Bach: Easter Cantatas

On this CD:

1. Work(s)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by New Bach Collegium Musicum Leipzig with Walter Heinz Bernstein, Achim Beyer, Gerhard Eabach
Conducted by Hans-Joachim Rotzsch

2. Cantata No. 134, "Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiss," BWV 134
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by New Bach Collegium Musicum Leipzig with Walter Heinz Bernstein, Achim Beyer, Burkhard Schmidt, Peter Schreier, Gerd Schulze
Conducted by Hans-Joachim Rotzsch

3. Cantata No. 31, "Der Himmel lacht! die Erde jubilieret," BWV 31
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra with Eberhard Buchner, Peter Fischer, Harry Haertel, Armin Mannel, Heinz Morawietz, Hermann-Christian Polster, Almuth Reuther

Tracks:

Aria - Ich Habe Genug
Recitativo - Ich Habe Genug
Aria - Schlummert Ein, Ihr Matten Augen
Mein Gott! Wann Kommt Das Schone: Non!
Aria - Ich Freue Mich Auf Meinen Tod
Sinfonia
Recitativo - Es Will Der Hochste Sich Ein Siegsgesprang...
Aria - Ja Tausend Mal Tausend Begleiten Den Wagen
Aria - Ich Armer Mensch, Ich Sundenknecht
Recitativo - Ich Habe Wider Gott Gehandelt
Aria - Erbarme Dich! Lass Die Tranen
Recitativo - Erbarme Dich!
Chor - Bin Ich Gleich Von Dir Gewichen
Sinfonia
Aria - Der Ewigkeit Saphirnes Haus
Aria - Sanfte Soll Mein Todeskummer
Recitativo - Dies Hat Gott Klar
Aria - Des Vaters Stimme Lies Sich Horen
Aria - Gott Ist Mein Freund
Sinfonia

Amazon.com

Tenor Ian Bostridge and Fabio Biondi, with his Europa Galante ensemble, collaborate in a hugely enjoyable program of J.S. Bach cantata arias (some transposed from their original settings) for tenor. The centerpiece is BWV 82, "Ich hab genug," more familiar in versions for bass or soprano. Here Bostridge poaches the soprano version and sings with vocal mastery and textual nuance. Throughout the varied program his effortlessly floating high register offers a sensuous touch rarely heard in most Bach performances, and it's matched by a rich, rounded sound throughout his range. Fortunately he reins in the overemoting that sometimes mars his lieder singing, while his sensitivity to the texts remains apparent everywhere. Most of the texts are about shucking off worldly cares for the glories of heaven, and the music, full of longing and hope, is often akin to a lover's pleas. Along with Bostridge's vocalism, Biondi's solos and the opulent tonal resources of his outstanding period band make this CD indispensable. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-04-30

In contrast to the bass voice, which is frequently associated with flesh-and-blood characters such as Jesus and Peter, the tenor in Bach is often a disembodied prescence. To this supple, even-toned voice are entrusted the arias which may be properly called, poetic and rhetorical illustrations with the purpose of making evident, and so to speak palpable, this or that aspect of faith or of the life of the believer. The tenor voice becomes that of the repentant sinner, and thus of hope. Combine the names:Bach, Biondi and Bostridge and you have a MUSICAL MASTERPIECE!!!!!!Everything is good about this disc both vocally and instrumentally. Beginning the recording with the Cantata "Ich habe genug"(It is enough.) was very clever programming because after hearing it, the listener has to keep listening; it is so mesmerizing. Ian's voice combined with the lovely and lush tone of the flute is almost hypnotic. Biondi's skillful violin playing is exciting as shown in the Aria:"Enbarme dich!Lass die Tranen"(Have mercy on me); and also in the "SinfoniaBWV212". In fact,'Europa Galante'does an incredible job,not only do they just play the notes, but they perform with such vigor and excitement, one has to be drawn into the music. The Choral "Bin ich gleich von dir gewichen" added the voices of Giuia(sop),Carmignani (male alto) and Abete(bass)also well done. This is a disc with much variety and excitement; it's that characteristic that sets it apart from many other like renditions.

