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Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 27

The Cantata Pilgrims observed the festival of Whitsun in the English county of Suffolk. Whit Sunday itself, and the Monday following, were spent at Long Melford and the concerts on those days were contained in Volume 26 of this series. The next day the pilgrimage fetched up at another church in the county, at Blythburgh.

Bach left only two cantatas for Whit Tuesday. In order to complete the programme Sir John elected to begin the proceedings with the Third Brandenburg Concerto. This was a very logical choice, not least because Bach had used the first movement of the concerto as the sinfonia to cantata BWV 174, which the Pilgrims had performed just the day before. In its original scoring for three each of violins, violas and celli, it is given a sprightly performance here.

The two cantatas that follow are both inspired by the gospel for the day, which is found in St. John’s Gospel, chapter 10, and which treats of Christ as the Good Shepherd. BWV 184, which is packed with pastoral imagery, opens with a wonderfully expressive and extended tenor recitativo, in which the singer is tellingly accompanied by a chirruping pair of flutes. This movement finds Christoph Genz in eloquent form. Even more engaging is the duet that follows. Here Gardiner and his players give an object lesson in the use of accents and dynamics to move the music forward with grace and purpose. The rhythms are lifted quite marvellously but it all sounds very natural. Lisa Larsson and Nathalie Stutzmann blend their voices delightfully but the eager, smiling tone of Miss Larsson ravishes the ear particularly. The text speaks of Christ’s ‘glückselige Herde’ (“happy flock”) and here the performers make what Alfred Dürr as described as a shepherd’s dance leap off the page.

Later in the cantata comes a tenor aria with violin obbligato. Dürr says that this “forms rather a colourless impression” but that’s not how it comes across on this occasion. Genz, Gardiner and the violinist (Kati Debretzeni?) imbue the music with a light, airy feel. The cantata ends not with a chorale – that forms the penultimate movement – but with a choral gavotte, though I have to say that it would require fairly sprightly dancers to be able to dance to this music at the lithe pace set by Gardiner.

BWV 175 is also replete with pastoral and shepherdly images. The first substantial movement is a yearning 12/8 alto aria in which the soloist, accompanied by a trio of recorders, longs for verdant pastures. Nathalie Stutzmann sings this quite beautifully, investing the music with lovely tone and just the right degree of emotional charge. Later comes a tenor aria for which Bach specifies a violoncello piccolo obbligato. Both singer and player are required to reel off almost endless passagework in a very demanding bit of writing. Christoph Genz and his cellist partner are fully equal to the challenges of this piece. Rather oddly, perhaps, Bach introduces a pair of trumpets for the bass aria. This is quite lavish scoring for just one movement but it’s a fine piece, celebrating the victory of Christ over death and the devil and it’s given full value here by Stephen Loges and the trumpet choir.

A few days later Gardiner and his team had moved north. In fact they reached the most northerly point on the whole pilgrimage, arriving at Kirkwall in Orkney to mark Trinity Sunday. This was a journey that was fraught with difficulties because unexpected last minute travelling delays meant that they were unable to fly to Orkney until the very day of the concert, thereby greatly foreshortening the amount of available rehearsal time and, surely, tiring out everyone in the party. All I can say is that these extraneous problems do not seem to have affected the quality of the music making in the slightest.

The opening cantata, BWV 194, was adapted by Bach from a longer cantata which was originally written for Cöthen some time between 1717 and 1723. In 1723 he employed the cantata for a service to celebrate the inauguration of a new organ at Störmthal near Leipzig and the following year he made a foreshortened version, cut down from the original twelve movements to just six, for his first Trinity Sunday in Leipzig. The cantata begins imposingly with a stately orchestral introduction in the style of a French Overture. Dotted rhythms predominate and I like Gardiner’s tempo, which accentuates the grandeur but at a sufficiently lively tempo to avoid any pomposity. Without a break a vigorous, celebratory chorus follows, superbly sung, before the orchestral material is reprised. This is a most impressive opening.

The first aria, ‘Was des Höchsten Glanz erfüllt’ (‘What the Highest’s light has filled’) is given to the bass, here the ever-reliable Peter Harvey. This is in Gardiner’s words, “one of those spacious, pastoral 12/8 movements.” Harvey sings this graceful, delightful aria with dignity, understanding and a lovely, even tone. The soprano soloist, Ruth Holton, has previously been encountered in Vol. 21 (see review). She has rather a light voice and it’s well suited to the demands that Bach makes of his soloist in the aria ‘Hilf, Gott, dass es uns gelingt’ (‘Grant, O God, that we succeed’) where vocal agility is a prerequisite.

When we reach BWV 176 there’s another demanding soprano aria and here I thought I detected occasional signs that Miss Holton was a bit pressed by the writing. On the other hand, the singing of the Monteverdi Choir in the opening chorus personifies assurance and conviction. This cantata is inspired by the gospel of the day (St. John, chapter 3), which relates the story of Christ’s conversation with Nicodemus. It is instructive, perhaps, that in the bass recitative (movement IV) Bach added a final line to the librettist’s text, paraphrasing a line from the gospel: “For all who but believe in You shall not be lost”. There’s a fine alto aria, accompanied by a trio of oboes, playing in unison, and Daniel Taylor does this very well. As Gardiner puts it “[Bach] signs off his second Leipzig cycle with this cantata crammed with provocative thoughts and musical exegesis.”

Next comes BWV 165, a much earlier piece that dates from Bach’s time at Weimar. Watery images abound in the text for this cantata, not least in the fluid soprano aria with which the piece opens. It’s a demanding piece and I like the vocal purity that Ruth Holton brings to it. Daniel Taylor impresses once again in the aria ‘Jesu, der aus grosser Liebe’, with its spare accompaniment by continuo only. The cantata contains two important recitatives for the bass soloist and Peter Harvey despatches both eloquently.

The final offering, BWV 129, is probably the best known of these cantatas. It’s another Leipzig piece, setting five stanzas from a 1665 hymn. Trinity Sunday is such an important feast in the Lutheran calendar that it’s slightly surprising, on the face of it, that this is the only surviving cantata for that day in which Bach pulls out all the celebratory stops. Here he adds three trumpets, drums, a flute and a pair of oboes to the orchestra and begins with a festive chorale fantasia. The choral sopranos have the cantus firmus around which the orchestra and the rest of the choir scurry jubilantly. There are no recitatives in this cantata but instead there are three fine arias. Those for bass and soprano are well done by Peter Harvey and Ruth Holton respectively but it’s to Daniel Taylor that the plum aria falls. He sings it beautifully and the gorgeous oboe d’amore obbligato is a perfect foil. However, for once I find myself a little unsettled by Gardiner’s tempo. It just seems a notch on the hasty side and as a result the expressive oboe line, in particular, doesn’t quite make the expressive points that I’d hoped to hear.

The concluding chorale is splendidly festive, providing a joyous conclusion to what Gardiner aptly describes as “a genial, uplifting work”. He records in his notes that the Kirkwall audience ”seemed a little resistant to the music’s charms.” I can’t imagine for the life of me why this should have been the case because I concur with his view that the performance, like everything else on the disc, was “spirited.”

