PRJCT Amsterdam / Maarten Engeltjes

‘Bist du bei mir’ is a beautiful aria often attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, but there is a nice twist to the story. This beautiful piece is part of the Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach, a collection Bach created for his second wife, Anna Magdalena. However, the music for ‘Bist du bei mir’ was actually composed by Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, a contemporary of Bach. Bach gave his own twist to the composition.

The text of the aria is moving and romantic, expressing a sense of unwavering love: ‘If you are with me, I go with joy to death and to my rest.’ The composition is simple but deeply expressive, making it a piece often played at weddings.

Bist du bei mir, geh' ich mit Freuden
zum Sterben und zu meiner Ruh'.
Ach, wie vergnügt wär' so mein Ende,
es drückten deine lieben schönen Hände
mir die getreuen Augen zu!

‘Bist du bei mir’ is loved for its gentle melody and sincere emotions, appealing to singers and listeners alike. Although it is not an original Bach piece, its association with the legendary composer and timeless beauty have given the piece a place in the hearts of many music lovers.

‘A voice that you want to keep listening to,’ is how de Volkskrant newspaper praised Dutch countertenor Maarten Engeltjes on the occasion of his most recent CD release. Engeltjes’ voice - rounded and soothing, honest and glowing and with that golden edge that elevates ‘beautiful’ to ‘excellent’, Engeltjes' voice has over roughly twenty years taken him to the most renowned opera houses and concert stages. With a passion for Baroque and contemporary repertoire, Engeltjes ensures that during every performance his own wonderment at both well-known and lesser-known masterpieces is also experienced intensely by the audience.

With their debut CD on the Sony record label (Bach: Forgotten Arias), 2019 proved a boom year for the career of baroque orchestra PRJCT Amsterdam. The ensemble, founded in 2017 by countertenor Maarten Engeltjes, is not only a breeding ground for talented musicians, but also a safe haven guaranteeing baroque performances with vision and temperament. With its mix of sweet allure and crystal-clear counterpoint, PRJCT Amsterdam stands for baroque with salt and pepper, which will appeal to both aspiring melomaniacs and connoisseurs.