Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 12

The penultimate instalment in this series brings a “first”. The cantatas on disc one are not live performances but were set down under studio conditions a couple of days before the Pilgrims performed this programme in the chapel of Eton College. There’s a very good reason for this. Eton lies right under the flight path of Heathrow airport and so, as an insurance policy against aircraft noise, a prudent decision was taken to pre-record the programme, using long takes to simulate concert conditions as much as possible.
One would not wish for any intrusive noises to mar any of the cantata performances, especially James Gilchrist’s excellent and compelling account of the cantata for solo tenor, BWV 55. In the aria that opens the work Bach’s writing, in Alfred Dürr’s words “conjures up an impression of the writhing sinner who in vain revolts against his burden of sin, since he is unable to free himself from it.” Gilchrist rises superbly to the manifold challenges of Bach’s long, intense lines. He’s just as fine in the second aria, a compelling plea for mercy from the sinner, of which he gives a moving account. Praise too for the uplifting flute obbligato playing of Rachel Beckett in this second aria. Gilchrist is also vividly communicative in the two recitatives. In his notes, Sir John Eliot Gardiner is right to draw attention to the lovely harmonies in the concluding chorale, which is expertly sung by The Monteverdi Choir.
There’s more admirable solo singing in BWV 89. The opening aria portrays what Gardiner aptly calls God’s “wistful” anger and Peter Harvey, with fine, firm singing suggests just that. The alto recitative and aria that follow are much more vengeful in tone. Robin Tyson is presented with some challenging, dramatic writing, which he dispatches convincingly. Later comes a soprano aria with oboe obbligato in which the tone seems rather light and gay, which is rather at odds with the words. Gardiner points out that the text describes “a balance sheet of sins committed against the drops of Jesus’ redeeming blood.” The optimistic tone of Bach’s music, captivatingly sung by Joanne Lunn, who is expertly partnered by Michael Niesemann’s felicitous oboe playing, perhaps indicates the composer’s confidence as to which side of the balance sheet will end up in credit.
For all the fine music that has gone before Gardiner is surely right to rate BWV 115 as the choicest of Bach’s three cantatas for this Sunday. It contains not one but two magnificent, eloquent arias. The first, ‘Ach, schläfrige Seele, wie?’ (‘Ah, somnolent soul’) is a slow, siciliano movement in E minor for alto, partnered by an oboe d’amore. Robin Tyson’s expressive singing – and the equally expressive playing by his instrumental partner – compels attention throughout the ten-minute span of the aria. If anything, the soprano aria, ‘Bete aber auch dabei’ (‘Pray then, even as you wake’), is even finer. Here the singer is part of a trio, the other participants being a solo flute and a piccolo cello. Gardiner is lavish in his praise of the present performance, and no wonder. Both of the instrumentalists are superb, while the way in which Joanne Lunn sustains Bach’s long lines is spellbinding. This is a performance that confirms her stature as one of the finest soloists to be heard in this whole series. Alfred Dürr opines that “among Bach’s arias, this movement…exercises an exceptional fascination on the listener.” That’s certainly the case with this rapt account of it.
BWV 60 is for the following Sunday and it’s largely a dialogue between Fear (the alto soloist) and Hope (the tenor). The first movement is an arresting duet for the singers, strongly scored by Bach and punchily delivered by the English Baroque Soloists. The alto, reinforced by a horn player, delivers the chorale melody and when the tenor joins the musical argument the two voices intertwine thrillingly. Later in the cantata the bass soloist takes the part of Vox Christi in a duet with Fear in which his calming arioso passages always start with the words ‘Selig sind die Toten’. Peter Harvey is magnificent here, striking just the right tone of dignified reassurance. The final chorale features some daring, whole tone harmonies. This was the music that exerted such a powerful fascination on Alban Berg when he was writing his Violin Concerto (1935).
The following weekend brought the Pilgrims to Winchester for their final concert in England. In BWV 139 tenor William Kendall produces some forthright singing in the aria, ‘Gott ist mein Freund; was hilft das Toben’, in which he’s accompanied by a busy pair of obbligato violins. In the bass aria that we hear a little further on Peter Harvey is firm of tone in his striking projection of the music but the piece also contains some lighter stretches in which he’s equally successful. He has been my favourite among the bass soloists throughout the entire project and this excellent piece of singing is a very good example of him at his best.
Moving on to BWV 163, the aria with which the cantata opens gives William Kendall a good opportunity to demonstrate the lyrical side of his voice in music that contrasts with the aria allotted to him in the previous cantata. Susan Hamilton, a member of The Monteverdi Choir, and the Welsh alto, Hilary Summers, join in two successive duet movements, an arioso followed by an aria. I don’t believe that either singer has appeared as a soloist before in this series. Miss Summers has quite a rich-toned voice, more contralto than mezzo, I’d say. They’re effective here though I don’t think either makes quite as positive an impression as some of the other sopranos and altos we’ve encountered in earlier volumes.
The opening sinfonia to BWV 52 is an early version of the music that became the first movement of Brandenburg Concerto No 1, complete with a pair of exuberant hunting horns, which make a splendid sound here. The rest of the cantata, apart from the concluding chorale, is for solo soprano. On this occasion the soloist is the excellent Gillian Keith. She sings with burning intensity in her opening recitativo, grabbing the listener’s attention with her very first phrase and never letting go thereafter. The piece contains two arias. The first is a dramatic piece, carrying on from the recitativo, while the second, in which the singer is joined by a trio of oboes, is more relaxed. Miss Keith gives a convincing account of both arias and I particularly enjoyed the second one.
With BWV 140, which is actually for the Twenty-seventh Sunday after Trinity, when Advent is fast approaching, we encounter one of Bach’s most celebrated cantatas. Gardiner has recorded this piece before, a studio recording made for DG Archiv back in 1990. That’s a good reading of the cantata but, on balance, I prefer this newer version. I like the purposeful tempo that Gardiner adopts for the opening chorus, which is just a smidgeon more sprightly than in the 1990 version. The Monteverdi Choir of 2000, whose singing has been excellent throughout both of these discs, excel here, conveying just the mood of eager anticipation that the music and the text require. Gardiner is daring in the way he uses dynamics – he did the same thing in 1990 but the effect is even stronger here. One example that really made me sit up was at the words ‘Mitternacht heisst diese Stunde’, where he takes the volume right down before getting his singers to make a thrilling crescendo during the next line, ‘Sie rufen uns mit hellem Munde’. A little later, when what he terms the “funky” alleluias start, the altos lead off almost cheekily. In the fugal writing that follows the singing has bite and commitment – and great clarity. I can’t recall hearing a more exciting account of this well-known movement. The cantata contains two duets between soprano and bass. In the first of these Susan Hamilton’s singing seems to me to be somewhat plain in expression, suffering somewhat by comparison with Peter Harvey’s much more characterful delivery. She’s better in the second, delicious duet; I think the lively, eager-eyed music suits her light voice better. The pert oboe obbligato is deftly played - by Susanne Regel, I assume. A fervent account of the famous final chorale sets the seal on an excellent performance of this cantata.
This penultimate volume in Gardiner’s cantata cycle offers eight fine examples of Bach’s church music. The quality of the music is consistently high and so too is the standard of the performances, with the expert and committed singing and playing we’ve come to expect – but not take for granted, I hope – as this series has evolved. As usual the recorded sound is very good and Sir John’s notes are as perceptive as ever, inviting and drawing the listener into Bach’s musical world. For all who have been collecting this series this latest addition is another mandatory purchase. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

DISC 1
Ich armer Mensch, ich Sundenknecht, BWV 55
Aria: Ich armer Mensch, ich Sundenknecht (Tenor)
Recitative: Ich habe wider Gott gehandelt (Tenor)
Aria: Erbarme dich! (Tenor)
Recitative: Erbarme dich! (Tenor)
Chorale: Bin ich gleich von dir gewichen (Chorus)
Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim, BWV 89
Aria: Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim? (Bass)
Recitative: Ja, freilich sollte Gott (Alto)
Aria: Ein unbarmherziges Gerichte (Alto)
Recitative: Wohlan! Mein Herze legt (Soprano)
Aria: Gerechter Gott, ach rechnest du? (Soprano)
Chorale: Mir mangelt zwar sehr viel (Chorus)
Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit, BWV 115
Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit (Chorus)
Aria: Ach schlafrige Seele (Alto)
Recitative: Gott, so vor deine Seele wacht (Bass)
Aria: Bete aber auch dabei (Soprano)
Recitative: Er sehnet sich nach unserm Schreien (Tenor)
Chorale: Drum so lasst uns immerdar (Chorus)
O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 60
Aria: O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (Alto, Tenor)
Recitative: O schwerer Gang (Alto, Tenor)
Aria: Mein letztes Lager (Duet: Alto, Tenor)
Recitative: Der Tod Bleibt doch (Alto, Bass)
Chorale: Es ist genung (Chorus)
DISC 2
Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott, BWV 139
Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott (Chorus)
Aria: Gott ist mein Freund (Tenor)
Recitative: Der Heiland sendet ja die Seinen (Alto)
Aria: Das Ungluck schlagt auf allen Seiten (Bass)
Recitative: Ja, trag ich gleich den grossten Feind in mir (Soprano)
Chorale: Dahero Trotz der Hollen Heer! (Chorus)
Nur jedem das Seine, BWV 163
Aria: Nur jedem das Seine! (Tenor)
Recitative: Du bist, mein Gott (Bass)
Aria: Lass mein Herz die Munze sein (Bass)
Recitative: Ich wollte dir (Soprano, Alto)
Aria : Nimm mich mir und gib mich dir! (Soprano, Alto)
Chorale: Fuhr auch mein Herz und Sinn (Chorus)
Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht, BWV 52
Sinfonia
Recitative: Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht! (Soprano)
Aria: Immerhin, immerhin, wenn ich gleich verstossen bin! (Soprano)
Recitative: Gott ist getreu! (Soprano)
Aria: Ich halt es mit dem lieben Gott (Soprano)
Chorale: In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr (Chorus)
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140
Chorale: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Chorus)
Recitative: Er kommt, er kommt (Tenor)
Aria Duet: Wenn kommst du, mein Heil (Soprano, Bass)
Chorale: Zion hort die Wachter singen (Chorus)
Recitative: So geh herein zu mir (Bass)
Aria Duet: Mein Freund ist mein (Soprano, Bass)
Chorale: Gloria sei dir gesungen (Chorus)

