THE SONGBIRD: Arleen Auger (1939 - 1993) is one of the most respected sopranos of the 20th century, and was one of the most recorded. She is known for her impeccable musicianship, interpretive expressivity, and versatility. Auger was born in Los Angeles and played violin and piano as a child. She graduated from college in Long Beach, and after privates studies and competition wins, relocated to Europe. The Vienna State Opera signed her with a debut in 1967 as Queen of the Night, followed by 47 more performances of the role over five seasons. Additional roles in Vienna included Konstanze, Gilda, and Olympia. In the U.S., her debut came in 1969 at New York City Opera, again as Queen of the Night, and she sang just four performances at The Met (Marzelline in "Fidelio" in 1978). Countless operatic, concert, and recital appearances all over the world made up Auger's career, but her largest audience (estimated at 700 million!) was singing "Exsultate, Jubilate" at the royal wedding of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, which was televised worldwide in 1986.
THE MUSIC: Johann Sebastian Bach's "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen" BWV 51 is his only church cantata scored for a soprano soloist and trumpet. The first known performance was on September 17, 1730 in Leipzig. The work may have been composed earlier, possibly for an occasion at the court of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, for whom Bach had created the Hunting Cantata and the Shepherd Cantata. Bach structured #51 in five movements, with the voice accompanied by an instrumental ensemble of a solo trumpet, strings and continuo. The opening and closing movements call for elaborate virtuosity and interplay between the trumpet and soprano voice topping out at a few High Cs, while the introspective central movements evoke spiritual depth and inner peace.