Yet again there’s some incomparable music on both these discs and the standard of performance is uniformly high. Wherever they went on their pilgrimage Sir John and his team dispensed enlightenment and musical experiences that were as enriching as they were enjoyable. Collectors of this ever-impressive series should not hesitate to add this latest volume to their collection. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750

For Whit Tuesday
Brandenburg Concerto No.3 BWV 1048 in G major
1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Allegro
Erwünschtes Freudenlicht BWV 184
1. Recitativo: Tenor Erwünschtes Freudenlicht
2. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Gesegnete Christen, glückselige Herde
3. Recitativo: Tenor So freuet euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen!
4. Aria: Tenor Glück und Segen sind bereit
5. Choral Herr, ich hoff je
6. Coro Guter Hirte, Trost der Deinen
Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen BWV 175
1. Recitativo: Tenor Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen
2. Aria: Alt Komm, leite mich
3. Recitativo: Tenor Wo find ich dich?
4. Aria: Tenor Es dünket mich, ich seh dich kommen
5. Recitativo: Alt, Bass Sie vernahmen aber nicht
6. Aria: Bass Öffnet euch, ihr beiden Ohren
7. Choral Nun, werter Geist, ich folg dir

For Trinity Sunday
Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest BWV 194
1. Coro Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest
2. Recitativo: Bass Unendlich großer Gott
3. Aria: Bass Was des Höchsten Glanz erfüllt
4. Recitativo: Sopran Wie könnte dir, du höchstes Angesicht
5. Aria: Sopran Hilf, Gott, dass es uns gelingt
6. Choral Heil’ger Geist ins Himmels Throne
Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding BWV 176
1. Coro Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding
2. Recitativo: Alt Ich meine, recht verzagt
3. Aria: Sopran Dein sonst hell beliebter Schein
4. Recitativo: Bass So wundre dich, o Meister, nicht
5. Aria: Alt Ermuntert euch, furchtsam und schüchterne Sinne
6. Choral Auf dass wir also allzugleich
O heil’ges Geist- und Wasserbad BWV 165
1. Aria: Sopran O heil’ges Geist- und Wasserbad
2. Recitativo: Bass Die sündige Geburt verdammter Adamserben
3. Aria: Alt Jesu, der aus großer Liebe
4. Recitativo: Bass Ich habe ja, mein Seelenbräutigam
5. Aria: Tenor Jesu, meines Todes Tod
6. Choral Sein Wort, sein Tauf, sein Nachtmahl
Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott BWV 129
1. Coro (Choral) Gelobet sei der Herr
2. Aria: Bass Gelobet sei der Herr
3. Aria: Sopran Gelobet sei der Herr
4. Aria: Alt Gelobet sei der Herr
5. Choral Dem wir das Heilig itzt

2008 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 27 SDG 138

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE: CD ONE / CD TWO

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 26

It’s a measure of the importance of Whitsun in the Lutheran calendar that, like Christmas and Easter, the feast was celebrated over three days. This latest release in the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage series consists of two concerts given on consecutive days in the same venue, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, in Suffolk details. This noble church, much lauded by Simon Jenkins in his book, England’s Thousand Best Churches, is one of the so-called Wool Churches and is mainly late-Perpendicular in style.

Readers who have been following the reviews of this series to date will know that one of its many notable features is the booklet notes. These are taken from a journal that Sir John Eliot Gardiner compiled during the Pilgrimage. It seems to me that his notes for this present volume are the finest to date. He writes with particular eloquence about the feast of Pentecost and Bach’s music for the festival and he’s particularly adept on this occasion at pointing out resonances between the theology of the feast, Bach’s music and the venue for the concerts.

The first concert – and CD – consisted of cantatas for Whit Sunday itself. Proceedings get off to a joyous start with the exuberant, trumpet-led chorus that opens BWV 172. The rhythms bounce infectiously and the trumpets ring out festively. The first aria in this cantata is one of Bach’s puissant bass and trumpet arias, ‘Heiligste Dreieinigkeit’. This is authoritatively dispatched by the German-born Greek bass, Panajotis Iconomou, a singer that I can’t recall hearing before, though he was a finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2001. After this Bach provides respite and refreshment in the form of the easeful tenor aria, ‘O Seelenparadies’ This suits the light, heady voice of Christoph Genz admirably. I also relished the sensuous performance of the duet for soprano and alto, ‘Komm, lass mich nicht länger warten.’ The cantata ends with two choral movements. First comes a chorale, which is enriched by a countermelody for the orchestral violins. Then we are treated to a most welcome reprise of the opening chorus, which rounds off a very fine cantata in a splendid performance.

Next we hear the first of Bach’s cantatas entitled Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten, BWV 59. The origins of this piece, which dates from 1723 or 1724, are a little uncertain and Gardiner’s note is good on this point. I enjoyed the duet for soprano and bass with which it opens. The two trumpet parts that accompany the singers are surprisingly – and very effectively – restrained in tone. It’s somewhat unusual to find a chorale as the third movement. The bass aria that follows is a fine creation. It’s a lovely, lyrical inspiration in which a graceful vocal line is complemented by an equally suave violin obbligato. I admired the velvety tone that Panajotis Iconomou deploys here. The cantata lacks a closing chorale and it seems to me that Eliot Gardiner’s solution is a sensible one. He repeats the chorale that we heard earlier, but the choir now sings a different verse of the same hymn.

Bach revisited the text of Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten again in 1725. He re-worked some of the music from BWV 59 in this new cantata, BWV 74, and, apart from the opening movement, he set a different text. The opening movement of BWV 59 is transformed here into a four-part chorus. The music for BWV 59’s above-mentioned bass aria, ‘Die Welt mit allen Königreichen’, is now assigned to a soprano with an oboe da caccia obbligato. This re-worked aria, ‘Komm, komm, mein Herze steht dir offen’, is quite delightful and I share John Eliot Gardiner’s preference for this version of the music. The partnership of soprano and oboe da caccia has been encountered before, in BWV 1 (Volume 21), and I find it highly effective. Lisa Larsson is the accomplished soprano on this occasion. The dazzling tenor aria, ‘Kommt, eilet, stimmet Sait und Lieder’ is a real tour de force. Christoph Genz delivers this virtuoso piece superbly. As we shall see later, the mixture of lightness and steel in his voice is absolutely right for such music. The cantata also contains a hugely demanding aria for the alto soloist, ‘Nichts kann mich erretten’, which is distinguished in particular by the leaps that the singer is required to make from one extreme of his register to the other. It’s a dramatic piece and Derek Lee Ragin gives a graphic account of it. However, the timbre of his voice may not be to all tastes and I must admit a preference for Robin Blaze’s performance in Gardiner’s earlier account of this cantata, to which I shall come in a moment.

Finally we are given the superb cantata, O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe, BWV 34. This begins with one of the most exciting choruses in all Bach. This large- scale, celebratory piece is adorned with silvery trumpets and makes a most splendid impression here. The music is like the rushing of the Pentecostal wind itself and it’s hard to imagine it done with greater fervour than in this exuberant performance. The Monteverdi Choir surpass themselves with singing that is light and effervescent yet which has the requisite weight too. It’s tremendously disciplined yet it still sounds spontaneous. I can see that some eyebrows might be raised at the strong accents in the central section of the chorus but I love it. Gardiner says of this chorus: "In performance it generates colossal energy and elation" and that’s certainly the case here.

In the tenor aria that follows Christoph Genz’s singing reminded me of the splendid and sensitive work he did as the Evangelist in the performances of Christmas Oratorio with which the Pilgrimage began in December 1999. This is followed by the heavenly aria ‘Wohl euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen’. From his comments in the notes it’s clear that Nathalie Stutzmann’s performance made a deep impression on Sir John and I’m not surprised. She gives a serene account of the aria, which I find even more satisfying than Bernarda Fink’s fine performance in the earlier DG recording (see below.) The end of the cantata contains a stroke of genius, with the choir bursting in abruptly at the end of the bass recitativo. This is the prelude to "a typhoon of an orchestral finale" as Gardiner describes it, where choir and orchestra combine to bring what must have been a memorable concert to a jubilant end.

Collectors should note that Gardiner has recorded these four Whit Sunday cantatas, BWV 34, 59, 74 and 172 before. They were issued by DG in 2000 as one of the series of discs issued at the time the Pilgrimage was in progress (DG 463 584-2). The disc is still available, I believe, but it contains different performances, recorded under studio conditions in April 1999 and all the soloists on the DG disc are different, with the exception of Christoph Genz. This earlier disc is by no means eclipsed by the newcomer. However, the SDG accounts seem to me to have that indefinable ‘edge’, which perhaps stems from the fact that they are live performances. I’ve highlighted above a couple of points where I have a preference for the newcomer. What clinches it for me, however, is the opening chorus of BWV 172. Here the new version has more life and buoyancy. The tempo is fractionally faster and the rhythms seem that tiny bit more urgently sprung. Though the 1999 performance is excellent its successor is even more joyous: it’s a real winner.