2010 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 12 SDG 171

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 11

For the first of these consecutive Sundays after Trinity Sir John Eliot Gardiner led his Cantata Pilgrims to Italy, a country not so far visited on the journey - at least not in terms of issued recordings. For the following Sunday they returned to London and to the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich. They’d been there before (Vol. 19) and it appears that this venue was a late substitute when a planned visit to the Baltic States was abandoned.
In the Lutheran liturgy for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity the Gospel is the parable, related in St. Matthew’s Gospel, of the royal wedding feast and the guest who, arriving without a wedding garment, was excluded. So wedding imagery, such as that of Christ as the bridegroom, figures significantly in Bach’s cantata texts for the day. BWV 162 originated in Weimar in 1716 but Gardiner performed it in the revised version that Bach made in 1723. He has a good team of soloists at his disposal and the ever-reliable Peter Harvey is in action right away, giving a confident, sturdy account of the aria with which the cantata opens. A little later comes a soprano aria in which, in Gardiner’s words “the refreshment of cooling wayside water is evoked”. There’s an obbligato for flute and oboe d’amore, reconstructed by Robert Levin, as only the original continuo survives. His work seems entirely successful and idiomatic to me though, unless my ears deceive me, the flute part is played on a recorder. The soloist is Magdalena Kožená and she sings beguilingly. One must remember that these performances were given nearly ten years ago. Clearly Miss Kožená’s voice has deepened since then for I see she’s to perform Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde next year in Birmingham. The other significant solo number in this cantata is the fifth movement, a duet for alto and tenor. This contains a good deal of testing passagework and canons, which Gardiner’s soloists negotiate successfully.
The chorus have nothing to do in that cantata except for the concluding chorale. They’re entirely absent from BWV 49, which is a dialogue between the Soul (soprano) and Christ (bass). When I first listened to it I thought that some of the movements were just a bit too long and when I read the booklet notes I discovered that Sir John expresses a similar view. Excessive length is certainly an issue in the opening sinfonia. At 6:27 this is the longest movement in this performance. It’s a concerto-like movement in which the obbligato organ, played by Howard Moody, takes a leading role. Moody is also to the fore in the second movement, a bass aria. Despite Peter Harvey’s advocacy I think Bach stretches his material a bit too thinly in this movement also. Both singers are involved in the next movement, which has been described aptly as “a frank love-duet”. Harvey and, even more so, Magdalena Kožená enter fully into that spirit. Miss Kožená gives a delicious performance of her aria, ‘Ich bin herrlich, ich bin schön’ and the obbligato is provided by an oboe d’amore and a violoncello piccolo, which conspire to produce some fascinating textures. Alfred Dürr memorably suggests that perhaps “in the complementary figures that the obbligato instruments toss to one another, we see the spinning and turning of the bride adorned by her hoop-skirt, taking pleasure in her own beauty.” The final movement in the cantata unites the two singers; the bass singing an aria against the soprano’s chorale, while the oboe d’amore and the busy organ provide instrumental support. What a skilful combination of textures and musical lines by Bach!
The best-known cantata in the programme is BWV 180, in which, as Dürr says, we’re at the Feast itself. The Monteverdi Choir, too little in evidence so far, excels in the opening chorale fantasia, which is sung over a stately orchestral processional. The following tenor aria, ‘Ermuntre dich’ incorporates a virtuoso flute part, which strongly calls to mind the B minor Orchestral Suite. Rachel Beckett is marvellously nimble and her playing complements excitingly the singing of Christoph Genz. His light, airy voice is ideally suited to the demanding, acrobatic vocal line, which he delivers with admirable clarity. The light, infectious performances of both singer and flautist are a sheer delight. Gardiner suggests that Bach was rather on autopilot when he composed the soprano aria in this cantata. This does seem a slightly harsh judgement - or perhaps I’m just being swayed by the lovely singing of Magdalena Kožená. Gardiner tells us that the Italians attended the Pilgrimage concerts - there was also one in Rome - in huge numbers and these fine cantata performances must have delighted the audiences.
Bach left no less than four cantatas for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel for the day, from St. John’s Gospel, relates the story of the healing by Christ of the son of a nobleman who showed faith. Inspired by that, Bach’s librettist for BWV 109 produced a text that Dürr describes as a kind of dialogue between Doubt and Belief.
The opening movement is quite remarkable. Gardiner likens it to a concerto grosso in which the soloists and chorus feature “as concertisten and ripienisten”. The expressive, plangent solo phrases intertwine with the chorus parts to powerful effect and, in passing, I wondered how this cantata fits with the one voice to a part theory: I can’t see how this music could be effectively performed without the contrast between soloists and chorus. Incidentally, it’s a tribute to Bach’s invention that he can construct a movement that lasts here for 8:43, effectively one-third of the whole cantata, and using just one line of text. And unlike BWV 49 there’s no suspicion that the movement is over-long. This present performance is superb. So too is the account by Paul Agnew of the tenor aria, ‘Wie zweifelhaltig ist mein Hoffen’. It’s a turbulent piece, which Gardiner suggests could have been an early draft of ‘Ach, mein Sinn’ from the St John Passion. Agnew, no stranger to that Passion aria, is ideal at conveying the aching anxiety in this aria. William Towers, the alto soloist, is not really a match for Agnew when it comes to vocal expressiveness but he still gives a good account of his aria and of the recitative that precedes it. Though the mood of much of the cantata has been anxious the tone changes at the alto solo and becomes more positive and the concluding chorale fantasia takes this further; both the text and the music are much more confident and forthright.
BWV 38 is a chorale cantata, based on a hymn by Luther. Gardiner describes the opening chorus as “a powerful evocation of … Lutheran crying-from-the-depths and the clamour of imploring voices.” The dark power of the Monteverdi Choir’s singing is sonorously reinforced by no less than a quartet of sackbuts, singers and instrumentalists combining to create an extraordinary texture. Once again Paul Agnew has a demanding tenor aria. His music is emotive and ardent and he’s accompanied by a pair of ceaselessly intertwining oboes. Agnew’s singing is compelling but the instrumentalists are no less impressive. The sackbuts return to underpin the final forthright chorale. Here Bach’s music - and scoring -epitomises the forthright, robust side of Lutheranism.
The next cantata that we hear, BWV 98, is a good foil to the powerful BWV 38. It’s much more modest in scale though I’m not sure I entirely agree with Gardiner that it “seems exceptionally genial.” To be sure, the spirit of the opening chorus is fairly light but the tenor recitative that follows is bitingly dramatic, at least in Paul Agnew’s hands. The more relaxed mood returns in the soprano aria, ‘Hört, ihr Augen, auf zu weinen’, which benefits from some lovely singing by Joanne Lunn. The cantata also includes a jaunty bass aria accompanied by perky unison violins and Gotthold Schwarz displays fine vocal agility here.
Finally we hear BWV 188. Like BWV 49 this opens with a substantial sinfonia, which derives from the third movement of the harpsichord concerto in D minor, BWV 1052. Only the last 45 bars of the movement have come down to us in autograph score and the rest of the music - 248 bars - has been reconstructed by Robert Levin. The prominent organ part is played with great dexterity by Silas John Standage, whose playing is most entertaining. The highlight among the vocal movements is the lovely pastoral aria, ‘Ich habe meine Zuversicht’. Unusually for one of Bach’s tenor arias the tessitura is quite low. Paul Agnew is splendid throughout this aria, which is based on a memorable principal melody. As you may have gathered from the foregoing, I think Agnew’s is the outstanding solo contribution to this concert but his three colleagues, none of which has quite as much to do, all acquit themselves very well.
The production values of this set are up to SDG’s usual high standards. The recorded sound is good and clear and Gardiner’s notes are as perceptive and interesting as ever. The performance standards too are consistently high, with both the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir making polished and committed contributions. Those who are collecting this excellent series should add this pair of discs to their shelves as soon as possible. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

DISC 1:
Ach, ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe, BWV 162
Aria: Ach, ich sehe (Bass)
Recitative: O grosses Hochzeitfest (Tenor)
Aria: Jesu, Brunnquell aller Gnaden (Soprano)
Recitative: Mein Jesu (Alto)
Aria Duet: In meinem Gott bin ich erfreut! (Alto, Tenor)
Chorale: Ach, ich habe schon erblicket (Chorus)
Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen, BWV 49
Sinfonia
Aria: Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen (Bass)
Recitative: Mein Mahl ist zubereit (Bass, Soprano)
Aria: Ich bin herrlich, ich bin schon (Soprano)
Recitative: Mein Glaube hat mich selbst so angezogen (Soprano, Bass)
Aria and Chorale: Dich hab ich je und je geliebet (Soprano, Bass)
Schmucke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 180
Chorale: Schmucke dich, o liebe Seele (Chorus)
Aria: Ermuntre dich: dein Heiland klopft (Tenor)
Recitative and Chorale: Wie teuer sind des heilgen Mahles Gaben (Soprano)
Recitative: Mein Herz fuhlt in sich Furcht und Freude (Alto)
Aria: Lebens Sonne, Licht der Sinnen (Soprano)
Recitative: Herr, lass an mir dein treues Lieben (Bass)
Chorale: Jesu, wahres Brot des Lebens (Chorus)

DISC 2
Ich glaube, lieber Herr, hilf meinem Unglauben, BWV 109
Ich glaube, lieber Herr, hilf meinen Unglauben (Chorus)
Recitative: Des Herren Hand ist ja noch nicht verkurzt (Tenor)
Aria: Wie zweifelhaftig ist mein Hoffen (Tenor)
Recitative: O fasse dich, du zweifelhafter Mut (Alto)
Aria: Der Heiland kennet ja die Seinen (Alto)
Chorale: Wer hofft in Gott und dem vertraut (Chorus)
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 38
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir (Chorus)
Recitative: In Jesu Gnade wird allein (Alto)
Aria: Ich hore mitten in den Leiden (Tenor)
Recitative: Ach! Dass mein Glaube noch so schwach (Soprano)
Trio Aria: Wenn meine Trubsal als mit Ketten (Soprano, Alto, Bass)
Chorale: Ob bei uns ist der Sunden viel
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 98
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan (Chorus)
Recitative: Ach Gott! wenn wirst du mich einmal (Tenor)
Aria: Hort, ihr Augen, auf zu weinen! (Soprano)
Recitative: Gott hat ein Herz, das des Erbarmens Uberfluss (Alto)
Aria: Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht (Bass)
Ich habe meine Zuversicht, BWV 188
Sinfonia
Aria: Ich habe meine Zuversicht (Tenor)
Recitative: Gott meint es gut mit jedermann (Bass)
Aria: Unerforschlich ist die Weise (Alto)
Recitative: Die Macht der Welt verlieret sich (Soprano)
Chorale: Auf meinen lieben Gott (Chorus)

