John Eliot Gardiner Seeks Funding to Record and Release Bach’s Ascension Cantatas

If you follow this blog, you know that I’m a big fan of John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach cantata pilgrimage, a Quixotic yet successful year-long concert tour performing all of Bach’s sacred cantatas (and some other works).

(Photo: Anima Mundi Festival, Pisa)

Well, there’s news from Gardiner’s Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists. They are planning to perform and record these cantatas, and release them on CD in 2013, but they need our help. From the Monteverdi.org website:

Throughout Millennium year they performed and recorded Bach’s liturgical cantatas in dozens of churches around Europe. Salisbury Cathedral was the venue for the Ascension cantatas, but logistics ruled out a recording, leaving a gap in the landmark cantata cycle released on the SDG label between 2005 and 2010. Now the plan is to record the Ascension concerts at St Giles’ Cripplegate and release a 28th and final CD for the set.

The group needs £50,000 – or £20 each from 2,500 fans of these works – to be able to perform, record and release them. I’ve given my share already; as a subscriber to the wonderful series of CDs that came from the 2000 tour, I’ll be happy to fill in this gap with these six cantatas.

If you’d like to help, visit this page, where you can make a donation. For £20, you get the CD when it’s released; that’s about what it will cost, so you’re essentially subscribing in advance. If you can afford more, different bonuses are available, including signed copies of the CDs, being credited as part of the production team and more. (Alas, they’re not offering a lunch with Sir John…)

If you appreciate this music, make a donation, or, if possible, get tickets for the one of the two concerts, that will take place in London on May 10, 2012.

Update: As of March 22, 15% of the amount needed has been donated. Help them out; remember, £20 gets you a copy of the recording!

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