The next day three more cantatas were given, all for Whit Monday. Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut, BWV 173 was a re-working of a 1717 cantata written while Bach was in Cöthen, to celebrate the birthday of Prince Leopold, his employer. In its adapted, liturgical format, as BWV 173, the cantata may well have been heard first in Leipzig in 1723 but Eliot Gardiner’s performance is of a further re-working of the score that Bach undertook in 1728. Christoph Genz’s combination of lightness of voice and steely ring, already noted in BWV 74, is again a source of pleasure in the gigue-like aria, ‘Ein geheiligtes Gemüte.’ The busy alto aria, ‘Gott will, o ihr Menschenkinder’ is not, perhaps, one of Bach’s most memorable inspirations. However, the following duet for soprano and bass is a delight. It’s something of a technical tour de force, as Bach moves through a succession of scoring, metres and keys. It’s very well done here.

Also hat Gott die Welt geliebet, BWV 68 is a work that, as Eliot Gardiner comments, "almost seems as if [it] were composed back-to-front" since it begins with what he terms a "lyrical and wistful" chorale and concludes with a much more dramatic chorus of the type that one might expect to find at the start of a cantata. However, as so often, Bach’s musical inspiration fits the text perfectly and the gentle, lilting rhythm of the opening movement serves to emphasise quiet joy that God sent his son to redeem the world. In this splendid performance both the singers and the instrumentalists are alive to every nuance of rhythm and dynamics. Both the second and fourth movements of the cantata were adapted by Bach from his ‘Hunt’ Cantata, BWV 208. The first of these movements is the celebrated soprano aria, ‘Mein gläubiges Herze’. Soloist Lisa Larsson conveys appropriately breathless joy. However, the extremely fleet tempo chosen by Gardiner may disconcert some listeners. This performance is a very different conception from, say, those by Edith Mathis (for Karl Richter) or the incomparable Agnes Giebel (for Fritz Werner) and it’s noteworthy that both of those performances last for over four minutes whereas Gardiner whips through the piece in 2:55. Miss Larsson’s singing isn’t anything like as full-toned as the other two ladies I’ve mentioned and, in fairness, I don’t think the tempo gives her the chance to be. The player of the obbligato violincello piccolo also sounds somewhat pressed. The other movement taken from the ‘Hunt’ Cantata is the bass aria. Bach gives his singer an accompaniment of no less than three gambolling oboes and a bassoon and I find the effect irresistible. The strong and energetic closing chorus is an exciting affair with a cornetto and three sackbuts doubling the choral parts.

The final cantata in what is a slightly short programme is Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte, BWV 174. The opening sinfonia is a memorable expansion of the first movement of the third Brandenburg Concerto. The expansion is to the scoring: Bach adds highly important parts for pairs of horns and oboes to the original string band and, in Gardiner’s memorable phrase unleashes a "living bombardment of instrumental sounds." Even longer than the sinfonia is the alto aria from which the cantata takes its title. This is an outstanding aria and it’s sung radiantly and expressively by Nathalie Stutzmann. I had reservations about Gardiner’s pacing of ‘Mein gläubiges Herze’ but that’s not the case here. I feel he adopts an ideal tempo for this heavenly aria. It flows with a beautiful inevitability, with two intertwining oboes enhancing the vocal line. The concluding chorale uses the same music that Bach used for the final chorale of St. John Passion and it makes for a very satisfying conclusion to another fine disc.

As this series unfolds I have come to value increasingly the Sunday-by-Sunday presentation. Not only does this seem to me to afford the most logical way to order an intégrale of the cantatas, but also it allows one to appreciate the way in which Bach responded in different ways at different stages in his career to the same liturgical and scriptural themes. That, in itself, I am finding to be an enriching experience.

The Pilgrim’s sojourn in Long Melford was another highly successful artistic enterprise. This pair of discs has given me enormous pleasure. The very high standards of performance, presentation and recorded sound that were set in earlier releases has been maintained and I strongly recommend this latest addition to what is fast becoming a very important and distinguished cycle of the cantatas. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750

For Whit Sunday
Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172
1. Coro Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!
2. Recitativo: BassWer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten
3. Aria: Bass Heiligste Dreieinigkeit
4. Aria: Tenor O Seelenparadies
5. Aria (Duetto) con Choral: Sopran, Alt
Komm, lass mich nicht länger warten
6. Choral Von Gott kömmt mir ein Freudenschein
7. Coro Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!
Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten I BWV 59
1. Duetto: Sopran, BassWer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten
2. Recitativo: Sopran O, was sind das für Ehren
3. Choral Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott
4. Aria: Bass Die Welt mit allen Königreichen
5. Choral Du heilige Brunst, süßer Trost
Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten II BWV 74
1. CoroWer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten
2. Aria: Sopran Komm, komm, mein Herze steht dir offen
3. Recitativo: Alt Die Wohnung ist bereit
4. Aria: Bass Ich gehe hin und komme wieder zu euch
5. Aria: Tenor Kommt, eilet, stimmet Sait und Lieder
6. Recitativo: Bass Es ist nichts Verdammliches
7. Aria: Alt Nichts kann mich erretten
8. Choral Kein Menschenkind hier auf der Erd
O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe BWV 34
1. Coro O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe
2. Recitativo: Tenor Herr, unsre Herzen halten dir
3. Aria: AltWohl euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen
4. Recitativo: Bass Erwählt sich Gott die heilgen Hütten
5. Coro Friede über Israel

For Whit Monday
Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut BWV 173
1. Recitativo: Tenor Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut
2. Aria: Tenor Ein geheiligtes Gemüte
3. Aria: Alt Gott will, o ihr Menschenkinder
4. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass So hat Gott die Welt geliebt
5. Recitativo (Duetto): Sopran, Tenor Unendlichster, den man doch Vater nennt
6. Coro Rühre, Höchster, unsern Geist
Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt BWV 68
1. Coro (Choral) Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt
2. Aria: Sopran Mein gläubiges Herze
3. Recitativo: Bass Ich bin mit Petro nicht vermessen
4. Aria: Bass Du bist geboren mir zugute
5. CoroWer an ihn gläubet
Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte BWV 174
1. Sinfonia
2. Aria: Alt Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte
3. Recitativo: Tenor O Liebe, welcher keine gleich!
4. Aria: Bass Greifet zu
5. Choral Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr

2006 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 26 SDG 121

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE: CD ONE / CD TWO

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 25

The first of the two CDs in this set contains cantatas for the Fifth Sunday after Easter, recorded in what John Eliot Gardiner describes as the “unalluring” Annenkirche in Dresden. This was one of the few churches to survive the terrible bombing that the city endured in 1945. Apparently it owed its survival to an unusual architectural feature: a robust steel roof. In his notes Gardiner writes of the delicacy of the situation in which a largely British ensemble came to perform Bach in a city devastated by Allied bombs. They performed the programme on two consecutive nights and in the event, though the atmosphere at the first concert seemed somewhat tense, a more relaxed feeling pervaded the second concert.

The first work we hear, BWV 86, is an optimistic cantata, the mood set in the short opening bass arioso, in which Christ’s words are set: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” In this brief but telling solo Stephen Loges makes an immediately favourable impression, singing with warmth and authority. Of especial note is the next aria, ‘Ich will doch wohl Rosen brechen’. This contains a virtuoso violin obbligato, which is splendidly played (by Kati Debretzeni?), and which is an admirable foil for the agile singing of Robin Tyson. The other aria is for tenor and here Steve Davislim has a very demanding part to put across, not least because it includes some characteristic leaps up to very short high notes. It’s an ungrateful line at times and Davislim copes well though I think he sounds more comfortable, perhaps understandably, in other solos later on in the programme.

BWV 67 comes from the following year and, though the Epistle and Gospel would have been the same, this starts off in less hopeful vein than did BWV 86. As so often in Lutheran liturgy, the sinful nature of man is recalled. However, towards the end a more positive note is struck. Like BWV 86 the cantata opens with a vox Christi bass solo but this time there’s almost a note of reproach in the words, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name.” One of the highlights is a lengthy aria for alto accompanied by a pair of oboi da caccia. The aria, Gardiner says, is suffused with “a mood of sustained reverence and penitence.” Tyson makes a fine job of it.