2010 Monteverdi Productions Ltd

2 Compact Discs

Volume 11 SDG 168

You can buy it on Amazon.com

You can download here

Patricia Petibon MELANCOLÍA Spanish Arias and Songs

Spain, and its music and art, have long had a special appeal for Patricia Petibon: “From an early age I was intrigued and fascinated by Spanish culture, by the way the excessive and the subtle are inextricably linked. It glorifies emotions with pride and, at the same time, refinement. It’s a culture that comes from the earth, from the people. Everything about it appealed to me, and in my early recitals I liked to insert some Spanish songs into my American and French programmes. Then, when I went to Madrid to sing in Dialogues des Carmélites, I met the stage director Emilio Sagi, and that led to my opportunity to enter the world of zarzuela. It was Sagi who directed me in Torroba’s Luisa Fernanda in Vienna, where it was wonderful to be singing alongside Plácido Domingo. I found myself surrounded by performers from all kinds of Spanish-speaking backgrounds; they noticed how interested I was in their culture, and that’s how we made a connection, and I learned from real specialists. Spanish artists have a physical sense of the music: for them, it draws its strength from the body, and there I can’t resist making a connection with Baroque music, with dance, of course, and extreme characters – think of Médée or Armide. It also shares the same kind of quality of roughness, of rawness, and voices are used to express emotions, not just to make a lovely sound.”
“I spent a long time thinking about the programme for this disc, creating a mixture of music, and finally I settled on one unifying idea: the feeling of melancholy, which is a reflection of Spain itself. The disc is a journey through different styles, but through folk music as well, which has a strong presence on the disc. The theatrical element is very important, too, and at the centre is the character of Salud in Falla’s La vida breve. She embodies the melancholy of the title, the loss of hope. Melancholy is a balance in life, a sadness that binds us to death. Salud represents the darkest side of melancholy that tends toward tragedy. But this sort of melancholy can also depict the radiance of childhood, of joy and laughter. What I wanted to explore through this disc was the journey between these two poles.”
Following on from a number of attempts to write a popular zarzuela for Madrid, Falla’s early masterpiece, composed in 1905, emerged from the new, deeper understanding of the power and potential of Spanish music that the composer gained under the influence of his teacher, Felipe Pedrell. Unperformed in Spain, the score was among the material Falla took with him when he moved to Paris in 1907, and the first performances were ultimately given in France – in Nice in 1913 and at the Opéra-Comique in Paris a year later. Albéniz had already blazed a trail for Spanish musicians in the French capital, while Debussy and Ravel were, in return, imagining Spain in music for themselves. And in Paris Falla renewed his friendship with fellow Spaniard Joaquín Turina, who was studying with D’Indy in the sober surroundings of the Schola Cantorum. This is the kind of Franco-Spanish cultural exchange that Patricia Petibon instinctively responds to: “It’s no coincidence that as a Frenchwoman I’m drawn to Spain. So many Spanish artists and composers came to Paris, and there was a mutual influence between them and French artists. Falla is the central figure on the disc, not just because his music is rooted in folk culture, but also because of his interest in France. To me, the sound of castanets and las palmas (hand clapping) is simply the sound of Spain, and it was essential to me to have percussion, and classical and Flamenco guitar on the disc, as well as piano and full orchestral accompaniments. But I approach it all with my heart and my French sensibility. I didn’t want to mimic a Spanish identity, but to feel it without disguising what I am.”
While Falla was forging his own personal style from Spanish sources, his older contemporary, Granados, consciously looked back to an earlier Spain in his twelve Tonadillas of 1910–11. The term originally signified a short musical scene; here the tonadillas are self-contained songs, with a focus on the early-19th-century figure of the elaborately dressed maja, as immortalized in the canvases of Goya. Petibon is conscious of the music’s association with the paintings, the “expression of the inner sorrow felt by the majas, characters who are popular yet refined.”
Naturally, zarzuela numbers are on the programme, with “Marinela” from José Serrano Simeón’s Neapolitan set La canción del olvido of 1918, the “Petenera” (a Flamenco song-form) from Torroba’s La marchenera (1928), and the famous “tarántula” song from Giménez’s La tempranica of 1900. “Adiós Granada” from Emigrantes (1905), by Rafael Calleja Gómez and Tomás Barrera Saavedra, is given a Flamenco treatment, while Turina’s impassioned “Cantares”, from his 1917 Poema en forma de canciones, is heard here in the original orchestral version.
Catalan music is represented by Xavier Montsalvatge, who was introduced to the Afro-Hispanic music of Cuba by returning Spanish emigrants to the Caribbean, and used it in his Cinco canciones negras of 1945–6. Cuban-born but European-trained pianist and composer Joaquín Nin y Castellanos embodies many of the characteristics of the collection: he also went to Paris, where he studied and subsequently taught at the Schola Cantorum, explored Baroque keyboard music, and embraced popular Spanish styles, as in the spirited “El vito” from his Veinte cantos populares españoles of 1923. The traditional Brazilian “Ogundé uareré” has unequivocal West African roots in Yoruba culture, and the song is, as Patricia Petibon describes it, “a kind of trance, an invocation to the god of metal”. A glance to the Baroque returns in possibly the most famous Brazilian music of all, the “Aria” from Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, where, in Petibon’s vivid imagery, the vocal line is “a velvet ribbon matching the flow of the eight cellos.” Rounding off the programme is a new work written specially for Patricia Petibon, French composer Nicolas Bacri’s four Melodías de la melancolía, settings of texts by the Paris-based Colombian writer Álvaro Escobar-Molina. In the singer’s words, “It was important to complete a melancholy journey with a contemporary work, an opening to the future, and a blend of our two cultures.”
Patricia Petibon’s love for the singers who have long been associated with Spanish repertoire is only a part of her overall feeling for this music: “I love Bidú Sayão, and I was interested to see that she was popular in Paris in French repertoire in the 1930s. And I have an unconditional love for Victoria de los Ángeles. In terms of sound, I was just as keen to find different vocal colours as instrumental ones. I didn’t want to use an operatic voice all the time – sometimes you must forget your training to be able to return to the roots and use your instinct as an interpreter. It was this unresolved blend of colours, raw and refined, popular and learned, that Falla continually sought in his works. The voice must embrace these contrasts, this diversity of culture and language.” (Kenneth Chalmers)

Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916)
Tonadillas
1. La maja dolorosa
1. 2. Ay majo de mi vida [2:36]
Xavier Montsalvatge (1912 - 2002)
Canciones negras
2. Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito [3:07]
3. Canto negro [1:15]
Joaquín Nin y Castellanos (1879 - 1949)
Veinte cantos populares españolas
II
4. 8. El vito [5:01]
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 - 1959)
Bachianas brasileiras No.5 for Soprano and Cellos
5. Aria (Cantilena) [5:37]
Joaquín Pérez Turina (1882 - 1949)
Poema en forma de canciones, Op.10
6. 3. Cantares [2:12]
Jerónimo Giménez (1854 - 1923)
La Tempranica
7. Nº 2 Tiempo de zapateado "La tarántula e un bicho" [1:47]
Rafael Calleja Gómez (1870 - 1938), Tomas Barrera Saavedra (1870 - 1938)
Emigrantes
8. 2. Adiós Granada [4:02]
Manuel de Falla (1876 - 1946)
La vida breve
9. Vivan los que rien! [4:54]
Federico Moreno Torroba (1891 - 1982)
La marchenera
10. No. 5 Petenera [2:56]
Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916)
Tonadillas
11. 7. El mirar de la maja [2:51]
José Serrano Simeón (1870 - 1941)
La canción del olvido
12. No.2 Canción de Marinela [2:16]
Traditional, Francisco Ernani Braga (1898 - 1948)
13. Ogundé - uaréré (adapted by Wieland Reissmann) [3:42]
Nicolas Bacri (1961 - )
Melodías de la Melancolía, Op.119b
Melodias de la Melancolia, Op.119b
14. 1. A la mar [4:06]
15. 2. Silencio mi niño [4:11]
16. 3. Hay quien dice [3:19]
17. 4. Sólo [3:35]

Patricia Petibon
Orquesta nacional de España
Josep Pons

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
1 CD DDD
477 9447 GH

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You can download here

PASSWORD: elhenry.MusicIsTheKey

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 10

Volume 10 of the Cantata Pilgrimage series features the programs given in Potsdam and Wittenberg on the 29th and 31st of October, respectively. The first disc is devoted to three cantatas for the 19th Sunday after Trinity with BWV 90 (for Trinity 25) tossed in for good measure, while the second appropriately contains Bach’s two great Reformation Day cantatas (Nos. 79 and 80), separated by the brief, lively, and possibly incomplete No. 192. The three Trinity 19 cantatas are altogether more solemn, or at least begin that way. Coming a third of the year after the last major festival, these cantatas are concerned more with reassurance than exultation, and each concludes with a positive affirmation, and in the case of BWV 5, a triumphant one. Best known of the three, by far, is Cantata 56, for bass. Here divorced from its customarily joined-at-the-hip partner, BWV 82, it confirms its status as one of the elite cantatas. The inclusion of No. 92 is a happy solution to a number of dilemmas. The year of the Pilgrimage did not have enough Sundays after Trinity to accommodate it; it fills out what might otherwise have been a short program, and it is a vigorous and effective foil for its more introspective discmates.
Again, the performances are superb. Personnel for the two concerts are consistent, apart from the addition of flutes, horns, timpani, and a bass sackbut for the second evening. The choir is made up of seven (count them) sopranos, one female and three male altos, four tenors, and three basses, without detectable loss of responsiveness and flexibility, and the solo quartet acquits itself admirably. Harvey’s BWV 56 is outstanding. Lunn and Towers, incidentally, pull double duty, singing in the choir as well as offering their solos.
As expected, Gardiner uses the original scoring––without Wilhelm Friedemann’s high trumpets––in Ein feste Burg (Cantata 80). Obviously it’s an (perhaps the) appropriate choice, but it set me to wondering about what seems to be an obsession among the period-practice set with composers’ first thoughts––their need to find the earliest version of any score, as if the original inspiration is automatically diminished by any subsequent modifications. We know that Bach’s music was nearly always created under the most intense pressure, and that he was constantly tinkering with it, usually out of necessity, but, who knows, perhaps out of conviction. I know that I, operating at a much lower level of inspiration, am continually tweaking whatever I happen to be working on. Recording artists, especially in the classical field, if they are successful enough, revisit music that they have already committed to disc. First thoughts are not invariably best. That’s why there are erasers on pencils and an Undo button on the Word toolbar. We’ll never know, of course, but isn’t it possible that Bach might have mentioned casually to his son that he wished he’d put some trumpets in that music he wrote for Reformation Sunday? Well, no matter. In fact, Gardiner does have a sonic surprise for us in Cantata 80, an unexpectedly prominent bass sackbut. And why not? The production is, as anticipated, exemplary. Most enthusiastically recommended. (George Chien)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
For the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen BWV 48
1. Coro con Choral Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen
2. Recitativo: Alt O Schmerz, o Elend, so mich trifft
3. Choral Soll’s ja so sein
4. Aria: Alt Ach, lege das Sodom der sündlichen Glieder
5. Recitativo: Tenor Hier aber tut des Heilands Hand
6. Aria: Tenor Vergibt mir Jesus meine Sünden
7. Choral Herr Jesu Christ, einiger Trost
Wo soll ich fliehen hin BWV 5
1. Coro (Choral)Wo soll ich fliehen hin
2. Recitativo: Bass Der Sünden Wust hat mich nicht nur befleckt
3. Aria: Tenor Ergieße dich reichlich, du göttliche Quelle
4. Recitativo: Alt e Choral Mein treuer Heiland tröstet mich
5. Aria: Bass Verstumme, Höllenheer
6. Recitativo: Sopran Ich bin ja nur das kleinste Teil der Welt
7. Choral Führ auch mein Herz und Sinn
Es reißet euch ein schrecklich Ende BWV 90
(For the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity)
1. Aria: Tenor Es reißet euch ein schrecklich Ende
2. Recitativo: Alt Des Höchsten Güte wird von Tag zu Tage neu
3. Aria: Bass So löschet im Eifer der rächende Richter
4. Recitativo: Tenor Doch Gottes Auge sieht auf uns als Auserwählte
5. Choral Leit uns mit deiner rechten Hand
Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen BWV 56
1. Aria: Bass Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen
2. Recitativo: Bass Mein Wandel auf der Welt
3. Aria: Bass Endlich, endlich wird mein Joch
4. Recitativo ed Arioso: Bass Ich stehe fertig und bereit
5. Choral Komm, o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder

