and the Easter narratives Jesus is crucified in the dark night and after the crucifixion a darkness is layed over the earth. After moments of uncertainty, anxiety and fear, Easter morning comes with a light that celebrates eternal life and joy.
Out of Georg Friedrich Händel's large production, one of the most known pieces is the Messiah oratorio which depicts the life events of Jesus. A less performed piece is his oratorio Brockes-Passion. It is based on Barthold Heinrich Brockes poetry-like libretto, to which a number of the 18th century composers wrote Easter music. In this concert the extracts from Händel's vocal pieces take the listener to the essence of the Easter narrative: the moments of darkness and fear, but eventually leading to hope and light. The longing for eternal light can also be heard in Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata aria Mein Verlangen. In this concert the joy of life is celebrated with Georg Philipp Telemann's and Händel's instrumental pieces for strings and winds, and the concert is concluded with Bach's Air.
Duration: 1 h
The following parishes have supported the production of the concert recording:
Die Deutsche Gemeinde in Finnland
Elimäki
Ii
Ingå/Inkoo
Janakkala
Järvenpää
Kalajoki
Kangasala
Kangasniemi
Kannelmäki
Kauniainen
Keski-Lahti
Keski-Pori
Laihia
Lammi
Loimaa
Loppi
Martti
Naantali
Oulainen
Oulunkylä
Pudasjärvi
Pukkila
Punkalaidun
Pyhäjärvi
Raisio
Saarijärvi
Sastamala / Sastamala Gregoriana
Savonlinna
Sjundeå
Somero
Tuusula
Uusikaupunki
Vesilahti
Ylöjärvi