Somewhat puzzling is the bass arioso, which forms the fifth movement. The text, again Christ’s words, is: “In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” One might expect comforting music here but Bach takes a different tack and the music is angular and rather severe in tone. Despite this surprise the mood of the music then alters and the following movement, a tenor aria, is heavenly. ’Ich will leiden, ich will schweigen’ is, in Alfred Dürr’s words, a siciliano of “overwhelming beauty… [that] brings the joyful affirmation that in our suffering we can rely on Jesus’ comfort.” In this number Steve Davislim, with a more grateful vocal line to spin, sounds more at ease than he did in BWV 86 and the performance is a delight.

The programme is completed by BWV 97. The occasion for which this cantata was intended is unclear though Dürr suggests it may have been intended as a wedding cantata Bach sets all nine verses of a seventeenth century hymn, including two recitatives and four arias among the verse settings. The cantata opens with a ceremonial French overture, which gives way to a lively choral fantasia in which the sopranos have the original hymn tune as a cantus firmus, around which the other three parts weave vigorous passagework. This movement finds the Monteverdi Choir in fine fettle. The aria that follows, described by Gardiner as a “proto-Schubertian lied”, features warm singing by Stephen Loges as well as a splendid bassoon obbligato.

Later there’s an extended tenor aria, well sung by Davislim, which features another very taxing violin obbligato. Dürr reckons that there must have been a good reason for Bach to write such a showy instrumental part. We’ve not heard much so far of Katharine Fuge, save for a brief chorale movement in BWV 86. However, she now joins Loges for what Gardiner wittily describes as “a catch-as-catch-can stretto for the two singers, part canzonet, part Rossini.” Miss Fuge acquits herself well here but we get a better chance to hear her in the lovely aria ‘Ihm hab ich mich ergeben’, which Gardiner aptly describes as “a carefree acceptance of God’s will.”

A week later, after an Ascension Day concert in Salisbury Cathedral, which I hope will feature in a future volume, not least because it presumably included BWV 11, the Pilgrims fetched up at the eleventh-century Sherborne Abbey in Dorset. The works on the CD don’t appear in the order in which they were performed that evening because the concert began with BWV 150. I suspect the reordering on disc is designed to keep apart BWV 44 and BWV 183.

BWV 44 is another cantata that opens with a vox Christi movement but, unusually for Bach, two singers – tenor and bass – are used. This short movement leads without a break into an animated chorus – “punchy and arresting” in Gardiner’s words - which is sung with real bite by the Monteverdi Choir. In his notes Gardiner points out that the chorus reminds one of the ‘Kreuzige’ chorus in St. John Passion, first heard only six weeks before this cantata’s first airing. Apparently it only consists of thirty-five bars, but it sounds much more substantial. The cantata also contains a wonderful, elegiac aria, ‘Christen müssen auf der Erden’. This is beautifully sung by Daniel Taylor, whose warm, round tone makes him sound almost like a female alto. He’s partnered by a most eloquent oboe obbligato player. My ear was also caught by the dramatic bass recitative in which Panajotis Iconomou displays power and resonance. After this there’s a fine, dancing soprano aria in which Joanne Lunn’s singing is bright and clear. She copes very well with what is a far from easy vocal line.

BWV 183 was written one year later. It shares with BWV 44 only the text of its first verse, which is a conflation of the first two verses of the earlier cantata. The cantata is dominated by a huge, slow aria for tenor with cello piccolo obbligato. Running in this performance to 10.30, the aria accounts for nearly two thirds of the entire cantata, aptly justifying Gardiner’s epithet “epic”. Throughout it’s length the tenor’s tortured line is underpinned by what Gardiner calls the “serene and luminous course” of the obbligato. Paul Agnew’s singing is exceptionally eloquent and his performance of this hugely demanding piece, which is a real test of technique and concentration, is very accomplished. But equal praise is due, and for the same reasons, to cellist David Watkin, whose contribution is on the same high level.

Mention should also be made of Joanne Lunn’s marvellously dexterous delivery of her aria ‘Höchter Tröster, Heilger Geist’. In this the oboe da caccia obbligato provides an excellent foil to her lithe, agile singing.

In between these two cantatas on the disc comes BWV 150. This is another cantata for an unspecified occasion and for the first time in the series to date, I think, we find a cantata repeated. This same work appeared in Volume 23 as part of a concert given in late April 2000 (see review). Gardiner says that in reviving the work he tried to achieve a number of advances on the earlier performance and it’s interesting to compare the two to attempt to judge how successful he was, though I must say the earlier account seemed very good to me. In the chorus ‘Meine Augen sehen stets zu dem Herrn’ he says the aim was to attain a “more sensuous, mezzo-tinted sonority”. I’d say he achieved his goal here. He sought greater harmonic clarity in another chorus, ‘Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit’. I don’t find it easy to discern whether or not this was attained: both performances sound convincing. However, I don’t think there’s much doubt that this present performance of the terzetto movement for alto, tenor and bass is the more successful of the two. Gardiner aimed for more graphic musical depiction of the accompaniment and once you’ve heard the Sherborne account the earlier effort sounds a bit tame. He also aimed for a greater sense of spaciousness in the closing chorus and, once again, I find it hard to decide if the newer account, which is a fine one, represents a significant advance on the previous rendition.

The programme closed with music by Bach but, on this occasion, by an ancestor of Johann Sebastian, his first cousin-once-removed, Johann Christoph Bach. The five-part motet Fürchte dich nicht is only short but it merits inclusion. Gardiner suggests that Johann Christoph might be the missing link between Schütz and J. S. Bach. He describes it as an “impressive and touching piece” and I agree. This is the first time so far in the series that we’ve heard music by another member of the very extended Bach family but it’s good to have this piece performed here with commitment and style.

The performance standards are consistently high throughout this pair of CDs. The engineering is good and, as ever, John Eliot Gardiner’s notes are stimulating, informative and convey a sense of the special atmosphere of this whole project. This is another impressive issue in this important series. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

For the Fifth Sunday after Easter (Rogate)
Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch BWV 86
1. (Arioso): BassWahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch
2. Aria: Alt Ich will doch wohl Rosen brechen
3. Choral: Sopran Und was der ewig gütig Gott
4. Recitativo: Tenor Gott macht es nicht gleichwie die Welt
5. Aria: Tenor Gott hilft gewiss
6. Choral Die Hoffnung wart’ der rechten Zeit
Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen BWV 87
1. (Arioso): Bass Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen
2. Recitativo: Alt O Wort, das Geist und Seel erschreckt!
3. Aria: Alt Vergib, o Vater, unsre Schuld
4. Recitativo: TenorWenn unsre Schuld bis an den Himmel steigt
5. (Arioso): Bass In der Welt habt ihr Angst
6. Aria: Tenor Ich will leiden, ich will schweigen
7. Choral Muss ich sein betrübet?
In allen meinen Taten BWV 97
1. Versus I. Coro In allen meinen Taten
2. Versus II. Aria: Bass Nichts ist es spät und frühe
3. Versus III. Recitativo: Tenor Es kann mir nichts geschehen
4. Versus IV. Aria: Tenor Ich traue seiner Gnaden
5. Versus V. Recitativo: Alt Er wolle meiner Sünden
6. Versus VI. Aria: Alt Leg ich mich späte nieder
7. Versus VII. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass Hat er es denn beschlossen
8. Versus VIII. Aria: Sopran Ihm hab ich mich ergeben
9. Versus IX. Choral So sei nun, Seele, deine