CD 2:

For the Feast of the Reformation
Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild BWV 79
1. Coro Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild
2. Aria: Alt Gott ist unser Sonn und Schild!
3. Choral Nun danket alle Gott
4. Recitativo: Bass Gottlob, wir wissen
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass Gott, ach Gott, verlass die Deinen nimmermehr!
6. Choral Erhalt uns in der Wahrheit
Nun danket alle Gott BWV 192
1. Coro Nun danket alle Gott
2. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass Der ewig reiche Gott
3. Coro Lob, Ehr und Preis sei Gott
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott BWV 80
1. Coro (Choral) Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
2. Aria: Bass con Choral: Sopran Alles, was von Gott geboren
3. Recitativo ed Arioso: Bass Erwäge doch, Kind Gottes
4. Aria: Sopran Komm in mein Herzenshaus
5. Choral Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär
6. Recitativo: Tenor So stehe dann bei Christi blutgefärbter Fahne
7. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Wie selig sind doch die
8. Choral Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn

2005 Monteverdi Productons Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 10 SDG 110

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

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 9

Being the longest in the church year, the season of Trinity covers a vast range of human emotions and devotional themes. The huge number of Biblical texts that it provided gave Bach a chance to showcase the diversity of his talents, shown in this set of post-Trinity cantatas covering loss, shame, joy, pride, humility and much else in between.
The Lund disc begins with a gloriously upbeat performance of Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, a cantata all about the joy of worshipping God. The bouncy excitement of the opening chorus, complete with trumpets (but not drums), reflects the congregation’s enthusiasm for worship, while the two main arias concern rushing towards the house of God. The instrumental obbligatos - a wistful, somewhat withdrawn violin to accompany the tenor, a fruity trio of oboes for the alto - add a fantastic level of colour to the vocal line. Frances Bourne’s alto isn’t anything special, but Mark Padmore’s tenor is light and supple in the way he sustains the long lines. The playing of the English Baroque Soloists and the singing of the Monteverdi Choir, needless to say, is flawlessly responsive throughout.
The opening chorus of Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost sounds surprisingly French, almost Handelian, in style, its vigorous contours representing the rigours of chastisement which the sinful believer has brought upon himself. Gardiner points the shape of this chorus so that the rather slight consolation offered in the concluding part of the music stands in marked contrast to the trials of the first, while he spins out a seemingly endless musical line for the following tenor aria, accompanied by a desolate but hypnotic flute obbligato. For this wonderful piece Padmore pales his voice down to a virtual shade to represent the misery of the soul in this vale of sorrow. Throughout this cantata Bach’s writing shows the possibility of consolation in the midst of trouble and the duality of his writing is matched by endlessly subtle playing from the instrumentalists, though Charles Humphries’ alto solo is less compelling than it might be.
BWV 47 has the weakest text (“Mankind is filth, stench, ash and earth!”) but Bach transcends it with some remarkable writing, nowhere more so than in the opening chorus which is brilliantly structured to represent the debasement that comes with pride and the exaltation that follows humility. Katharine Fuge’s clear, unaffected soprano is perfect for her aria concerning the virtues of humility, though she hardens her tone remarkably for the aria’s savage central section concerning God’s hatred for the arrogant. Stephan Loges’ bass sounds authoritative yet approachable and his arias about humility are lent conviction by the golden tone of his voice. The concluding performance of the motet Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf is vigorous and instrumentally conceived, but the performance broadens out for the balm of the closing a cappella chorale setting.
The second disc was recorded in the Thomaskirche itself where Bach laboured for the last 27 years of his life. Even by Bach’s standards, the opening chorus of BWV 96 is extraordinarily beautiful: there is a compulsive lilt to the music which conveys the feeling of a journey, perhaps the Magi following the “Morgenstern” of the text, and the orchestral textures are enriched by a sopranino recorder which manages to be persistent without ever being cheeky. The sopraninist proves herself equally adept at the transverse flute to accompany the tenor aria, before the bass aria, heavily influenced by the grand French style, provides excellent musical illustration of the soul’s steps wandering to the left and the right before Jesus’ guidance sets him (temporarily, in this case) back on the right path. This cantata is a real winner.
The sheer ebullience of the opening Sinfonia of Gott soll allein mein Herze haben really lifts the listener’s spirit. Every instrumental texture shines through in the excellent recording with a touch of prominence given to the organ part, entirely appropriately as this movement probably began life as a (now lost) concerto. However the instrumental playing is the best thing about this cantata: I wasn’t impressed by Natalie Stutzmann’s singing. To my ears she often sounded overly strident and steely rather than warm and inviting. In fact I was convinced that it was being sung by an over-parted counter-tenor until I looked at the CD booklet. This is the disc’s only major disappointment, redeemed somewhat by the chorus’ beautiful singing of the final chorale. I found Stutzmann altogether more convincing in the alto aria of BWV 116 where her hard-edged expression is ideally suited to the expressing the soul’s terror at appearing before the judgement seat. She is accompanied here by a marvellously expressive oboe d’amore, plangent and tortuous, raising this aria to, in fact, a duet. Bach also gives us a remarkable vocal trio, a rarity in his cantatas, whereby the soprano, tenor and bass acknowledge their guilt as one and beg for forgiveness. The upbeat spirit of the opening chorus and final chorale go only a small way towards alleviating the penitential angst that sits at the heart of this work.
Making the most of their location, the final “Deathbed Chorale” (BWV 668) was sung right next to Bach’s own grave, a lovely touch which adds palpable poignancy to the performance. The choir sang a cappella, standing in a horseshoe around the grave which is set in the church’s choir, but the microphone settings from the rest of the concert were not changed so that the sound comes from a distance, sounding recessed and much more reverberant. I found it tremendously effective, and the piece itself is tremendously beautiful, dictated by Bach on his own deathbed, so tradition says, in preparation for his own final journey before the throne of God. It’s a fitting culmination of the disc.
Alto issues aside, then, this is a very satisfying release. The thing that really sets Gardiner’s Bach cycle apart from its rivals is that, to my mind, he gets to the heart of the music’s spirituality much more profoundly than others, and this volume does it every bit as successfully as its companions. (Simon Thompson, MusicWeb International)

DISC 1:
Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, BWV 148
Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens (Chorus)
Aria: Ich eile, die Lehren des Lebens zu horen (Tenor)
Recitative: So, wie der Hirsch nach frischem Wasser schreit (Alto)
Aria: Mund und Herze steht dir offen (Alto)
Recitative: Bleib auch, mein Gott, in mir (Tenor)
Chorale: Amen zu aller Stund (Chorus)
Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost, BWV 114
Ach lieben Christen, seid detrost (Chorus)
Aria: Wo wird in diesem Jammertale (Tenor)
Recitativo: O Sunder, trage mit Geduld (Bass)
Chorale: Kein Frucht das Weizenkornlein bringt (Soprano)
Aria: Du machst, o Tod, mir nun nicht ferner bange (Alto)
Recitativo: Indes bedenke deine Seele (Tenor)
Chorale: Wir wachen oder schlafen ein (Chorus)
Wer sich selbst erhohet, der soll erniedriget werden, BWV 47
Wer sich selbst erhohet (Chorus)
Aria: Wer ein wahrer Christ will heissen (Soprano)
Recitative: Der Mensch ist Kot, Stank, Asch und Erde (Bass)
Aria: Jesu, beuge doch mein Herze (Bass)
Chorale: Der zeitlichen Ehrn will ich gern entbehrn (Chorus)
Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226

DISC 2:
Herr Christ, der einige Gottessohn, BWV 96
Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn (Chorus)
Recitative: O Wunderkraft der Liebe (Alto)
Aria: Ach, ziehe die Seele mit Seilen der Liebe (Tenor)
Recitative: Ach, fuhre mich, o Gott, zum rechten Wege (Soprano)
Aria: Bald zur Rechten, bald zur Linken (Bass)
Chorale: Ertot uns durch dein Gute (Chorus)
Gott soll allein mein Herze haben, BWV 169
Sinfonia
Arioso: Gott soll allein mein Herze haben (Alto)
Aria: Gott soll allein mein Herze haben (Alto)
Recitative: Was ist die Liebe Gottes? (Alto)
Aria: Stirb in mir, Welt (Alto)
Recitative: Doch meint es auch dabei (Alto)
Chorale: Du susse Liebe, schenk uns deine Gunst (Chorus)
Du Friedefurst, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 116
Du Friedefurst, Herr Jesu Christ (Chorus)
Aria: Ach, unaussprechlich ist die Not (Alto)
Recitative: Gedenke doch, o Jesu (Tenor)
Trio: Ach, wir bekennen unsre Schuld (Soprano, Tenor, Bass)
Recitative: Ach, lass uns durch die scharfen Ruten (Alto)
Chorale: Erleucht auch unser Sinn und Herz (Chorus)
Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit, BWV 668


