Johann Sebastian Bach composed several series of chorale cantatas, particularly during his time in Leipzig. The most extensive and stylistically consistent of these was written during the 1724-25 church year. In that period, Bach produced 40 cantatas, all adhering to a uniform structure. However, this consistency came to an abrupt end in March 1725 - likely due to the death of the anonymous librettist, which forced Bach to seek alternative texts on short notice.

What followed was quite remarkable: Bach turned to the poetry of a woman - Christiana Mariana von Ziegler (1695–1760), a German writer born in Leipzig. Thanks to her financial independence, Ziegler led a self-determined life and established one of the city’s earliest literary and musical salons.

In 1725, Bach set nine of Ziegler’s texts to music. Unlike his earlier chorale cantatas, these works are not based on hymn tunes but instead begin with a Bible verse, which Ziegler then elaborates poetically, weaving in rich artistic and theological references.

This recording features Christoph Spering conducting three of these exceptional Ziegler cantatas.