(Thou Prince of peace, Lord Jesus Christ) for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, vocal ensemble, corno, oboe d’amore I+II, strings and basso continuo

Composed in 1724, cantata BWV 116 is the part of Bach’s cantata cycle dedicated to the twentyfifth Sunday after Trinity. The work’s timeless entreaty for peace and deliverance from penury and retribution is, however, so potently expressed that Bach scholars long believed it had been written in reference to a specific occasion, for instance, the Silesian Wars that erupted in 1740 and brought devastation to Saxony. That all movements are set in keys with several sharps – indeed, that Bach’s score is at times barely legible for its plethora of double sharps and exalted harmonies – certainly befits the tense atmosphere of this penitential cantata.