Composed for the Fourth Sunday after Easter, which fell on April 29, 1725, Bach's Cantata No. 108 "Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe" (It is good that I go away) (BWV 108) sets a poetic text by Marianne von Ziegler extrapolating two verses from the Gospel According to John 16, 7 for the opening movement and 17, 13 for the fourth movement. The cantata is scored for bass, tenor and alto soloists, chorus, a pair of oboe d'amore, strings, and basso continuo. "Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe" brightly starts in A major, turns to darker F sharp minor for its second movement, begins its third in bleak B minor and ends on the dominant of the fourth movement's brilliant D major, and returns to B minor for its fifth and sixth movements. The seventh and closing movement is also in B minor, albeit ending with a picardy third for its final sonority. The first movement of the cantata is a powerful bass aria with obbligato solo oboe d'amore. The second movement is an aria in the form of a trio sonata with the tenor soloist and a solo violin dueting above the continuo. The third is a secco recitative for tenor soloist and continuo and the fourth is a muscular Vivace fugue for chorus and full orchestra. The fifth movement is a sorrowful aria for alto soloists accompanied by strings and continuo. "Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe" concludes with a massive harmonization of a chorale by Paul Gerhardt for the chorus and full orchestra. ~ All Music Guide