For the Sunday after Ascension Day (Exaudi)
Sie werden euch in den Bann tun I BWV 44
1. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Sie werden euch in den Bann tun
2. Coro Es kömmt aber die Zeit
3. Aria: Alt Christen müssen auf der Erden
4. Choral: Tenor Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
5. Recitativo: Bass Es sucht der Antichrist
6. Aria: Sopran Es ist und bleibt der Christen Trost
7. Choral So sei nun, Seele, deine
Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150
1. Sinfonia
2. Coro Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich
3. Aria: Sopran Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnügt
4. Coro Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit
5. Aria (Terzetto): Alt, Tenor, Bass Zedern müssen von den Winden
6. Coro Meine Augen sehen stets zu dem Herrn
7. Coro Meine Tage in den Leiden
Sie werden euch in den Bann tun II BWV 183
1. Recitativo: Bass Sie werden euch in den Bann tun
2. Aria: Tenor Ich fürchte nicht des Todes Schrecken
3. Recitativo: Alt Ich bin bereit
4. Aria: Sopran Höchster Tröster, Heilger Geist
5. Choral Du bist ein Geist
Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703)
Fürchte dich nicht
Fürchte dich nicht, denn ich hab dich erlöst

2008 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 25 SDG 144

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 24

This set consists of cantatas for the Easter season. The superb BWV 12 is a Weimar cantata, dating from 1714 but heard here in its 1724, Leipzig, revision. Bach opens with a sinfonia, which is a profound meditation led by a keening oboe. Then he plumbs even greater depths in the succeeding extended chorus, which later became the Crucifixus of the B Minor Mass. The opening music of this chorus is performed with great feeling and exemplary control. The tempo picks up in a faster, contrapuntal central section, which puts one in mind of passages in the Motets. William Towers is in fine form for his recitative and aria, the latter being a particularly inspired invention. Julian Clarkson appears for the first time in the series to give a spirited reading of the short aria, ‘Ich folge Christo nach.’ Mark Padmore, on the other hand, is no stranger to the series. He’s a joy to hear in the musically and emotionally taxing aria, ‘Sei getreu, alle Pein’, which is decorated by a gentle trumpet chorale, marvellously voiced and placed here. Rounded off by a stirring chorale, this is a splendid performance of this profound cantata.

BWV 103 (1725) starts deceptively. As Gardiner points out perceptively in his note, the vigorous fugal opening chorus sounds joyful on the surface. However, that’s deliberately somewhat at odds with the sentiments of the text. He leads his forces in a robust account of this music. It’s an astonishingly inventive movement, both in terms of the music itself and also in respect of the scoring, in which an important soprano recorder part is prominent. This chorus seems to present most effectively to the listener the antithesis between sorrow and joy. Happiness is finally attained in the splendid tenor aria, ‘Erholet euch, betrübte Sinnen’. Both Mark Padmore and trumpeter Niklas Eklund make this hugely demanding aria sound almost easy in a performance of exuberant conviction.

BWV 146 is on a huge scale, lasting some 38 minutes in this performance. Bach adapted the first two movements of the D minor Harpsichord Concerto, BWV 1052a for the first two movements of this cantata. First comes a sinfonia for which, for once, the organ of the venue itself was used rather than the portable organ that was generally used throughout the Pilgrimage. As soon as we hear the mighty organ of the Schlosskirche, Altenburg it’s obvious why that choice was made. The instrument produces some wonderful sounds, especially in its lower reaches and though its action must have taxed the skills of organist Silas John Standage the results amply justify the pains he took. The sinfonia emerges here as an ambitious, grand canvass and it’s marvellously exciting – and entertaining – to hear it done like this. Bach himself is known to have played this instrument in 1739, shortly after its installation, so its use here is doubly justified. Gardiner’s marvellously apt description of it as a “Baroque ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’” is just another example of his ability to find the mot juste in his notes.

After the thrills of the sinfonia Bach grafts a four-part chorus onto the music of the slow movement of the concerto to transform it into a superb, sustained and intense choral meditation. The recording captures well the fine distancing effect that was achieved by placing the choir at the rear of the church for this movement. There follows a substantial alto aria, which is well sung by William Towers and graced by what is rightly described as a “radiant” violin obbligato. Brigitte Geller, a singer new to me, has had little to do in the concert up to now but she is heard to good effect in this cantata in a dramatic recitative and an aria that is more emotionally relaxed. I enjoyed very much the vigorous performance of the arresting and joyful tenor and bass duet, ‘wie will ich mich freuen’.

The following week the show moved on to Warwick, a late change of plan in the face of complications in Warsaw, which had been the intended destination for the Fourth Sunday of Easter. BWV 166, which was the first item on the programme, opens with a bass arioso. I thought that I detected a suggestion or two that Stephen Varcoe was not quite at his best here, the voice sounding just a little thin. But he’s a highly experienced singer and he still puts across words and music convincingly – and I have to say that I enjoyed his subsequent singing very much. James Gilchrist is in fine voice for the “serene meditation” of the aria ‘Ich will an den Himmel denken’. The alto aria, ‘Man nehme sich in Acht’ is an extrovert, virtuoso piece, which seems to test Robin Tyson, accomplished singer though he is. The cantata ends with a chorale, which begins most effectively, the choir hushed and a cappella. This provides a telling contrast to the outgoing alto aria that precedes it.

BWV 108, which dates from 1725, has some structural similarities with BWV 166, which had been composed in the previous year. Gilchrist has another demanding aria, this time a much more spirited one than that which fell to him in BWV 166. Once again he rises fully to the occasion. There have already been several opportunities in this series for him to demonstrate his prowess as a Bach tenor and this is another. In passing it should be said that on the evidence of the discs so far issued Gardiner has chosen his tenor soloists for this whole project particularly well. Besides Gilchrist the excellence of both Paul Agnew and Mark Padmore has already been noted. At the centre of BWV 108 lies a vigorous polyphonic chorus, which the Monteverdi Choir sings with tremendous assurance and spirit, after which Robin Tyson sings the important alto aria well.

Finally we hear BWV 117. The date of composition of this cantata is uncertain; it dates from between 1728 and 1731 and the occasion for which it was penned is not certain. However, it fits in well with the two companion works in this programme, not least in terms of its subject matter. Gardiner is surely right to suggest in his notes that whatever the occasion was it was a significant one. It opens with a celebratory and positive chorus, which later reappears to close the work. Though Bach eschews the use of trumpets here the music is still very festive in tone. There’s another fine tenor aria to enjoy and an equally imposing, more reflective one for the bass. Both are stylishly sung by Messrs. Gilchrist and Varcoe respectively. There’s also an engagingly perky alto aria and I found this piece, and Robin Tyson’s singing of it a delight.

[This volume] in this evolving series continue[s] in every respect the extremely high standards set in the previous issues. There are currently two other significant Bach cantata cycles in progress. These are the surveys by Ton Koopman and by Masaaki Suzuki. Both series have attracted much praise and though I haven’t heard any of the Koopman discs, other than on the radio, those from the Suzuki cycle that have come my way have impressed me very much. I am not really in a position to make any detailed comparisons between these rival cycles. What I will say, however, is that this Gardiner series is so far very fine indeed and is promising much. The fact that his performances stem from live performances does give them a certain ambience and immediacy, I think. Of course, one doesn’t know how much editing has taken place (I understand that the dress rehearsals were also taped as a precaution). However, my guess would be that editing has been kept to a minimum; these performances consistently have the feel of a genuine performance and, indeed, convey a palpable sense of occasion.

If you’re already collecting either the Koopman or Suzuki cycles then economic realities will probably prevent you from collecting the Gardiner discs as well. Even so I’d recommend sampling this intriguing and stimulating series. If pressed to choose from the sets that have been released to date I think I’d plump for Volume 1, which was discussed in my previous survey, and Volume 14. However, all the five sets I’ve heard to date are excellent and will give much pleasure.

