Johannes Vermeer: The Milkmaid (c. 1657-8)

“Bach based his chorale Christum wir sollen loben schon – part of his cantata of the same name, BWV 121 – on a hymn by Martin Luther from 1524. This was in turn based on the Latin hymn A solis ortus cardine, by Caelius Sedulius from ca 450. For this recording soprano Viola Blache made a personal version, based on Bach, Luther and the original hymn. The decor is Vermeer’s Milkmaid who steps out of her frame after an age-long lockdown and seems almost to be singing to herself. The chorale text refers loosely to the painting. Recorded for the project All of Bach on 1 October 2020 at De Hallen Studio’s, Amsterdam (video production) and on 4 June 2021 at Philarmonie, Haarlem (music production). If you want to help…