Where Baroque Meets Gospel: A Concert That Crosses Traditions
There’s something rare about a concert that asks you to sit with big emotions – grief, joy, the space between the two – and actually delivers. Bach Collegium San Diego’s latest program, “Far Beyond the Skies,” does exactly that.
It weaves together 18th-century German Lutheran cantatas and the triumphant spirit of the Gospel tradition into something genuinely moving.
Two Traditions, One Stage
The program centers on two funeral cantatas – G.P. Telemann’s Du aber Daniel gehe hin and J.S. Bach’s Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (known as the Actus Tragicus) – both composed around 1707 to 1708, likely for actual funeral services.
What makes these works so striking isn’t their solemnity but their sense of release. Black funeral rites have long understood that death can be framed as homecoming, as victory, and both traditions arrive at something similar from very different directions.
Hearing them in conversation with each other reframes what you thought you knew about each.
The Sound is Intentional
One thing to know going in: the instrumentation here is deliberately quiet and unusual. Violas da gamba and recorders take center stage, while violins – the workhorses of the baroque ensemble – are notably absent.
This was a specific choice composers made for funeral music, and BCSD honors it fully. The result is an intimate, somewhat otherworldly sonic palette that draws you in rather than washing over you.
The People on Stage
This isn’t a program that can coast on repertoire alone – it needs singers who can carry real emotional weight. BCSD has assembled a strong quartet: soprano Margaret Carpenter Haigh, countertenor Reginald Mobley, tenor Gene Stenger, and bass David Tinervia.
Mobley in particular has been making waves in the early music world. If you haven’t heard him live yet, this is a good reason to fix that.
About the Ensemble
Founded in 2003 by Music Director Ruben Valenzuela, Bach Collegium San Diego has spent over two decades making historically informed performances feel accessible – not like a museum visit, but like a living connection to music that still has something to say.
They perform this program at two different venues, so there’s a good chance one of them is close to you.
See you there!
Whether you’re a baroque devotee or just curious what happens when two musical traditions this powerful find common ground, this one is worth the evening.
📆 Saturday, May 2, 7 PM | Sunday, May 3, 4 PM
📍 7600 Faye Avenue, La Jolla (May 2) | 1475 Catalina Blvd, San Diego (May 3)
🎟️ Grab your tickets here
ℹ️ Find more details here
See you there, San Diego!