This is shaping up to be a series of considerable importance and, of course, if it can be completed, it will have the distinction of being the first Bach cantata cycle to be composed entirely of live performances. I recommend [this] latest [addition] to the series with great enthusiasm. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750

For the Third Sunday after Easter (Jubilate)
Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen BWV 12
1. Sinfonia
2. CoroWeinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
3. Recitativo: Alt Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal
4. Aria: Alt Kreuz und Krone sind verbunden
5. Aria: Bass Ich folge Christo nach
6. Aria con Choral: Tenor Sei getreu, alle Pein
7. ChoralWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Ihr werdet weinen und heulen BWV 103
1. Coro e Arioso: Bass Ihr werdet weinen und heulen
2. Recitativo: TenorWer sollte nicht in Klagen untergehn
3. Aria: Alt Kein Arzt ist außer dir zu finden
4. Recitativo: Alt Du wirst mich nach der Angst
5. Aria: Tenor Erholet euch, betrübte Sinnen
6. Choral Ich hab dich einen Augenblick
Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen BWV 146
1. Sinfonia
2. Coro Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal
3. Aria: Alt Ich will nach dem Himmel zu
4. Recitativo: Sopran Ach! wer doch schon im Himmel wär!
5. Aria: Sopran Ich säe meine Zähren
6. Recitativo: Tenor Ich bin bereit
7. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Wie will ich mich freuen
8. Choral Denn wer selig dahin fähret

For the Fourth Sunday after Easter (Cantate)
Wo gehest du hin? BWV 166
1. Arioso: BassWo gehest du hin?
2. Aria: Tenor Ich will an den Himmel denken
3. Choral: Sopran Ich bitte dich, Herr Jesu Christ
4. Recitativo: Bass Gleichwie die Regenwasser bald verfließen
5. Aria: Alt Man nehme sich in Acht
6. ChoralWer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende!
Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe BWV 108
1. Aria: Bass Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe
2. Aria: Tenor Mich kann kein Zweifel stören
3. Recitativo: Tenor Dein Geist wird mich also regieren
4. CoroWenn aber jener, der Geist der Wahrheit
5. Aria: AltWas mein Herz von dir begehrt
6. Choral Dein Geist, den Gott vom Himmel gibt
Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut BWV 117
1. Coro Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut
2. Recitativo: Bass Es danken dir die Himmelsheer
3. Aria: TenorWas unser Gott geschaffen hat
4. Choral Ich rief dem Herrn in meiner Not
5. Recitativo: Alt Der Herr ist noch und nimmer nicht
6. Aria: BassWenn Trost und Hülf ermangeln muss
7. Aria: Alt Ich will dich all mein Leben lang
8. Recitativo: Tenor Ihr, die ihr Christi Namen nennt
9. Coro So kommet vor sein Angesicht

2005 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 24 SDG 107

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 23

Volume 22 of this series contained cantatas for Easter Sunday and the succeeding two days, performed at the church in Eisenach where Bach was baptised and sang as a boy chorister. For the following Sunday, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his Cantata Pilgrims travelled some thirty miles to Arnstadt, where Bach served as organist between 1703 and 1707.

Though cantata BWV 150 is not an Easter cantata - indeed, it’s for an unspecified occasion - its inclusion in the Arnstadt programme was appropriate since it’s now widely believed that this was Bach’s first cantata, composed around 1707/8 and, as such, probably written for this very church. The piece is rooted firmly in the seventeenth-century German cantata tradition and, unsurprisingly, one feels that the young Bach has yet fully to find his voice in this medium. Nonetheless it’s technically very assured and the musical response to the text is typically thoughtful. There aren’t too many solo opportunities but Gillian Keith impresses in the soprano aria ‘Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnügt’. The contribution of the Monteverdi Choir is, characteristically, first class and in particular they project strongly the chorus ‘Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit’.

BWV 67 comes from 1724, the first Leipzig cycle, and shows how far Bach had travelled musically since his Arnstadt days. For a start the orchestral scoring is much fuller, reflecting the more abundant resources available to Bach in Leipzig. But the music is much finer also. The magnificent opening chorus finds the Monteverdi Choir – and Bach – in inspired form. The following tenor aria, ‘Mein Jesus ist erstanden’ is a superb creation, a real proclamation of confident faith in the Resurrection. Gardiner sets a challenging tempo but Charles Daniels negotiates the aria’s difficulties very well. The bass aria with chorale, ‘Friede sei mit euch!’ is the core of the work. There are several turbulent passages for strings and chorus, in which Gardiner really whips up a tempest, and each time calm is restored by the bass, as Jesus. Stephen Varcoe sings these pacific passages with dignity and feeling. However, to my ears his voice sounds, at this stage in his career, just a little grey and he also lacks the amplitude at the bottom of his range that we’ve heard from, say, Peter Harvey in other volumes in this series. This is a magnificent cantata and, that one reservation apart, Gardiner and his forces give a fine account of it.

BWV 42, which comes from the 1725 jahrgang is on a much bigger scale and is introduced by a vigorous, eager sinfonia. At its heart – and, at 12:32, accounting for nearly half the length of the whole cantata – is the alto aria, ‘Wo zwei und drei versammlet sind’. These recordings are assembled from two performances on consecutive days and I was fascinated to read in Gardiner’s notes that he found his feelings about this aria were different at each performance. He confides “I found it almost unbearably pained and sad at our first performance and far more serene and consoling at the second.” Which account is preserved on the CD, I wonder? Perhaps the truth lies somewhere between the two poles, with Bach illustrating the bittersweet feeling of the first disciples that Christ is with them always – but no longer in this world as they have previously known him? In this performance the pair of obbligato oboes intertwine plaintively and Daniel Taylor’s singing is beautifully plangent and most eloquent. Whatever interpretation one draws from the music it’s sublime. Stephen Varcoe copes pretty well with the bass aria in this cantata though, again, I’d have liked a bit more “bottom” in the voice, well though he puts across the piece.

The final cantata in this concert, BWV 158, is actually for Easter Tuesday but apart from anything else its inclusion is an appropriate link with BWV 67. Actually, as Alfred Dürr points out, Bach also used this cantata sometimes for the Feast of the Purification (February 2) since the text is apposite for that day as well. In essence it’s a cantata for solo bass. The gentle recitativo and the world-weary aria. ‘Welt, ade, ich bin dein müde’ suits Stephen Varcoe’s light-ish voice well. He makes an excellent contribution to this cantata. In the aria, the ravishing, elaborate violin obbligato is marvellously played by Alison Bury and the choir’s sopranos sing their chorale interjections beautifully.

For the following week’s concert the pilgrims journeyed to Luxembourg. All three cantatas on this programme were inspired by the concept of Christ as the Good Shepherd and were founded on Psalm 23.

BWV 104 opens with a fine chorus in 9/8 time. Gardiner and his musicians impart a lovely lilt to the music and the excellent choral singing allows every strand of Bach’s argument to come through. The tenor, Norbert Meyn, makes his first appearance in this series to date. In the anxious aria ‘Verbirgt mein Hirte sich zu lange’ he just sounds a touch uncomfortable in comparison with some of his tenor colleagues that we’ve heard in earlier releases. The bass aria, ‘Beglückte Herde, Jesu Schafe’ is a wonderful pastoral piece in 12/8. Stephen Varcoe gives a good account of it, catching the mood of the music very well.

In the alto aria of BWV 85 William Towers sings very well. Sir John rightly draws attention in his notes to the special colouring imparted by the tenor range of the obbligato ‘cello piccolo in this aria. Prepared by a charged recitativo, the tenor aria ‘Seht, was die Liebe tut’ is a wonderfully eloquent bit of writing and Meyn puts it over very well.

BWV 112 is a paraphrase of Psalm 23 and its splendid opening chorus is the most obviously celebratory piece we’ve heard thus far and the addition of a pair of horns to the orchestra enriches the timbres significantly. The next two verses of the paraphrase are allocated respectively to the alto and bass soloists. Both do well, Towers singing his pastoral aria very pleasingly and Varcoe eloquently phrasing his recitativo. The soprano/tenor duet is a jubilant movement and Katharine Fuge and Norbert Meyn combine enthusiastically.