2009 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 9 SDG 159

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 8

The first cantata we hear is BWV 138, another cantata from the first Leipzig cycle and a "highly original experimental work." It opens with a deeply poignant chorus that mixes chorale and recitative. Hard on its heels, separated only by a recitative, comes another chorus that combines chorale and recitative, but this is very different in style from its predecessor. Eventually the mood of the cantata becomes more optimistic and Gardiner and his forces convey this change well.
BWV 51 is a cantata that Gardiner has recorded before, a studio recording from 1983 for Philips. Then his soloists were Emma Kirkby and trumpeter Christian Steele Perkins. His tempi for the outer movements were decidedly on the fast side in 1983 and are pretty similar on this occasion – indeed, his view of the whole cantata seems very consistent. The first movement goes off like a rocket. Malin Hartelius, another singer new to me, is equal to all the demands placed on her by Bach and Gardiner jointly and she’s partnered brilliantly by trumpeter Mike Harrison. In fact, though I’ve always liked the 1983 recording I find I prefer Miss Hartelius’s reading to Emma Kirkby’s as she sounds to me to have a slightly fuller voice. She’s beautifully expressive in the recitative and then gives us some exquisitely poised singing in the aria, ‘Höchster, mache deine Güte’. The concluding Alleluia aria is marvellously lively. Overall, this is a first rate account of a hugely taxing solo cantata.
BWV 99 and 100 share the same title and are based on the same Lutheran hymn but BWV 99 (1724) only sets two verses of the hymn itself whereas every one of the six movements of the later cantata (1734/5) sets a verse. Some may find Gardiner’s tempo for the chorus with which BWV 99 opens too brisk. Personally I think it’s refreshingly bright and well suited to the words. There’s only one solo aria in the piece, a demandingly chromatic tenor aria with a busy flute obbligato. James Gilchrist sings it with his usual intelligence and light, ringing tone. Later we hear a duetto in which a pair of voices and a pair of obbligato instruments interweave contrapuntally. The performers here articulate and inter-relate their individual lines moist skilfully.
BWV 100 requires a larger orchestra. The opening chorus, which is musically similar to its counterpart in BWV 99, is once again taken briskly. There are no recitatives in this cantata but the soloists are all challenged. The demanding alto/tenor duet, which is placed second is well done by Gilchrist and William Towers. The following aria, for soprano, is nicely sung but the ear is drawn irresistibly to the hugely testing, rippling flute obbligato. Peter Harvey projects his bass aria strongly. The penultimate movement is an alto aria and it features a gorgeous oboe d’amore obbligato. William Towers projects the vocal line positively but I’m not quite sure that he achieves the description "lyrical and soothing" that Gardiner applies to the music. However, he still gives a very good account of the piece. The exuberant closing chorale is the same one that we encountered at the end of BWV 75 (Vol. 1) albeit with some slight augmentations to the orchestral scoring.
The cantatas for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity reveal Bach at his expressive best and the performances here are fully worthy of the music. In BWV 161 we hear the ghostly zephyrs of a pair of recorders. The evocative sound world is highly reminiscent of the early cantata Gottes Zeit ist der allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106. Robin Tyson is suitably otherworldly in his singing of the heavenly opening aria, ‘Komm, du süsse Todessstunde’, from which the cantata takes its name. Mark Padmore reveals in a booklet note that he’d never sung this cantata before, which enabled him to impart freshness to the music. How I agree. To him falls the heartfelt aria ‘Mein Verlangen’, which he sings with superb ringing tone and great expressiveness. On the day, his performance must have been given added visual impetus for he was positioned on a ledge at the top of a stone stairway where the pulpit should have been. For me, despite the beauties of the opening aria, Padmore makes ‘Mein Verlangen’ the heart of the cantata on this occasion. Sample the marvellous open-throated ring in his voice every time he sings the words "verlangen" or "bald." There’s some nicely delicate singing by the choir in the penultimate movement and then the recorders weave an enchanting counter-melody round the concluding chorale. This is a masterly cantata which here receives a performance to savour.
BWV 27 is another fine work. The opening chorus is a moving lament, punctuated by brief solo passages. The flowing, irresistibly chirpy alto aria, ‘Willkommen! Will ich sagen’ is a delight, enhanced by a marvellous cornetto part. The concluding chorale, rather unusually, is not by Bach but is his slight adaptation of one by a sixteenth century composer, Johann Rosenmüller. It’s a most happy borrowing.
The opening chorus of BWV 8 features some marvellously original wind sonorities. Both the orchestral players and the chorus are on top form. In his notes Gardiner draws an intriguing parallel with Berlioz’s wind scoring in L’Enfance du Christ. Mark Padmore, the pick of a fine bunch of soloists at this concert, sings the aria ‘Was willst du dich, mein Geist, entsetzen’ with exemplary technique. At several points his precise placing of each in a series of high, staccato quaver is most skilful. The bass aria ‘Doch weichet, ihr tollen, Vergeblichen Sorgen!’ is a life-enhancing dance. Here there’s a fine spring in the step of the superb flautist (Rachel Beckett?) and Thomas Guthrie sings it well. We’ve heard little of soprano Katharine Fuge up to now but she’s meltingly lovely at the start of her recitative. A strongly affirmative chorale puts the seal on a splendid performance.
At the beginning of BWV 95 Bach once again demonstrates an original approach to chorales. The short interjections by the solo tenor (Mark Padmore) add another different dimension. Gardiner obtains a sprightly performance and especially relishes the section of the movement, which he describes as having "something of a jam session feel." Mark Padmore delights in the "mesmerising" aria, ‘Ach, Schlage doch bald, sel’ge Stunde’, where we are also treated to some superb wind playing. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
For the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz? BWV 138
1. Coro (Choral) e Recitativo: Alto, TenorWarum betrübst du dich, mein Herz?
2. Recitativo: Bass Ich bin veracht’
3. Choral e Recitativo: Soprano, Alto Er kann und will dich lassen nicht
4. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, süßer Trost!
5. Aria: Bass Auf Gott steht meine Zuversicht
6. Recitativo: Alto Ei nun!
7. Choral Weil du mein Gott und Vater bist
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan II BWV 99
1. Coro (Choral)Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
2. Recitativo: Bass Sein Wort der Wahrheit stehet fest
3. Aria: Tenor Erschüttre dich nur nicht, verzagte Seele
4. Recitativo: Alto Nun, der von Ewigkeit geschlossne Bund
5. Aria (Duetto): Soprano, AltoWenn des Kreuzes Bitterkeiten
6. ChoralWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen! BWV 51
1. Aria: Soprano Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!
2. Recitativo: SopranoWir beten zu dem Tempel an
3. Aria: Soprano Höchster, mache deine Güte
4. Choral: Soprano Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren
5. Aria: Soprano Alleluja!
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan III BWV 100
1. CoroWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
2. Duetto: Alto, TenorWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
3. Aria: SopranoWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
4. Aria: BassWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
5. Aria: AltoWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
6. ChoralWas Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan

CD 2:

For the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
Komm, du süße Todesstunde BWV 161
1. Aria: Alto con Choral Komm, du süße Todesstunde
2. Recitativo: TenorWelt, deine Lust ist Last
3. Aria: Tenor Mein Verlangen
4. Recitativo: Alto Der Schluss ist schon gemacht
5. CoroWenn es meines Gottes Wille
6. Choral Der Leib zwar in der Erden
Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende? BWV 27
1. Coro e Recitativo: Soprano, Alto, TenorWer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende?
2. Recitativo: Tenor Mein Leben hat kein ander Ziel
3. Aria: Alto Willkommen! will ich sagen
4. Recitativo: Soprano Ach, wer doch schon im Himmel wär!
5. Aria: Bass Gute Nacht, du Weltgetümmel!
6. ChoralWelt, ade! Ich bin dein müde
Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? BWV 8
1. Coro Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?
2. Aria: Tenor Was willst du dich, mein Geist, entsetzen
3. Recitativo: Alto Zwar fühlt mein schwaches Herz
4. Aria: Bass Doch weichet, ihr tollen, vergeblichen Sorgen!
5. Recitativo: Soprano Behalte nur, o Welt, das Meine!
6. Choral Herrscher über Tod und Leben
Christus, der ist mein Leben BWV 95
1. Coro (Choral) e Recitativo: Tenor Christus, der ist mein Leben
2. Recitativo: Soprano Nun, falsche Welt!
3. Choral: Soprano Valet will ich dir geben
4. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, könnte mir doch bald so wohl geschehn
5. Aria: Tenor Ach, schlage doch bald, sel’ge Stunde
6. Recitativo: Bass Denn ich weiß dies
7. ChoralWeil du vom Tod erstanden bist

