Pearls of Sorrow

Out of times of struggle come songs of resilience and hope. This program pairs music of reflection and renewal from 17th- and 18th-century Europe and African American spirituals born of the same era, revealing how, across centuries and continents, music connects us through strength, endurance, and shared humanity.

What’s Interesting About This Concert

Baroque-era composers like Schütz, Erlebach, and members of the Bach family wrote works that reflected the struggles of their times—music that resonates with emotion and still speaks to listeners today.
African American spirituals are featured alongside these European works, with songs that show resilience and creativity and continue to inspire across generations.
Philharmonia performs on period instruments and with historically informed style, under the direction of conductor Christine Brandes, for a sound that connects centuries of music-making.
Countertenor Reginald Mobley lends heart and expressive power to the program. He has been hailed as ‘a voice of effortless beauty’ (The New York Times) and praised for his ‘shimmering voice’ (The Boston Globe).

Program

Christine Brandes, conductor
Reginald Mobley, countertenor

I. Trauma (War/Enslavement)
LOCATELLI – Lamento from Sinfonia Funebre
J Christoph BACH – “Ach, dass ich Wassers gnug hätte”
SPIRITUAL – “Were you There?”

II. Sorrow
JS BACH – Sinfonia from Cantata No. 21 Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis
SPIRITUAL – “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”
SCHÜTZ – “Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott”

III. Pain
SPIRITUAL – “There Is a Balm in Gilead”
JS BACH – selections from Cantata No. 12 Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
SPIRITUAL – “Sinner Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass”
SPIRITUAL – “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”

IV. All My Trials
BUXTEHUDE – “Wenn Ich, Herr Jesu, habe dich” (two verses)
SPIRITUAL – “Steal Away”
SPIRITUAL – “Soon-a Will Be Done” (two verses)
POHLE – “Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe”

V. Finding Peace/Freedom/Resilience
ERLEBACH – “Trocknet euch ihr heissen Zähren”
BUXTEHUDE – “Jesu, meine Freud und Lust”
SPIRITUAL – “My Lord What A Morning”