DESCRIPTION:
Lebanese Soprano Ghada Ghanem sings Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten from The Wedding Cantata no. 202 by Bach, with The Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor is Wojciech Czepiel. The performance was in Saint Joseph Cathedral in Monot, Beirut. 22 January 2010

The Cantata starts with a beautiful evocation of the spring, with the string arpeggios suggesting the rising mists caused by melting snow, and the lavishly ornamented oboe solo perhaps suggesting the rapture of love. The music has the character of an arioso rather than a da capo aria, which makes the contrasted middle section, a tribute to the goddess Flora, something of a surprise.