The programme began with Bach’s Cantata BWV 66, Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen; I played the optional and incredibly demanding trumpet part in the opening chorus of this piece. I played it in relay with a bumper, Will Russell (second trumpet), using a part that I had divided up into manageable sections. The cantata also featured a stunning double duet (Ich furchte zwar) between vocalists Mari Askvik (alto) and Nick Pritchard (tenor) and instrumentalists Gilone Gaubert (violin) and Emmanuel Jacques (violoncello). The programme continued with another of Bach’s Easter works, Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß [BWV 134], which was first performed in Leipzig on 11 April 1724. 

Bach’s Easter Oratorio [BWV 249] filled the second half of the programme and featured stunning contributions from the flautist Georges Barthel, the recorder player Jan van Hoecke, and the oboist Patrick Beaugiraud (who featured both in the second movement, and in no. 9, Saget, saget mir geschwinde). It was wonderful to perform this work on Easter Sunday, 300 years after it was first performed on Easter Sunday in 1725. The Paris performance was broadcast live on radio France Musique, and I met the radio presenter and cornetto player, Christophe Dilys, after the performance. It was also lovely to be mentioned in one of the reviews of the Paris performance:

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This was a tour of several firsts for me: I had never been to Grenoble, Lucerne, or Aix-en-Provence, and this was my first time performing in the Grande salle Pierre Boulez at the Paris Philharmonie—it certainly did not disappoint; I listened to some of the rehearsal from the auditorium and was impressed by the clarity of the sound in this impressive acoustic. It was a joy to traverse Lucerne’s Museggmauer and wooden bridges, and to explore the city and hills around Aix-en-Provence. I didn’t see much of Grenoble on our whistle-stop tour on account of the low-lying cloud, incessant rain, and our tight schedule. In fact, I wasn’t having much luck in Grenoble: one of my concert shoes had dropped out of my bag on the coach on the way to the concert hall. Fortunately I managed to borrow a pair for the first half and I wore black socks for the second half. I was reunited with the black shoe as we were on the same coach on the way back after the concert; it was a relief to be reunited with it so I didn't have to try to find a replacement pair on Good Friday, and at Swiss prices! After a few days at home, it was great to return for one final performance of the tour, at the Arsenal in Metz; I first performed here on my very first Christmas Oratorio tour (second trumpet) in 2010, and I returned in 2016 for another Christmas Oratorio (as first trumpet).