2005 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 8 SDG 104

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 7

The first disc includes three cantatas for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, recorded in the church of the monastery founded by the Benedictine Order in the ninth century. This abbey church, completed in the fifteenth century, is in south-east France, in the Département de l’Ain. The Gospel for the Sunday in question is St. Luke’s story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. It will be remembered that only one of the ten thought to return to say his thanks. Two of the three cantatas are very serious in tone, using bodily sickness as a metaphor for mankind’s sinful condition. The exception is BWV 17, which picks up the theme of the grateful leper.
BWV 25, which dates from 1723, begins with a chorus that laments man’s sinfulness. The gravity of the counterpoint is underscored by the inclusion of a trio of sackbuts in the orchestra. Their imposing sonority contributes substantially to the monumental feel of the music, which is sung superbly by the Monteverdi Choir. The comparison between corporeal and spiritual sickness is emphasised in the very first recitative, which opens with the melodramatic statement, ‘Die ganze Welt ist nur ein Hospital’ (“The entire world is but a hospital”). James Gilchrist declaims this section graphically. But then Bach and his librettist change the mood and in the following bass aria the listener is presented with the image of Christ as the source of healing. Peter Harvey sings this aria most eloquently. Equal pleasure is to be found in the joyful, dancing soprano aria, ‘Öffne meinen schlechten Liedern’. This is beautifully sung by Malin Hartelius and the inclusion of a trio of recorders in the accompaniment adds a delightful touch.
BWV 78 (1724) also begins with an imposing chorus. This is a superb chorus of lamentation, which, as Sir John comments in his constantly illuminating notes, is on a par with the opening choruses of both the St. John and the St Matthew Passions. The delicious duet for soprano and alto that follows is in marked contrast. Gardiner comments that Bach “never wrote more smile-inducing music!” The voices of Malin Hartelius and Robin Tyson are very well matched and their performance is irresistible. As in BWV 25 the tenor recitative that follows returns to the theme of illness as a metaphor for sin and memories of the 1723 cantata are further invoked by the tenor aria, which once more dwells on Christ the healer. James Gilchrist really makes the words of the recitative leap off the page and he’s excellent too in the aria, ‘Dein Blut, so meine Schuld durchstreicht’ with its balmy flute obbligato. The flowing oboe obbligato in the aria ‘Nun du wirst mein Gewissen stillen’ is a delight, as is Peter Harvey’s splendid singing. My admiration for him as a Bach singer grows with every volume in this series in which he takes part. Here it’s the clarity with which he articulates divisions without sacrificing the line that impresses.
BWV 17 (1726) differs from Bach’s other cantatas for this Sunday by focussing on the gratitude of one of the healed lepers. Thus the mood of the music is happier. Gardiner aptly describes the opening chorus, in which the soloists have prominent roles, as “exhilarating and florid” and I love the way the rippling oboes in the orchestra are brought out to just the right degree. Later Malin Hartelius’ sparkling form continues with a nimble account of the aria ‘Herr, deine Güte reicht, so weit der Himmel ist.’ Not to be outdone James Gilchrist excels in the aria, ‘Welch übermass der Güte’, a piece that offers yet another example of how so much of Bach’s music is rooted in dance. The final chorale in this cantata calls for comment. It’s borrowed from the motet Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied BWV 225. Gardiner decided it should be sung quietly and unaccompanied. This approach is absolutely right for the text of the chorale and this lovely bit of singing brings to an end a very fine concert.
However, if the first CD in this set is very fine then its companion is a stunner. Gardiner tells us that right from the start of the planning of the Pilgrimage he’d marked out September 29, Michaelmas Day, as a red-letter day. Even by his standards the notes about this concert make compelling reading and he makes clear what a significant date this must have been in Bach’s Lutheran calendar for several reasons. Certainly the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, with its opportunities to depict heavenly battles, inspired Bach to write some exceptional music and that music in turn inspired Gardiner and his team to give some thrilling performances.
It’s not clear if the single movement that is BWV 50, and which is probably the only surviving movement of a larger work, was designed for this Feast. However, the text is apposite for it chimes in perfectly with the theme of the day. The scoring too, resplendent with trumpets and drums, is fully in keeping with the occasion. Gardiner leads a sizzling account of it.
The opening chorus of BWV 130 praises God for creating Angels. Gardiner’s description of this chorus is as memorable as is his conducting of it: “Bach begins by presenting a tableau of the angels on parade; these are celestial military manoeuvres, some of them even danced, rather than the battle itself.” The battle between the rival legions of Angels led by Michael and Lucifer is thrillingly depicted in the bass aria ‘Der alte Drache brennt vor Neid’. This exciting battle aria includes parts for no less than three trumpets as well as timpani. Peter Harvey is on top form here, giving a commanding account of the piece. Then Bach and his librettist move from the heat of battle to meditate on the protecting power of Angels, first in a lovely recitativo for soprano and tenor and then in the tenor aria, ‘Lass, o Fürst der Cherubinen’. The virtuoso gambolling in the flute obbligato suggests, perhaps, angels lightly dancing? James Gilchrist is excellent here but, as we shall see, both he and Bach have even greater delights in store for us later. The cantata ends with a two-verse chorale in which the trumpets decorate the end of each line to marvellous effect.
BWV 149 (1728/9) picks up a different aspect of the day’s liturgy. The tone of voice of this cantata differs from the other two Michaelmas cantatas in being “festive rather than combative”. In fact the opening chorus of rejoicing is recycled from the ‘Hunt’ cantata BWV 208 (1713). Peter Harvey brings splendid authority to his aria, ‘Kraft und Stärke sei gesungen’ and I also warmed very much to Malin Hartelius’ way with the aria ‘Gottes Engel weichen nie’. Also of note is the marvellous burbling bassoon obbligato under the well-matched singing of James Gilchrist and Richard Wyn Roberts in their duet.
Usually I comment on these discs in order of presentation as that, I believe, matches the way the cantatas were performed in concert. On this occasion, however, I’ve deliberately left the best till last for the performance of BWV 19 (1726) is of quite exceptional quality – as is the music itself. The opening chorus is an astonishing fugal creation depicting the battle in heaven between Michael’s loyal angels and the rebels who had thrown in their lot with Lucifer. Bach depicts the struggle with graphic music and I can’t imagine it more brilliantly realised than it is here. The virtuosity of the Monteverdi Choir is simply staggering and the performance is breathlessly exciting.
Then things calm down a bit and in the aria ‘Gott schickt uns Mahanaim zu’ Malin Hartelius blends beautifully with the intertwining pair of oboes that support her grateful vocal line. I’ve found that in many of the preceding volumes there is one stand-out performance that compels attention even in the midst of so much fine playing and singing. Here I have no hesitation in saying that the palm goes to James Gilchrist for his spellbinding rendition of the seraphic aria ‘Bleibt, ihr engel, bleibt bei mir.' In a note Gilchrist, whose mother is German with several family members living near Bremen, leaves us in no doubt that this concert was a special experience for him. Of this aria he writes, “I felt allowed – encouraged – truly to soar.” And soar he does! The voice is cushioned on the siciliano rhythm on the strings while a soft solo trumpet ethereally intones the chorale melody ‘Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, O Herr’ in the background. One notes from the booklet that the aria lasts for eight minutes but, in truth, the performance is timeless. Gilchrist’s singing, and his identification with the text and with Bach’s inspiration, is beyond praise. It is the highlight of a quite magnificent performance of a magnificent cantata.
In every respect this set lives up to the very high standards of previous issues in the series. The performances are superb throughout. Gardiner’s direction is inspired and his notes eloquent and illuminating. The recorded sound is first class. Gardiner’s cycle is already a major event in the Bach discography and this latest instalment adds further lustre to a distinguished series. It’s essential listening for all lovers of Bach’s cantatas. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
For the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe BWV 25
1. Coro con Choral Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe
2. Recitativo: Tenor Die ganze Welt ist nur ein Hospital
3. Aria: Bass Ach, wo hol ich Armer Rat?
4. Recitativo: Sopran O Jesu, lieber Meister
5. Aria: Sopran Öffne meinen schlechten Liedern
6. Choral Ich will alle meine Tage
Jesu, der du meine Seele BWV 78
1. Coro (Choral) Jesu, der du meine Seele
2. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Wir eilen mit schwachen
3. Recitativo: Tenor Ach! ich bin ein Kind der Sünden
4. Aria: Tenor Dein Blut, so meine Schuld durchstreicht
5. Recitativo: Bass Die Wunden, Nägel, Kron und Grab
6. Aria: Bass Nun du wirst mein Gewissen stillen
7. Choral Herr, ich glaube, hilf mir Schwachem
Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich BWV 17
Part I
1. Coro Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich
2. Recitativo: Alt Es muss die ganze Welt ein stummer Zeuge werden
3. Aria: Sopran Herr, deine Güte reicht
Part II
4. Recitativo: Tenor Einer aber unter ihnen
5. Aria: Tenor Welch Übermaß der Güte
6. Recitativo: Bass Sieh meinen Willen an
7. Choral Wie sich ein Vat’r erbarmet

CD 2:
For the Feast of St Michael and All Angels
Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft BWV 50
1. Coro Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft
Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir BWV 130
1. Coro (Choral) Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir
2. Recitativo: Alt Ihr heller Glanz und hohe Weisheit zeigt
3. Aria: Bass Der alte Drache brennt vor Neid
4. Recitativo (Duetto): Sopran, Tenor Wohl aber uns, dass Tag und Nacht
5. Aria: Tenor Lass, o Fürst der Cherubinen
6. Choral Darum wir billig loben dich
Es erhub sich ein Streit BWV 19
1. Coro Es erhub sich ein Streit
2. Recitativo: Bass Gottlob! der Drache liegt
3. Aria: Sopran Gott schickt uns Mahanaim zu
4. Recitativo: Tenor Was ist der schnöde Mensch, das Erdenkind?
5. Aria con Choral: Tenor Bleibt, ihr Engel, bleibt bei mir!
6. Recitativo: Sopran Laßt uns das Angesicht
7. Choral Laß dein’ Engel mit mir fahren
Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg BWV 149
1. Coro Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg
2. Aria: Bass Kraft und Stärke sei gesungen
3. Recitativo: Alt Ich fürchte mich vor tausend Feinden nicht
4. Aria: Sopran Gottes Engel weichen nie
5. Recitativo: Tenor Ich danke dir
6. Aria (Duetto): Alt, Tenor Seid wachsam, ihr heiligen Wächter
7. Choral Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein

2006 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact disc
Volume 7 SDG 124

