Johann Sebastian Bach's motet for two four-part choirs Fürchte dich nicht (‘Do not fear’), BWV 228, as sung by Leipzig’s Thomanerchor under the direction of Georg Christoph Biller. The Bach motet is part of a memorial concert held on October 9, 2009, in the St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.

The concert commemorated East Germany’s ‘Peaceful Revolution’, which lead to the fall of the GDR. On October 9, 1989, some 70,000 people gathered in Leipzig – the second-largest city of former East Germany – to peacefully protest for democracy and increased freedom. It was one of the legendary mass marches which ultimately led to the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

Bach’s motet for double chorus – Fürchte dich nicht – bears the secondary title ‘Trauerfestakt’, or ‘funeral ceremony’. It’s unknown for which mourning occasion Johann Sebastian Bach composed this work. The words of the motet are taken from two verses of The Book of Isiah (41:10 and 43:1), and stanzas from the hymn ‘Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen’, by Paul Gerhard (11th stanza).
Emblematic of ‘Fürchte dich nicht’ is the confidence that this choral piece radiates. The motet allows the act of mourning to recede into the background, bearing witness to Bach's deep faith in the hope of resurrection.

The crystal-clear voices of Leipzig’s St. Thomas Boys Choir have Bach's ‘Fürchte dich nicht’ here hold a particular captivation. The young singers’ ardor makes this interpretation of the motet an especially solemn choral piece.

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