This, then, is another absorbing and splendidly performed release in this very important series. The orchestral playing is consistently of a very high order. Sir John comments in his notes, which are splendid and perceptive as ever, that “One is dumbfounded by the peerless craftsmanship of [Bach’s] weekly and seasonal output.” I am no less admiring of the skill and dedication of Gardiner and his team who, week in, week out, were producing such thoughtful and superbly executed performances during their year-long pilgrimage, the fruits of which are now, thankfully, preserved on disc in this very fine cantata cycle.  (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Cantatas Vol 23: Arnstadt/Echternach
For the First Sunday after Easter
(Quasimodogeniti)
Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150
1. Sinfonia
2. Coro Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich
3. Aria: Sopran Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnügt
4. Coro Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit
5. Aria (Terzetto): Alt, Tenor, Bass Zedern müssen von den Winden
6. Coro Meine Augen sehen stets zu dem Herrn
7. Coro Meine Tage in den Leiden
Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ BWV 67
1. Coro Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ
2. Aria: Tenor Mein Jesus ist erstanden
3. Recitativo: Alt Mein Jesu, heißest du des Todes Gift
4. Choral Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag
5. Recitativo: Alt Doch scheinet fast
6. Aria: Bass e Coro Friede sei mit euch!
7. Choral Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ
Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats BWV 42
1. Sinfonia
2. Recitativo: Tenor Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats
3. Aria: AltWo zwei und drei versammlet sind
4. Choral (Duetto): Sopran, Tenor Verzage nicht, o Häuflein klein
5. Recitativo: Bass Man kann hiervon ein schön Exempel sehen
6. Aria: Bass Jesus ist ein Schild der Seinen
7. Choral Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich
Der Friede sei mit dir BWV 158
(For Easter Tuesday)
1. Recitativo: Bass Der Friede sei mit dir
2. Aria: Bass con Choral Welt, ade, ich bin dein müde
3. Recitativo ed Arioso: Bass Nun, Herr, regiere meinen Sinn
4. Choral Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm

For the Second Sunday after Easter
(Misericordias Domini)
Du Hirte Israel, höre BWV 104
1. Coro Du Hirte Israel, höre
2. Recitativo: Tenor Der höchste Hirte sorgt vor mich
3. Aria: Tenor Verbirgt mein Hirte sich zu lange
4. Recitativo: Bass Ja, dieses Wort ist meiner Seelen Speise
5. Aria: Bass Beglückte Herde, Jesu Schafe
6. Choral Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
Ich bin ein guter Hirt BWV 85
1. Aria: Bass Ich bin ein guter Hirt
2. Aria: Alt Jesus ist ein guter Hirt
3. Choral: Sopran Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
4. Recitativo: TenorWenn die Mietlinge schlafen
5. Aria: Tenor Seht, was die Liebe tut
6. Choral Ist Gott mein Schutz und treuer Hirt
Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt BWV 112
1. Versus I: Coro Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
2. Versus II: Alt Zum reinen Wasser er mich weist
3. Versus III: Bass Und ob ich wandelt im finstern Tal
4. Versus IV: Sopran, Tenor Du bereitest für mir einen Tisch
5. Versus V: Choral Gutes und die Barmherzigkeit

2007 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 23 SDG 131

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 22

Easter 2000 had strong historical resonances for Sir John Eliot Gardiner's cantata pilgrims, as these outstanding works were performed in St George's, Eisenach, where Bach was baptised, and only a stone's throw from Wartburg Castle where Luther completed his New Testament translations. One can only guess what inspired an unusually visceral reading of Christ lag in Todesbanden (arguably Bach's first great creation), with a plethora of extremes from the Monteverdi Choir. One might quibble with moments where orchestral gestures are a little exaggerated but this is a performance where the sinuous lines and the momentum of liturgical ritual allow Luther's great hymn to take us tantalisingly to the brink of Christ's victory.
The Easter cantatas receive some ebullient readings. Etfreut euch boasts one of Bach's longest choral movements and the composer (and Gardiner) demands vigilance from his virtuoso ensemble, whose roulades of quicksilver scales shed all the fear of the preceding weeks. Despite a few uncertainties in the chromatic solos of the middle section, this is a powerful account whose spiritual core is found in the central recitative-duet between the allegorical characters Hope and Fear.
The presence of James Gilchrist in any Bach recording raises the stakes and his singing in the little-known pearl Ein Herz is an infectious display of the new believer's ecstatic joy, expressed disarmingly in his first aria and reinforced in the duet with alto "Wir danken and preisen".
This latest volume continues to present the riches of the Pilgrimage with admirable consistency; rough edges aside, there is a unique sense of exploration and devotion to the music which comes from the palpable adrenalin of live performance in an oeuvre which has, historically, been studio-bound. Bleib' bei tins, with its strong St John Passion undertones, is an embodiment of the best in the millennial journey and receives one of the most concentrated and telling performances on disc.
[Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Cantatas Vol 22: Eisenach
For Easter Sunday
Christ lag in Todesbanden BWV 4
1. Sinfonia
2. Versus I: Coro Christ lag in Todesbanden
3. Versus II: Sopran, Alt Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt
4. Versus III: Tenor Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn
5. Versus IV: Coro Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg
6. Versus V: Bass Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm
7. Versus VI: Sopran, Tenor So feiern wir das hohe Fest
8. Versus VII: Choral Wir essen und leben wohl
Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret BWV 31
1. Sonata
2. Coro Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret
3. Recitativo: Bass Erwünschter Tag! Sei, Seele, wieder froh!
4. Aria: Bass Fürst des Lebens, starker Streiter
5. Recitativo: Tenor So stehe dann, du gottergebne Seele
6. Aria: Tenor Adam muss in uns verwesen
7. Recitativo: Sopran Weil dann das Haupt sein Glied
8. Aria con Choral: Sopran Letzte Stunde, brich herein
9. Choral So fahr ich hin zu Jesu Christ
For Easter Monday
Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen BWV 66
1. Coro Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen
2. Recitativo: Bass Es bricht das Grab und damit unsre Not
3. Aria: Bass Lasset dem Höchsten ein Danklied erschallen
4. Recitativo (Dialogo) ed Arioso (Duetto): Tenor, Alt
Bei Jesu Leben freudig sein
5. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Ich fürchte zwar des Grabes Finsternissen
6. Choral Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!

Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden BWV 6
1. Coro Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden
2. Aria: Alt Hochgelobter Gottessohn
3. Choral: Sopran Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ
4. Recitativo: Bass Es hat die Dunkelheit
5. Aria: Tenor Jesu, lass uns auf dich sehen
For Easter Tuesday
Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß BWV 134
1. Recitativo: Tenor, Alt Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß
2. Aria: Tenor Auf, Gläubige, singet die lieblichen Lieder
3. Recitativo: Tenor, Alt Wohl dir, Gott hat an dich gedacht
4. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Wir danken und preisen dein brünstiges Lieben
5. Recitativo: Tenor, Alt Doch würke selbst den Dank in unserm Munde
6. Coro Erschallet, ihr Himmel, erfreue dich, Erde
Ich lebe, mein Herze, zu deinem Ergötzen BWV 145
1. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Sopran Ich lebe, mein Herze, zu deinem Ergötzen
2. Recitativo: Tenor Nun fordre, Moses, wie du willt
3. Aria: Bass Merke, mein Herze, beständig nur dies
4. Recitativo: Sopran Mein Jesus lebt
5. Choral Drum wir auch billig fröhlich sein
6. Choral Beweis dein Macht, Herr Jesu Christ

2007 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 22 SDG 128

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You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 21

This eclectic selection covers works for Quinquagesima, the Annunciation, Palm Sunday and Oculi (the third Sunday in Lent) in arguably the least even of the seven releases so far. Yet there are significant contributions smattered throughout, not least Nathalie Stutzmann's purple-clad Widerstehe (BVVV54). This true contralto imparts a captivating resilience in the face of sin's devious tricks. Inspired by the chamber-like ecclesiastical works of Bach's Weimar period, the reduced string ensemble lends a similar intimacy to BWV182, though both works suffer from some scrappy playing that clearly could not be rectified simply by dropping in 'patches' from before or after. Stutzmann, however, projects just the right sense of involvement without forcing the issue.

Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (BWV1) is the major work here — a masterpiece of understated majesty and gentle celebration (for the Annunciation) where Bach appears to alight on the morning star as a direct resonance of Epiphany; such musical connections within the cantata oeuvre, throughout the church calendar, provide listeners with endless sources of fascination. Gardiner's performance is more an example of a splendid occasion captured rather than a notable addition to a distinguished discography.

