(The man who leaves to god all power) for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, vocal ensemble, oboe I+II, strings and continuo

Composed for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity in 1724, the cantata “Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten” (The man who leaves to God all power) at first appears to be a typical representative of Bach’s chorale cantata cycle, employing as it does a traditional church hymn as the musical and textual basis of the work. A second glance, however, reveals that the treatment of the chorale is atypically complex, with chorale melody and text skilfully – and inventively – interwoven throughout the entire cantata. Entirely foregoing da-capo arias, the work has characteristics of a chorale partita (despite the sections of freely versified text), and its concisely structured movements make for a particularly dense and highly convincing composition.