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

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 6

Volume Six in the series contains cantatas for two consecutive Sundays after Trinity. As Sir John points out in his notes, these are highly contrasting Sundays. The Twelfth Sunday brings “ a rarity – one of the most cheerful programmes of the whole Trinity season.” He continues, with a characteristically memorable turn of phrase, “After so many consecutive weeks of fire and brimstone and dire warnings against devilish temptations, forked tongues, false prophets and the like, it comes as a huge relief to encounter three genial, celebratory pieces…” As we shall see, for Bach the following Sunday represented a case of back to business as usual but on the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity we catch him wearing a smile.
The concert on 10 September 2000 was given in one of the places particularly associated with Bach. At the very end of 1717 he began a five-year stint in Köthen as Kapellmeister at the court of Prince Leopold, and the church in which these cantatas were performed would have been very familiar to him. However, all three of these cantatas date from Bach’s Leipzig period; music such as this would have been very infrequently heard in Köthen, where Prince Leopold followed a strict Calvinist observance, which admitted little in the way of figural music into the liturgy. I suspect, in fact, that the celebratory air of much of the music in these three cantatas would have been anathema to the Prince and his court.
The Gospel for the Twelfth Sunday is found in chapter seven of St. Mark’s Gospel and relates the story of the healing by Jesus of a deaf mute so there’s plenty of scope for Bach and his librettists to draw parallels and use metaphors comparing physical healing and the healing of souls. BWV 69a (1723), which includes parts for three each of trumpets and oboes, as well as for timpani, opens with a lavish and ambitious choral movement, which is tremendously exciting and calls for great virtuosity from the singers – the soloists are involved also. It’s thrillingly delivered here. The tenor soloist is Christoph Genz, to whom falls the exacting aria ‘Meine Seele, auf, erzähle’. This is a lilting, pastoral creation with a wonderfully inventive accompaniment in which recorder, oboe da caccia and bassoon are prominent. It’s airily sung by Genz, whose flexible and essentially light voice is well suited to the passagework and often demanding tessitura. Later in the cantata comes a fine bass aria, ‘Mein Erlöser und Erhalter’, which is enriched by a syncopated obbligato for oboe d’amore. The ever-reliable Peter Harvey sings it very well. The concluding chorale is a slight adaptation of one borrowed from an earlier cantata, BWV 12, which has already figured in this series.
BWV 35 (1726) is, in some ways, no less extrovert a piece, although the orchestral scoring is much less full than in BWV 69a and only a solo alto is involved. This cantata is in two parts – presumably one part was heard on either side of the sermon – and each part is introduced by an elaborate sinfonia in which the organ takes centre stage. In fact, Alfred Dürr and other Bach scholars suggest that the movements in question derive from a concerto for oboe and strings, now lost, which may have been composed, appropriately enough, during Bach’s Köthen days. If that’s so, I found it slightly piquant to wonder how often, if at all, this music had been heard in the city since it was first composed there.
The organ, superbly played by Ian Watson, dances delightfully in the opening sinfonia and Watson plays an equally stellar role in the gay music of the second sinfonia. Elsewhere he makes telling contributions in support of the solo singer. In 1726 Bach must have had the services, at least for a while, of an outstanding alto soloist for this cantata is but one of a trio of magnificent cantatas for solo alto, all composed within a matter of a few weeks. Vergnügte Ruh, beliebete Seelenlust, BWV 170, was written for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity and Gott soll allein mein Herze haben, BWV 169 appeared on the Eighteenth Sunday. Exactly in between these two came BWV 35.
Gardiner’s original intention had been to use a female singer, Sara Mingardo, for this performance but she was obliged to withdraw at the last minute, we are told, and Robin Tyson stepped into the breach. There is nothing at all last minute about his performance, however, for he sings with splendid assurance and complete identification both with the words and the music. He begins with an extended aria, ‘Geist und Seele wird verwirret’, in which he’s very expressive. The following recitative extols the miracles of healing that were worked by Christ, which Tyson delivers very well. This gives way to a perky, joyful aria in which the loving care of God for his people is celebrated. Here both Tyson and Ian Watson display delightful agility. Part two brings the final aria, a more stately dance of joy in which the organ part is again prominent. Dürr points the contrast and paradox between the opening and concluding movements of this cantata. Bach says “as it were, ‘Yes’ to life at the opening, by praising the healing miracles of Jesus, and a still more emphatic ‘Yes’ to death at the close in a prayer for a speedy end to life.” This journey from one acceptance to another calls forth some fine invention from Bach and Tyson, Watson and Gardiner emerge with great credit from this performance.
Trumpets and drums return for BWV 137 (1725). This is a five-movement chorale cantata, based on the hymn tune known to English churchgoers as ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation.’ The festive and lively first movement is, as Gardiner says. “irrepressible in its rhythmic vitality.” Here the excellent Monteverdi choir really comes into its own with singing that is committed, crisp and buoyant. In the second stanza the alto soloist sings the hymn tune while an elaborate violin obbligato provides abundant decoration. The third movement features a pair of obbligato oboes supporting a duet between soprano and bass soloists. As so often, Gardiner finds the mot juste, describing the canonic interplay between singers and instrumentalists –and each other – as akin to a game of mixed doubles. In the fourth verse a florid tenor solo, fluently executed by Genz, is in the foreground while the hymn tune is heard behind him, played on solo trumpet. Finally a majestic choral verse unites the full forces.
These three splendid cantatas are given excellent performances and the whole concert constitutes a fine tribute to Bach in one of the cities indelibly associated with his music.
The next Sunday found the Pilgrims in Frankfurt. The venue was not, on this occasion, a church dating from Bach’s time but the nineteenth century Dreikönigskirche, which Gardiner describes as “rather forbidding and gloomy.” I said earlier that this Sunday saw Bach resume business as usual but Sir John puts it rather more eloquently. “Sure enough, after the breezy pleasures of last week’s celebratory pieces – a brief reprieve – came the cold shower of our man’s resumption of the earnest process of musical exegesis.” Herein, surely, lies one of the cardinal virtues of this CD series. Gardiner and his team were living the week-in, week-out liturgical cycle of cantatas in a way that, surely, no one else has done so consistently since Bach’s time and, as the series unfolds and becomes more complete, the listener too can follow this process – and through live performances – and savour the contrasts not just between Sundays but also between Bach’s different responses at divers times to the liturgy of any one particular Sunday. Here, for example, we have three cantatas, all from the Leipzig cycles, which in different ways respond to the liturgy of the day and in particular, to the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan (Luke, 10. vv 23-37).
BWV 77 (1723) begins with a huge and elaborately constructed chorus in which Bach displays tremendous compositional virtuosity. The movement is based on an old chorale melody, used by Luther for one of his hymns, but dating back well before Luther’s time. The music is magnificently and powerfully projected and Gardiner’s direction displays great attention to detail and to the spirit of the piece. The bass soloist, who we meet in the first recitative, is a newcomer to the series, Jonathan Brown. He proves to be a reliable singer.
A much better known singer is Nathalie Stutzmann, who we’ve encountered in some previous releases. Some “authentic” Bach exponents seem completely to eschew the female alto voice in the cantatas. Much though I like the counter tenor voice in Bach I’m delighted that Gardiner is flexible in this respect, choosing voices that best suit the music. She has the lovely aria, ‘Ach, es bleibt in meiner Liebe’. In this section her rich tone contrasts beautifully with the haunting, almost fragile trumpet obbligato in the background. I don’t know if the player, Niklas Eklund, was placed at a distance but it sounds as if he was. Whether or not, the effect is magical and Gardiner is correct to draw attention in his notes to Eklund’s superb playing.
BWV 164 (1725) starts not with a chorus but with a demanding tenor aria, authoritatively sung by Christoph Genz. The cantata also features a wonderful alto aria, ‘Nur durch Lieb und durch Erbarmen.’ This aria is adorned by a balmy pair of flutes and in the piece, as Gardiner comments, “the essence of true compassion is evoked.” It’s evoked even more strongly thanks to the expressive way in which Nathalie Stutzmann sings the aria.
Finally we hear BWV 33 (1724), the lengthiest of this trio of cantatas. The violins and, even more so, a pair of athletic oboes, drive on the music of the opening chorale fantasia. At the heart of the cantata, and accounting for almost half the length of this performance, is the sublime alto aria ‘Wie furchtstam wankten meine Schritte’. Not the least interesting feature of this aria is the texture of the orchestral accompaniment. The first violins play con sordini against a pizzicato background, creating a rather special atmosphere. If there were no other justification for the decision to engage Nathalie Stutzmann for this concert – and that’s far from being the case – her superb singing here amply vindicates Gardiner’s shrewd choice. Her velvet tone is just right for the melodic line and she sings with great – but not overdone – feeling. This seamless and elevated aria just seems to go on and on, yet one regrets it coming to an end. This, for me, is the highlight of this entire set. Before the end of the cantata Genz and Jonathan Brown are suitably virile in their duet, to which a busy pair of oboes also makes a fine contribution.
This is yet another distinguished release in this excellent series. All the usual high standards of previous volumes are maintained. The singing, both solo and choral, is never less than excellent; the sound is first class; and Sir John proves yet again to be a perspicacious and committed guide to Bach, whether as conductor or annotator. But, of course, as ever the real hero is Bach and yet again we marvel at his seemingly inexhaustible invention and sheer industry and at his ability to express and communicate his Lutheran Christian faith for the benefit of the Leipzig congregations and, over two hundred years later, for ours. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

CD 1:
For the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele BWV 69a
1. Coro Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele
2. Recitativo: Sopran Ach, dass ich tausend Zungen hätte!
3. Aria: Tenor Meine Seele, auf, erzähle
4. Recitativo: Alt Gedenk ich nur zurück
5. Aria: Bass Mein Erlöser und Erhalter
6. Choral Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Geist und Seele wird verwirret BWV 35
Part I
1. Sinfonia
2. Aria: Alt Geist und Seele wird verwirret
3. Recitativo: Alt Ich wundre mich
4. Aria: Alt Gott hat alles wohlgemacht
Part II
5. Sinfonia
6. Recitativo: Alt Ach, starker Gott
7. Aria: Alt Ich wünsche nur bei Gott zu leben
Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren BWV 137
1. Versus I: Coro Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren
2. Versus II: Alt Lobe den Herren, der alles so herrlich regieret
3. Versus III: Sopran, Bass Lobe den Herren, der künstlich und fein dich bereitet
4. Versus IV: Tenor Lobe den Herren, der deinen Stand sichtbar gesegnet
5. Versus V: Choral Lobe den Herren, was in mir ist, lobe den Namen!

CD 2:
For the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben BWV 77
1. Coro con Choral Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben
2. Recitativo: Bass So muss es sein!
3. Aria: Sopran Mein Gott, ich liebe dich von Herzen
4. Recitativo: Tenor Gib mir dabei, mein Gott! ein Samariterherz
5. Aria: Alt Ach, es bleibt in meiner Liebe
6. Choral Ach Herr, ich wollte ja dein Recht
Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet BWV 164
1. Aria: Tenor Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet
2. Recitativo: Bass Wir hören zwar, was selbst die Liebe spricht
3. Aria: Alt Nur durch Lieb und durch Erbarmen
4. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, schmelze doch durch deinen Liebesstrahl
5. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Bass Händen, die sich nicht verschließen
6. Choral Ertöt uns durch dein’ Güte
Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 33
1. Coro (Choral) Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
2. Recitativo: Bass Mein Gott und Richter
3. Aria: Alt Wie furchtsam wankten meine Schritte
4. Recitativo: Tenor Mein Gott, verwirf mich nicht
5. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Gott, der du die Liebe heißt
6. Choral Ehr sei Gott in dem höchsten Thron

