Erbarme dich will undoubtedly remind music lovers of the famous alto aria from the St Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach. However, it is also an aria filled with pain and sensuality for tenor and traverso from Cantata BWV 55. In the two complete cantata cycles Bach composed in Leipzig between 1724 and 1726, he frequently highlights the dialogue between voice and flute. A true master of musical dialogue, Bach allows the flute to support or challenge the text, while crafting brilliant vocal lines.

It is precisely this interplay of intertwining voices that inspired Reinoud Van Mechelen and flautist Anna Besson, together with harpsichordist/organist Benjamin Alard, to build a programme around these arias, complemented by works for traverso and solo keyboard.

This programme was recorded in 2016 by a nocte temporis for the Alpha label. It marked the ensemble’s very first recording and the beginning of an artistic journey that has now flourished for ten years. In 2026, a nocte temporiscelebrates its tenth anniversary with an international tour of Les Boréades by Jean-Philippe Rameau, as well as a revival of this programme—the project with which it all began.

Performers

Tenor: Reinoud Van Mechelen
Traverso: Anna Besson
Organ: Benjamin Alard
Cello: Ronan Kernoa