The Hochzeitskantate (Wedding Cantata) BWV 195 was performed by Bach from around 1730 at various wedding celebrations in different forms, and was evidently also lent out for performances further afield. The only surviving version of the work dates from the last years of Bach’s life. The opulently-scored first part begins and ends with grand choral movements, and Bach scored both parts for soloists and for chorus. At the centre of the cantata is an exceptionally sensitive bass aria, probably one ...