All ‘Cantatas of the Week’ in the series:

BWV 134 ‘Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß’
Easter Tuesday
Intro: Daniel Taylor

BWV 66 ‘Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen’
Easter Monday
Intro: Katharina Arfken

BWV 31 ‘Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret’
Easter Sunday
Intro: John Eliot Gardiner

BWV 182 ‘Himmelskönig, sei willkommen’
Palm Sunday
Intro: Maya Homburger

BWV 1 ‘Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern’
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Intro: Angela Kazimierczuk

BWV 22 ‘Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe’
Quinquagesima Sunday
Intro: James Oxley

BWV 181 ‘Leichtgesinnte Flattergeister’
Sexagesima Sunday
Intro: Stephan Loges

BWV 54 ‘Widerstehe doch der Sünde’
Oculi, 3rd Suinday in Lent
Intro: Lisa Cochrane

BWV 23 ‘Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn’
Quinquagesima Sunday
Intro: John Smyth

BWV 126 ‘Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort’
Sexagesima Sunday
Intro: Gabriele Cassone

BWV 127 ‘Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott’
Sunday before Lent
Intro: Tim Brown

BWV 18 ‘Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt’
Sexagesima Sunday
Intro: Gillian Keith

BWV 161 ‘Komm, du süße Todesstunde’
Feast of Purification of Mary
Intro: Ceclia Bruggemeyer

BWV 144 ‘Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin’
Septuagesima Sunday
Intro: Henrietta Wayne

BWV 81 ‘Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen?’
4th Sunday after Epiphany
Intro: Paul Agnew

BWV 3 ‘Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid’
2nd Sunday after Epiphany
Intro: David Watkin

BWV 124 ’Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht’
1st Sunday after Epiphany
Intro: Michael Chance

BWV 123 ‘Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen’
Feast of Epiphany
Intro: Nicolas Robertson

BWV 153 ‘Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind’
Sunday after New Year’s Day
Intro: James Gilchrist

BWV 190 ‘Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied!’
New Year’s Day
Intro: Howard Moody

BWV 133 ‘Ich freue mich in dir’
3rd Day of Christmas
Intro: Kati Debretzeni

BWV 121 ‘Christum wir sollen loben schon’
2nd Day of Christmas
Intro: Matthew Truscott

BWV 110 ‘Unser Mund sei voll Lachens’
Christmas Day
Intro: Xenia Löffler

BWV 147 ‘Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben’
4th Sunday in Advent
Intro: Hildburg Williams

BWV 36 ‘Schwingt freudig euch empor’
3rd Sunday in Advent
Intro: Michael Niesemann

BWV 70 ‘Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!’
2nd Sunday in Advent
Intro: Silas Wollston

BWV 61 & BWV 62 ‘Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland’ I & II
1st Sunday in Advent
Intro: Rob Howarth

BWV 26 ‘Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig’
24th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Rosemary Nalden

BWV 139 ‘Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott’
23rd Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Annette Isserlis

BWV 115 ‘Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit’
22nd Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Lawrence Wallington

BWV 38 ‘Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir’
21st Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Robert Quinney

BWV 80 ‘Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott’
Feast of Reformation
Intro: Anne Schumann

BWV 180 ‘Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele’
20th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Rachel Beckett

BWV 56 ‘Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen’
19th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Peter Harvey

BWV 169 ‘Gott soll allein mein Herze haben’
18th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Nicolette Moonen

BWV 47 ‘Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden’
17th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Katharine Fuge

BWV 50 ‘Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft’
BWV 19 ‘Es erhub sich ein Streit’

Feast of St Michael and All Angels
Intro: Michael Harrison

BWV 27 ‘Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende?’
16th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Catherine Rimer

BWV 100 ‘Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan’
15th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Marten Root

BWV 78 ‘Jesu, der du meine Seele’
14th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Howard Moody

BWV 77 ‘Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben’
13th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Alison Bury

BWV 69a ‘Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele’
12th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Valerie Botwright

BWV 71 ‘Gott ist mein König’
Inauguration of the Mühlhausen Town Council
Intro: William Towers

BWV 101 ‘Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott’
10th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Julian Clarkson

BWV 106 ‘Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit’
(Actus tragicus)
Intro: John Eliot Gardiner

BWV 45 ‘Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist’
8th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Jane Rogers

BWV 186 ‘Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht’
7th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Kobie van Rensburg

BWV 170 ‘Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust’
6th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Michael Chance

BWV 93 ‘Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten’
5th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Joanne Lunn

BWV 24 ‘Ein ungefärbt Gemüte’
4th Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Nicolas Robertson

BWV 10 ‘Meine Seel erhebt den Herren’
Visitation of the Virgin Mary
Intro: Lisa Larsson

BWV 135 ‘Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder’
3rd Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Vernon Kirk

BWV 7 ‘Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam’
Feast of St John the Baptist
Intro: Dietrich Henschel

BWV 2 ‘Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein’
2nd Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Adam Woolf

BWV 20 ‘O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort’
1st Sunday after Trinity
Intro: Dietrich Henschel

BWV 176 ‘Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding’
Trinity Sunday
Intro: Ruth Holton

BWV 175 ‘Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen’
Whit Tuesday
Intro: Stephan Loges

BWV 174 ‘Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte’
Whit Monday
Intro: Annette Isserlis

BWV 172 ‘Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!’
1st day of Pentecost
Intro: Christoph Genz

BWV 44 ‘Sie werden euch in den Bann tun’
Sunday after Ascension Day
Intro: Philip Turbett

BWV 128 ‘Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein’
Ascension Day
Intro: Anneke Scott

BWV 86 ‘Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch’
5th Sunday after Easter
Intro: Robert Quinney

BWV 166 ‘Wo gehest du hin?’
4th Sunday after Waster
Intro: Robin Tyson

BWV 146 ‘Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen’
3rd Sunday after Easter
Intro: John Eliot Gardiner

BWV 85 ‘Ich bin ein guter Hirt’
2nd Sunday after Easter
Intro: David Watkin

BWV 67 ‘Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ’
1st Sunday after Easter
Intro: Kati Debretzeni

In the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of 2000, the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, led by John Eliot Gardiner, performed and recorded all of Bach’s surviving church cantatas on the appointed feast days within a single year. 20 years on, we celebrated the anniversary of a project that Gramophone Magazine called ‘one of the most ambitious and uplifting musical undertakings ever’.

Starting from the first Sunday after Easter in 2020, we shared a new cantata for every Sunday and Feast Day in the liturgical calendar – composed for that day by J.S. Bach and especially chosen by John Eliot Gardiner – made available to stream in its entirety for the week ahead, and accompanied by an introduction from a musician who took part in this landmark project 20 years ago. This was an opportunity to discover or rediscover these extraordinary pieces of music that transcend the religious and embrace ideas deeply-rooted in humanity - faith, hope and love.

The introductions from our musicians to all cantatas in the series can be watched here.

You can read more about our extraordinary year-long Bach Cantata Pilgrimage by clicking here.

Our Complete Bach Cantata Series is available to purchase from the MCO shop by clicking here.


Bach Cantata Pilgrimage - Thomaskirche, Leipzig

Bach Cantata Pilgrimage - Greenwich, London