THE SADDEST SONG EVER… WAS WRITTEN FOR A BOY- “Seufzer, Tränen, Kummer, Not”- JS BACH CANTATA BWV 21

The BACH ENTWURFF PROJECT
Tölzer Knabenchor superstar boy soprano Felix Hofbauer sings the anguished aria “Seufzer, Tränen, Kummer, Not” from Bach Cantata BWV 21, accompanied by baroque oboist Bettina Simon, Concerto München (Johannes Berger, founder and director, on positiv organ), all led by Michael Hofstetter.

Christian Fliegner is Artistic Director of the Tölzer Knabenchor; Ursula Richter is Chief Voice Pedagogue. Other members of the continuo ensemble include Anderson Fiorelli (’cello) and Michael Schönfelder (contra-bass)
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Listen to the whole concert featuring Bach Cantata BWV 21 & 147, available now through Dec 20th at totalbaroque.com
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Video Producer: Christoph Engel (Projekt-Engel)
Audio Engineers: Stefan Gawlick and Gaetan Christian Sauvageau
The complete BWV 21 will be available in early 2026. Stay tuned for release details.

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The BACH ENTWURFF PROJECT produces Modern World Premieres of Bach Cantatas Performed to the Exact Specifications of JS Bach’s 1730 Memorandum (“Entwurff”) on the proper performance of his cantatas. Bach asks for a choir of men and boys, three or four on a part. Soprano and alto solos are sung by boys; and all soloists sing as part of the choir ensemble. The Entwurff orchestra consists of at least 18 instrumentalists playing baroque instruments, plus additional members (such as trumpets) as required in the score. Both harpsichord and positive organ share obbligato and continuo duties, though Bach did not describe this feature of his cantata orchestra in his Entwurff. The Bach-Lehman tuning is used in the Entwurff series of performances and recordings.

Recorded
18 October 2025
Himmelfahrtskirche, Munich, Germany