Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1

The cantata Wie schün leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1 has achieved a certain degree of fame: With it, Bach's ambitious project of a choral cantata year came to an abrupt end on March 25, 1725 after around three quarters of a year - for reasons that are still unknown today. And with it, the first volume of the Bach Complete Edition was opened in 1851. The cantata on the well-known song begins with a concertante orchestral movement with two solo violins in addition to the horns, oboes da caccia and strings, in which the chorale lines are embedded. The solo violins return in the second aria (tenor), while the first aria, surrounded by two secco recitatives, makes do with oboe da caccia alone alongside soprano and basso continuo. In the final chorale, the entire instrumentation goes with the choir, while the only independent voice of the second horn lends the movement a special sound.