The four cantatas selected by Philippe Herreweghe for this recording date from the first year of Bach s activity in Leipzig. Written at a tight pace between late July and early September 1723, they underscore the composer s obvious effort to establish original musical proposals. He continually showed musicians and listeners that he was not serving them routine cantor s music, but was writing sacred music as a true Kapellmeister. In this first volume of Bach cantatas for the PHI label, the Collegium Vocale Gent interprets some of the cantatas for the first time.