Bringing Cantatas to Taiwan
This is a project to perform all Bach’s cantatas at least once in Taiwan. The cantatas of Bach is the pearl of classical sacred music or even of all music. The works deserve to be heard in any place in the world. While Bach cantata cycles are being done on recordings and being performed hundreds of times a year in American or European countries, never once had they been completely performed in a Chinese society. (Except Japan, not even once in Asia.) One by one, we would like to make all cantatas being heard on the island. 7 down, 202 to go : )
How Do We Do
The performances of the cantatas will be played on modern instruments and modified modern instruments, and mostly with the contemporary a=442 pitch. However issues with voice or wind instruments occasionally lead to transposition of the music. (Fortunately, Bach himself did this often. Transposition in the Baroque era was normally not a big issue as it is now.) For example, our Cantata No. 54 is performed with our own edition of score and parts edited by Wilbur.
Artists
One of our aim is to perform these great works by local artists. So far we have collaborated with several Taiwanese soloists of the top class including soprano Chang Hsin-Mei, countertenor Chou Wen-Pin, tenor Huang Ya-Zhong, baritone Tsai Wei-Shu, baritone Yao Ying-Jen, oboist I-Ching Wang, and violinist Chou Tzu-Jen, along with our outstanding chamber players of the philharmonic and singers from the Bach Choir.