TOWARDS THE HEREAFTER.......2005-12-20

There is a very interesting and thoughtful essay accompanying this disc, by Michel Roubinet and quite superbly translated into genuine English by Hugh Graham. In it the author draws attention to some aspects of the pietist tradition of Lutheranism, in particular its strong emphasis on the worshipper as an individual, and even more particularly the recurring theme of death as the gateway to each individual's final fulfilment. This was the spirit of much of the poetry that Bach set in his cantatas, and it must have been to a great extent the particular strain of belief that underlay the transcendental musical inspiration of Bach himself. Bach knew love and he knew grief and he believed both to be God's dispensation. He knew his own talent, he believed that to be God's gift, and he worked to perfect it with an industry that would have been astonishing in someone who had far more perfecting to do. The spirit of his music is introspective, but it seems to me completely untouched by guilt or fear. Bach's talent, unlike Milton's, was not death to hide because for him death held no terrors.

A review of this recital in a Sunday newspaper was phrased in such extravagant terms of praise that I noted it as something to acquire. I am relieved to calculate that this review can only have been five years ago, so long does it seem that I have been failing to do anything about it, but the name of Ian Bostridge registered firmly with me, and I now own the disc with a good idea, obtained in the intervening period, of why the original reviewer was so impressed. Bostridge is not only highly accomplished, he has an exceptional voice in the first place. It is what I think of as a `true' tenor, as opposed to the `mezzo-tenor' timbre of Schreier or Padmore. In spite of this Bostridge has a quite remarkable low register, something that he needs frequently in Bach and nowhere more on this disc than in Ich Habe Genug, where he adapts the soprano version and shows his self-assurance by leading off with it. There is more than an hour's music here, it is all music of much the same type, but between composer and interpreters the experience was over in no time. Bostridge seems to me to hit the right expression in every piece without exception, and he is admirably offset by the Europa Galante group, not just the instrumentalists but also the three singers who perform the final chorale in Ich Armer Mensch.

In addition to the arias, recitatives and the one chorus, there are three short instrumental numbers, the disc being rounded off with a sinfonia from the Peasant Cantata, providing an unexpected and pleasant contrast to the unrelieved devoutness of the rest of it. The recorded tone is admirable, and the liner-note is of real value. Apart from anything else, the translation by Hugh Graham puts his fellow practitioners to shame. If you read the note in English without realising it is a translation, as I did, you would never know, or at least I never suspected.

I suppose it is slightly unusual for a young artist to introduce himself with an exhibition disc consisting entirely of music that is not only great but deeply serious and even solemn as well. However one of the most extraordinary things about Bach is just how strong his appeal has always been and always looks like being. The technical difficulty of his music that once seemed formidable seems so no longer, and in some ways he is easier to interpret successfully than most composers of similar stature. That does not detract in the slightest from what Bostridge has achieved here, and I would suggest that admirers of both great music and great singing would do well to be less dilatory about obtaining this disc than I was.

a voice unsurpassed.......2001-10-13

This CD is stunning. I am a cellist, and I originally bought it for some of the Bach pieces that featured prominent instrumental parts, but from the start, I was spellbound. The first selection, BWV 82A, is one of the most beautiful works of Bach that I have ever heard. Ian Bostridge's voice is spellbinding. I am looking forward to hearing much more, especially his lieder CDs.

STUNNING.......2001-03-11

This is the perfect recording for anyone who already loves the vocal music of J.S. Bach or for anyone who feels that Bach's music is too mathematical and non-emotional. Ian Bostridge is, arguably, the most emotional of all "serious" singers today. He interprets everything he performs and brings his own insights to his performances, whether, for example, the music be written by Bach or another of the singer's obvious favorites, Benjamin Britten. The music on this album, usually sung by bass or soprano, sounds very right for tenor, esp. for Bostridge's light, almost unearthly, sound. He is beautifully accompanied by an ensemble called Europa Galante which also plays three of Bach's sinfonias for orchestra, without voice. This is a stunning album which I highly recommend.

Average customer rating:

Profoundly moving. Unqualifiedly recommended.

Bach, Handel: Solo Cantatas, etc.