2007 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 6 SDG 134

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

Anoushka Shankar TRAVELLER

No one embodies the spirit of innovation and experimentation more evidently than Anoushka Shankar. With her deep-seated understanding of Indian classical form and the rich heritage of her father's innovative genius, Anoushka is constantly pushing boundaries on every level. In Traveller - her debut album on Deutsche Grammophon - she finds her way into the nuances of modern flamenco through the vivid lens of Hindustani technique. In essence, Traveller charts the spiritual link across time and space of two highly evolved forms of musical expression, from their ancient gestation to their modern zenith. This is an album of innovation and rebirth - a perfect culmination of old and new. How appropriate then that the driving force behind this album was the birth of Anoushka's first child.
“It was a love of the music that inspired me to make this flamenco album and bring together these two traditions", says Anoushka Shankar. “I've always loved flamenco and had a fascination for it. There's always been that pull towards something I find very similar in flamenco to what I cherish in Indian classical music: a kind of uninhibited musicality in expression, whether it's a solo voice, a sitar or a guitar. Of course there were common roots and technical similarities to explore, and when you start to play with those, you can really delve down in very delicious ways. However the desire came from simply being an admirer of the music, and wanting to learn about it through making music."
Flamenco has its roots in India. Many of the great modern exponents of this fiery tradition are keen to emphasize and rediscover that connection. Dancers from Joaquín Cortés to Sandra La Espuelita have, at the beginning of their shows, stated that cultural origin very clearly. Guitar masters Pepe Habichuela and Paco de Lucía, the latter notably in his work with John McLaughlin, have brought strong references to that cultural history into their compositions. The modern, popular Spanish band Ojos de Brujo and the lesser known Indialucía ebulliently celebrate flamenco's Eastern heritage.
Asked what drew him particularly to Indian classical music and Anoushka Shankar's style of playing, Javier Limón explains: “When Anoushka plays pure Indian music, for us she's playing pure flamenco - for all the Gypsies, for Paco [de Lucía] and me, for all of us. When she plays Indian we sometimes say: 'Hey, you play flamenco very well, this is flamenco.' And she always answers: 'No, no, no, this was Indian, pure Indian.' The frontier is not clear because many centuries ago, maybe eight, the Gypsies came from Rajasthan and brought a lot from there to the flamenco style, to flamenco music. They created what we know today as flamenco with the Christians and Jews in Spain and with the Arabs. That's why there are a lot of things in common that make our musical forms brothers. Flamenco is very young, about 200 years old. For me, flamenco is like the little brother of Indian music."
Little is known about the real history of that connection. It is largely supposed that flamenco has its roots in the exodus of “Untouchables" from the Punjab around 800-900 AD. These people became the Gypsies/Romanies of lore, traversing Asia and the Middle East, eventually settling in Europe. Today Rajasthani Gypsies can be seen using ancient castanets to embellish their songs about nomadic existence and spiritual devotion. It is through these songs that the origin of flamenco can be clearly identified. A defining element of flamenco music is undeniably the singing, cante. In fact, flamenco initially consisted purely of cante, with handclapping - palmas sordas - or knuckle rapping providing percussive accompaniment. The guitar, a variation of the Arabic 'ûd, was gradually incorporated in the 19th century.
In most academic research or exploration of flamenco, little is made of the technical connections with Indian classical traditions. For musicians and dancers, however, it is easy to trace the origins of flamenco even further back to the Natya Shastra, an Indian treatise on the arts and spirituality believed to have been written between 200 BC and 200 AD. It is here that theories were first expounded on how dance, theatre and music should have a common language for communication and collaboration. This is still quite evident in the strong rhythmic bond between kathak dancers and tabla players in north India and between bharata-nâtyam dancers and mridangam virtuosos in the south. What is even more fascinating is how echoes of the Natya Shastra can still be discovered in the intricate footwork of flamenco dancers and reciprocated in the equally complex polyrhythms of the cajón and guitar. Nowhere outside India and Spain is this powerful rhythmic connection between dancer and musician so evident.
Recently there has been a mutual excitement for dancers and musicians from India and Spain rediscovering their ancient ties and common oral source. Indian classical dancer Rajika Puri has described the technical challenges of that recoupling when working with flamenco dancers and musicians: “Next thing I knew, my body began to execute the strong sharp lines of bharata-nâtyam adavus. My feet began to stamp with the force of the south Indian dance form, as I learnt to end, not on our sam - which would be their beat12 - but on beat10!"
In the Hindustani tradition, sam is the climactic point of a cycle, normally emphasized by the first beat. This perception of sam landing on the first beat of a cycle differs from the flamenco 12-beat form bulería, in that the feeling of sam is switched to the 12thbeat - a technique perpetuated by Paco de Lucía to create a constant sense of flow. Thus, even now, flamenco can be considered a dynamic extension of the Indian classical form, constantly evolving to embrace new ideas across the Diaspora.
“In conceiving this album I was focused on the forms of Indian classical music and flamenco, but also on finding themes and emotions", remarks Anoushka Shankar. “Naturally all the pieces have different inspirations and origins. Some of them, like Inside Me, were melodies that Javier wrote and came to me with after our initial meeting. I had written out a list of some of the more simple râgas that I could just give a do-re-mi for, and then he chose some of those and stretched himself to write within a single scale. Some songs, like Casi uno, came about spontaneously, and in others, like Si no puedo verla, I deliberately searched out lyrics by the great Sufi poet Amir Khusrau to connect the song to India. But my favourite moments would happen when we discovered things together. Boy Meets Girl, written with Pepe Habichuela, is an example of what can happen with a project like this. While Javier was teaching me the chord progression of a granaína [one of the classical flamenco cante], I began to play in râga Manj Khamâj. We realized that in that particular scale, I could plan to end on the appropriate notes needed for the granaína but still play the Indian râga purely. So the song exists in two ancient forms simultaneously."
“It was beautiful", enthuses Javier Limón, reflecting on the making of this album. “Anoushka changed my life: now I have a different concept of the music. When she played granaína, it was like hearing a flamenco singer, not a flamenco guitar: that's the amazing thing. I think that guitar players are going to learn a lot from her. How she expresses the melodies makes me cry."

1. Inside Me [3:19]
2. Buleria con Ricardo [6:03]
3. Krishna [5:50]
4. Si no puedo verla [5:15]
5. Dancing in Madness [4:29]
6. Boy Meets Girl [4:56]
7. Kanya [4:55]
8. Traveller [3:41]
9. ISHQ [4:21]
10. Casi Uno [5:26]
11. Bhairavi [10:26]
12. Lola's Lullaby [4:14]

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9363 2 GH

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You can download here

Gardiner BACH Cantatas Vol. 5

In his notes, Gardiner wonders what happened in late July 1724 that might have stirred the good Leipzig Cantor’s bile. Maybe he was only reacting to the lesson of the day (the eighth Sunday after Trinity), a stern admonition against hypocrisy, but the music he composed for Cantata 178, first performed on the 30th of that month, is relentlessly assertive, and, as Gardiner discovered, hard on the musicians. But in performance Gardiner soldiers on, and so does his ensemble, turning out a muscular realization of this potent score. Bach may have been a little calmer a year before, when he composed Cantata 136. The hypocrites were targets then, too, but the mood was more festive and the arias more forgiving. Likewise, in the middle of Cantata 45 a harsh warning, delivered in a blistering bass arioso, is mitigated by gentler arias. The impressive opening chorus of Cantata 46 is a complex melding of motet-style choral writing and concertato-style orchestral accompaniment.
The second disc skips ahead to the 10th Sunday after Trinity and its lesson of the destruction of Jerusalem, a warning (that word again!) of the imminence of judgment. The opening chorus of Cantata 46 is in two parts, the first of which, subtly altered, was the model for the Qui Tollis of the B-Minor Mass and immediately recognizable as such. Fewer listeners are likely to identify the opening chorus of Cantata 102 as the source of the Kyrie of the Latin Mass in G Minor, BWV 235. (Dear readers: Should you sense that I have a tendency to repeat myself, please keep in mind that I’ve had an unimpeachable example to follow.) God’s judgment is again delivered by a raging bass aria, this time amplified by the trumpet. But a soothing alto aria, paired with a recorder, assures the congregants of Jesus’s protection. The outstanding feature of Cantata 101 is its unremittingly serious opening chorus mourning the destruction of the city. The hope of redemption is offered in the soprano and alto duet that leads to the closing chorale. The aforementioned opening chorus of BWV 102 is a marvel, even for Bach. The aria for tenor and flute was later adapted for another short Mass, BWV 233, in F.
Gardiner brings his accustomed sensitivity and perhaps even a little more than his usual vitality to these performances. He may have been inspired by the exceptional challenge posed by Cantata 178. His musicians respond in kind. This is another winner from the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. (George Chien)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
CD 1:
For the Eighth Sunday after Trinity
Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält BWV 178
1. Coro (Choral) Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält
2. Choral e Recitativo: Alt Was Menschenkraft und -witz anfäht
3. Aria: Bass Gleichwie die wilden Meereswellen
4. Choral: Tenor Sie stellen uns wie Ketzern nach
5. Choral e Recitativo: Bass, Tenor, Alt Auf sperren sie den Rachen weit
6. Aria: Tenor Schweig, schweig nur, taumelnde Vernunft!
7. Choral Die Feind sind all in deiner Hand
Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz BWV 136
1. Coro Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz
2. Recitativo: Tenor Ach, dass der Fluch, so dort die Erde schlägt
3. Aria: Alt Es kömmt ein Tag
4. Recitativo: Bass Die Himmel selber sind nicht rein
5. Aria (Duetto): Tenor, Bass Uns treffen zwar der Sünden Flecken
6. Choral Dein Blut, der edle Saft
Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist BWV 45
Part I
1. Coro Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist
2. Recitativo: Tenor Der Höchste lässt mich seinen Willen wissen
3. Aria: Tenor Weiß ich Gottes Rechte
Part II
4. Arioso: Bass Es werden viele zu mir sagen an jenem Tage
5. Aria: Alt Wer Gott bekennt aus wahrem Herzensgrund
6. Recitativo: Alt So wird denn Herz und Mund selbst von mir Richter sein
7. Choral Gib, dass ich tu mit Fleiß

CD 2:
For the Tenth Sunday after Trinity
Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei BWV 46
1. Coro Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgendein Schmerz sei
2. Recitativo: Tenor So klage du, zerstörte Gottesstadt
3. Aria: Bass Dein Wetter zog sich auf von weiten
4. Recitativo: Alt Doch bildet euch, o Sünder, ja nicht ein
5. Aria: Alt Doch Jesus will auch bei der Strafe
6. Choral O großer Gott von Treu
Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott BWV 101
1. Coro (Choral) Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott
2. Aria: Tenor Handle nicht nach deinen Rechten
3. Recitativo e Choral: Sopran Ach! Herr Gott, durch die Treue dein
4. Aria: Bass Warum willst du so zornig sein?
5. Recitativo e Choral: Tenor Die Sünd hat uns verderbet sehr
6. Aria (Duetto): Sopran, Alt Gedenk an Jesu bittern Tod!
7. Choral Leit uns mit deiner rechten Hand
Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben! BWV 102
Part I
1. Coro Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben!
2. Recitativo: Bass Wo ist das Ebenbild, das Gott uns eingepräget
3. Aria: Alt Weh der Seele, die den Schaden
4. Arioso: Bass Verachtest du den Reichtum seiner Gnade
Part II
5. Aria: Tenor Erschrecke doch, du allzu sichre Seele!
6. Recitativo: Alt Beim Warten ist Gefahr
7. Choral Heut lebst du, heut bekehre dich

2008 Monteverdi Productions Ltd
2 Compact Discs
Volume 5 SDG 147

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You can download here: Disc One / Disc Two