J. S. Bach: Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren, BWV 154

In BWV 154, the troubling narrative of the search for the twelve-year-old Jesus by his frantic parents and his eventual discovery in the temple among the scribes brings the theme of “distance from God” to the fore. As the composition progresses, the desperate search gives way to an assured sense of closeness, prompted by the key phrase “Know ye then not that I must be there where my Father's business is?” (bass arioso no. 5): the voice of a friend, as emphasised in the cantata text. The cheerfulness of the ensuing alto-tenor duet and the conciliatory final chorale render the crisis of faith and trust completely forgotten – a brief musical psychogram of pure listening pleasure.