BVVV22 and 23 were Bach's first cantatas to have been performed at Leipzig, audition pieces for the post of Thomascantor before his eventual appointment. Both were performed in the same service on the morning of February 7, 1723. Given the Lenten context, Bach hardly had a chance to flex his muscles in opulent displays of orchestration but he makes up for this with two pieces of subtle stylistic range. Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe (BWV22) is strikingly prescient of Passion narrative as Christ prepares for his death with melismas of distilled sadness and acceptance of destiny. Peter Harvey's is an affecting performance, as is the incrementally impressive Du wahrer Gott (BWV23), of which Gardiner completely has the measure.

One special movement to bottle? 'Es ist vollbracht' from BVVV159 arguably even better than the setting of the words at the end of the St John Passion. Heartfelt singing from Harvey is adorned by playing from oboist Marcel Ponseele which is as exquisite as you'll ever hear.  (Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750

For Quinquagesima
Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe BWV 22
1. Arioso: Tenor, Bass e Coro Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe
2. Aria: Alt Mein Jesu, ziehe mich nach dir
3. Recitativo: Bass Mein Jesu, ziehe mich
4. Aria: Tenor Mein Alles in allem, mein ewiges Gut
5. Choral Ertöt uns durch dein Güte
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn BWV 23
1. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn
2. Recitativo: Tenor con Choral Ach! gehe nicht vorüber
3. Coro Aller Augen warten, Herr
4. Choral Christe, du Lamm Gottes
Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott BWV 127
1. Coro (Choral) Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott
2. Recitativo: Tenor Wenn alles sich zur letzten Zeit entsetzet
3. Aria: Sopran Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen
4. Recitativo ed Aria: Bass Wenn einstens die Posaunen schallen
5. Choral Ach, Herr, vergib all unsre Schuld
Sehet! Wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem BWV 159
1. Arioso: Bass e Recitativo: Alt Sehet! Wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem
2. Aria: Alt con Choral: Sopran Ich folge dir nach
3. Recitativo: Tenor Nun will ich mich
4. Aria: Bass Es ist vollbracht
5. Choral Jesu, deine Passion
BWV 127 Appendix
Coro (Choral) Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott

CD 2
For the Annunciation/Palm Sunday/Oculi
Himmelskönig, sei willkommen BWV 182
(For Palm Sunday/Annunciation)
1. Sonata
2. Coro Himmelskönig, sei willkommen
3. Recitativo: Bass Siehe, ich komme
4. Aria: Bass Starkes Lieben
5. Aria: Alt Leget euch dem Heiland unter
6. Aria: Tenor Jesu, lass durch Wohl und Weh
7. Choral (Coro) Jesu, deine Passion
8. Coro So lasset uns gehen in Salem der Freuden
Widerstehe doch der Sünde BWV 54
(For the Third Sunday in Lent (Oculi))
1. Aria: Alt Widerstehe doch der Sünde
2. Recitativo: Alt Die Art verruchter Sünden
3. Aria: Alt Wer Sünde tut, der ist vom Teufel
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1
(For the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
1. Coro Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
2. Recitativo: Tenor Du wahrer Gottes und Marien Sohn
3. Aria: Sopran Erfüllet, ihr himmlischen göttlichen Flammen
4. Recitativo: Bass Ein irdscher Glanz, ein leiblich Licht
5. Aria: Tenor Unser Mund und Ton der Saiten
6. Choral Wie bin ich doch so herzlich froh

2006 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact discs
Volume 21 SDG 118

You can buy it on Amazon
You can download here: CD One / CD Two

Eliesha Nelson - Glen Inanga RUSSIAN VIOLA SONATAS

When thinking about Russian viola sonatas, a limited list of compositions may initially spring to mind, perhaps beginning and ending with the Shostakovich sonata. Violist Eliesha Nelson is out to prove that Shostakovich was certainly not the only Russian composer who wrote duo chamber music for her instrument. Joined by pianist Glen Inanga, Nelson presents a surprising program of four works for viola and piano, each penned by Russian composers in the early half of the 20th century. Some listeners may be familiar Paul Juon, whose works are currently experiencing revitalization, but names like Varvara Gaigerova and Alexander Winkler are likely unknown. Folk idioms, rhythmic components, and sonorities that typically characterize "Russian" music are present throughout this disc, but the influence of the west is still decisively present. Each of the compositions are idiomatically written for the viola, focusing on the instrument's strengths of dark, rich, tone, and melancholy sonorities, and while none of the works are overly memorable, they are each enjoyable and certainly worthy of recognition. Nelson and Inanga do tremendous justice to their program with convincing, energized, committed playing. Nelson's sound is sensuously deep and powerful; she darts around her instrument's fingerboard with ease and accuracy. Balance between viola and piano allows Nelson's sound to be heard clearly without making the piano seem timid. This disc is a must-have for viola fans, and a great choice for anyone interested in well-executed chamber music. (Mike D. Brownell, Rovi All Music Guide)

Varvara Andrianovna Gaigerova (1903 - 1944)

Suite for viola and piano, Op. 8
1. I. Allegro agitato 
2. II. Andantino 
3. III. Scherzo: Presto 
4. IV. Moderato 
Alexander Adolfovich Winkler (1865 - 1935)
Deux Morceaux (2 Pieces), Op. 31
5. No. 1. Elegicka meditacia 
6. No. 2. Vl' cik 
Paul Juon (1872 - 1940)
Viola Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 15
7. I. Moderato 
8. II. Adagio assai e molto cantabile 
9. III. Allegro moderato 
Alexander Adolfovich Winkler (1865 - 1935)
Viola Sonata, Op. 10
10. I. Moderato 
11. II. Allegro agitato 
12. II. L'istesso tempo ma poco rubato 
III Variations sur un air Breton
13. Theme: Andante 
14. Variation 1: L'istesso tempo poco rubato 
15. Variation 2: Allegretto 
16. Variation 3: Allegreo patetico 
17. Variation 4: Andante molto espressivo 
18. Variation 5: Allegro con fuoco 
19. Variation 6: Andante sostenuto 
20. Variation 7: Fuga: Allegro moderato 
21. Coda: Poco piu animato - Maestoso pesante

Eliesha Nelson, viola
Glen Inanga, piano

2011 Sono Luminus LLC
1 CD DDD
DSL- 92136

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Jitka Čechová SMETANA Piano Works

The fifth CD of the complete piano works of Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) takes us back to the world of the composer’s student years. (Smetana wrote all the featured - and surprisingly mature - pieces before he had reached the age of twenty.) He introduces himself as a passionate dancer; the polkas, so typical of Smetana, as well as gallopades, waltzes and quadrilles, bear witness to the hectic social and musical life he led during his studies in Prague and Plzeň, where he was a sought-after pianist and was able to intensively develop his talent. The first preserved composition is the Louisen Polka, followed by the Georginen Polka and Aus dem Studentenleben (From Student Life). The three Impromptus (1841-42) and Bagatelles et Impromptus (1844) are the first attempts to create compositions of a more serious nature and reflect Smetana’s inspiration by his musical idols (Chopin, Liszt, Schumann). Even though young and a self-taught pianist, these early works reveal Smetana as a singular and inspired composer.

Bagatelles and Impromptus (Bagatelles et Impromptus)
1. Innocence (L´innocence) [2:00]
2. Dejection (L´abattement) [0:57]
3. Idyll (Idylle) [1:06]
4. Longing (Le desir) [2:25]
5. Joy (La joie) [0:44]
6. Fairy Tale (Le conte) [2:36]
7. Love (L´amour) [2:25]
8. Quarrel (La discorde) [1:35]
9. Gallopp in D major for Piano [0:53]
10. Galopp di bravoura for Piano [2:35]
11.  Louisen Polka [4:06]
12. Georginen Polka in D major (Dahlia-Polka) [4:32]
13. Memory of Plzen (Erinnerung an Pilsen) [3:06]
14. From a Student´s Life (Aus dem Studentenleben) [2:26]
15. Impromptu in E flat minor [6:55]
16. Impromptu in B minor [4:58]
17. Impromptu in A flat major [3:35]
18. Mazurka Capriccio in C sharp minor for Piano [3:24]
19. Duo without Words (Duo sans mots) [5:32]
20. Waltzes (Walzer) [7:58]
21. Quadrille in F major [7:24]
22. Quadrille in B flat major [6:21]

2011 Supraphon a. s.
1 CD DDD
SU 3845-2

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