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Very Best of Janet Baker

ASIN: B00005B5NN
Release Date: 2001-07-03

Tracks:

Cant No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Aria: Ich Habe Genug
Cant No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Recitative: Ich Habe Genug
Cant No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Aria: Schlummert Ein
Cant No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Recitative: Mein Gott! Wann Kommt Das Schone, Nun!
Cant No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Aria: Ich Freue Mich Auf Meinen Tod
Cant No.169 'Gott Soll Alein Mein Herze Haben': Sinf - Bath Festival Orch/Yehudi Menuhin
Cant No.169 'Gott Soll Alein Mein Herze Haben': Arioso: Gott Soll Allein Mein Herze Haben
Cant No.169 'Gott Soll Alein Mein Herze Haben': Aria: Gott Soll Allein Mein Herze Haben
Cant No.169 'Gott Soll Alein Mein Herze Haben': Recitative: Was Ist Die Liebe Gottes?
Cant No.169 'Gott Soll Alein Mein Herze Haben': Aria: Stirb In Mir
Cant No.169 'Gott Soll Alein Mein Herze Haben': Recitative: Doch Meint Es Auch Dabei
Cant No.169 'Gott Soll Alein Mein Herze Haben': Chorale: Du Susse Liebe, Schenk' Uns Deine Gunst
Christmas Oratorio: Bereite Dich, Zion
Cant No.190; Lobe, Zion, Deinen Gott
Cant No.129: Gelobet Sei Der Herr
Cant No.34: Wohl Euch, Ihr Auserwahlten Seelen
Magnificat in D: Et Exultavit
Cant No.11: Ach, Bleibe Doch

Tracks:

Bist Du Bei Mir
St. John Passion: Es Ist Vollbracht
Cant No.6: Hochgelobter Gottesohn
Cant No.161: Komm, Du Susse Todesstunde
Easter Orotorio: Saget, Saget Mir Geschwinde
Italian Cant No.1 'Ah! Crudel Nel Pianto Mio': Sinf - ASMF/Neville Marriner
Italian Cant No.1 'Ah! Crudel Nel Pianto Mio': Aria: Ah! Crudel Nel Pianto Mio
Italian Cant No.1 'Ah! Crudel Nel Pianto Mio': Recitative: Non Sdegnerai D'amor
Italian Cant No.1 'Ah! Crudel Nel Pianto Mio': Aria: Di Quel Bel Che Il Ciel Ti Diede
Italian Cant No.1 'Ah! Crudel Nel Pianto Mio': Recitative: Balena Il Cielo
Italian Cant No.1 'Ah! Crudel Nel Pianto Mio': Aria: Per Trofei Di Mia Costanza
Cant No.13 'Armida Abbandonata': Recitative: Dietro L'orme Fugaci
Cant No.13 'Armida Abbandonata': Aria: Ah! Crudel, E Pur Ten Vai
Cant No.13 'Armida Abbandonata': Recitative: Per Te Mi Struggo, Infido
Cant No.13 'Armida Abbandonata': Aria: Venti, Fermate
Cant No.13 'Armida Abbandonata': Recitative: Ma Che Parlo, Che Dico?
Cant No.13 'Armida Abbandonata': Aria: In Tanti Affanni Miei

Amazon.com

Dame Janet Baker's fans will need no prompting. Others won't, either, after sampling one of the great mezzos of our time in classic recordings of great music to which she brought a voice of individuality and beauty, as well as peerless interpretive gifts. These selections are made the more moving by the tear in Baker's voice, her richly personal timbre, and her absolute mastery of music and texts. Everything on these ample discs dates from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, when Baker was at her peak. The Bach cantatas are led by Yehudi Menuhin; the mezzo version of "Ich hab genug" is brighter in tone than the more familiar one for bass-baritone, but Baker's dignified reading fully captures the spirit of the piece. In the arias, her partner is Neville Marriner, and Handel's dramatic Italian Cantatas are firmly supported by their arranger, Raymond Leppard. Listeners used to male altos or period instruments will find their preferences challenged by the sheer artistry on display here. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Profoundly moving. Unqualifiedly recommended........2003-01-17

The Bach cantatas on this disc are both unusual. "Ich habe genug" is usually sung by baritones, but Bach's intentions as shown in the autograph score are less than clear: the autograph begins for soprano, but the first movement is not completed; the second version of the first movement is for alto; but the final version is for bass. At any rate, it makes you listen to this magnificent music afresh to hear it sung by a different voice-type than usually heard. "Gott soll allein" is a wonderful cantata that features an organ obbligato part in several movements instead of a violin or wind instrument.

