1723, the dawn of an era: Johann Sebastian Bach was appointed Thomaskantor in Leipzig and was about to leave a mark on German music history unlike that of any other composer. But, that could all have been completely different had the jury actually gotten their way... The actual preferred candidate was Georg Phillip Telemann, who was the most popular composer in Germany at that time and indeed the most popular for some years after his death until the Bach revival by Mendelssohn in the early nineteenth century: he withdrew after securing a salary increase in Hamburg. However, in Vocatio:Responsio's fifth concert, we spotlight the next candidate in line, not Bach, but Christoph Graupner, who was unable to take up the post because he didn’t receive approval from his employer in Darmstadt. Graupner's cantatas number in the thousands (nearly 1,500!), but fell into obscurity as his manuscripts became the object of a long legal battle between his heirs and the rulers of Hesse-Darmstadt. The heirs were unable to obtain permission to sell or publish his works and they remained inaccessible to the public, and coupled with the fact that he didn't have many students to continue his legacy, he has become very unknown in today's musical scene. In this concert, we compare one of his many cantatas with perhaps Bach's most famous cantata, containing perhaps his most recognisable chorale movement popularly known as "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring". Expect many beautiful movements like this throughout this intimate concert with choir and orchestra! Programme Christopher Graupner: Danket, priest Gott in der Hohe (GWV 1109/25) Johann Sebastian Bach: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (BWV 147)