Then there is the collection of arias. Bach wrote some truly beautiful music for the alto voice, expressive and heartfelt. Although many of these arias tend to the reflective, there is no routine here. Particularly remarkable is the drama of "Es ist vollbracht" from the St. John Passion. Baker conveys the negative meaning of the words "it is finished" at the beginning, then rips through the section that foreshadows the Resurrection ("Der held von Juda"). But when she returns to the first phrase she conveys the alternate meaning of the words--"It is accomplished." Yes, it is sung softly and slowly, but there is a quality of the voice that is triumphant. Wow!

Amazon.com

The Bach renaissance--which began in earnest in the early 19th century thanks to the efforts of Felix Mendelssohn and others--inspired an endeavor of far-reaching significance. It led to the founding of the Bach Society in 1850, with the goal of gathering and publishing the composer's complete works, and thus set into motion one of the great projects of musical scholarship. That effort has continued and been refined throughout the 20th century, ultimately influencing not only our perception of how to perform early music but fundamental ideas of musical history, evolution, and reception as well.

Teldec's mammoth Bach 2000 box set represents a kind of culmination of that original attempt to come to terms with Johann Sebastian Bach's unparalleled legacy. This set brings together performances recorded over the last several decades--a small percentage of the recordings are previously unreleased--of all the extant works determined by modern scholarship to be authentic. There are also some pieces the authorship of which is still in question and a few now deemed "inauthentic" but familiarly associated with the composer. Bach was a prodigious reviser of his compositions, and alternate versions of a particular work have been included "where the changes seemed sufficiently important," such as the glorious Magnificat. No doubt manuscripts will continue to be unearthed here and there in various archives (Bach 2000 contains, for example, the "Neumeister chorales," which were rediscovered in 1984), but the set does not represent the many fragments of music that consist of just a few bars; however, there are some reconstructions of lost concertos (such as one for three violins reconstructed by Christopher Hogwood from an extant concerto for harpsichords).

Of course a truly comprehensive recorded edition of every note Bach wrote remains a utopian impossibility--about one-third of his cantatas, for example, have not survived. Even so, the dimensions of Bach 2000 are staggering. With its 12 boxes comprising 153 CDs, the set can be compressed into fewer boxes to save shelf space yet is still about ten times as long as the Ring cycle. (It should be noted that the packaging--using thin cardboard sleeves for the CDs--is distinctively unattractive.) That adds up to just under 160 hours of music--but a lifetime of discovery. Each box (grouped according to genre) contains a booklet with excellent notes on individual works and--for all the choral works--texts and translations. Tracking indexes are useful and thorough. Also included is a profusely illustrated hardbound volume of 24 Inventions, in which journalist Wolfgang Sandberger uses the composer's biography as a peg for some enigmatic and fascinating musings on the meaning of Bach today.

The presiding philosophy behind this project and its approach to musical interpretation can be largely ascribed to Nikolaus Harnoncourt, a true musical pioneer and galvanizing force of the "period performance" movement. Harnoncourt's epoch-making recordings of the sacred cantatas (using, for instance, boy sopranos and choristers according to the practice in Bach's time) with the Concentus musicus Wien and colleague Gustav Leonhardt comprise the first four volumes here (those who already own them can turn to the Bach 2000 Light edition, which contains everything sans the cantatas). These recordings--which were not remastered for this set--have long been controversial and are notably uneven, embracing some magnificent accounts as well as others that lack fire and seem clearly underrehearsed. But Harnoncourt is one of the most fascinating conductors of our era, and his interpretations amply bear out his assertion: "I have never felt that Bach worked in a routine manner, that he repeated himself in his works." Harnoncourt--who has articulated many of his ideas in his book The Musical Dialogue--displays his gifts as a cellist in a remarkably probing performance of the Cello Suites (originally recorded in 1965) and in his concertizing for a number of chamber works. For\ the St. Matthew Passion, you get Harnoncourt's groundbreaking earlier account from 1970, while his 1986 recording of the sublime B Minor Mass is also represented here (the St. John Passion included is Harnoncourt's 1995 acount).

Other artists included are colleague Gustav Leonhardt, whose thoughtful if occasionally dry harpsichord artistry is heard in the Goldberg Variations as well as in the concertos and chamber music. The harpsichord is in fact used throughout in preference to piano for the keyboard works. Ton Koopman (himself the conductor of an ongoing complete cantata series and of the Easter Oratorio included here) performs the organ works, including some newly recorded offerings, while Il Giardino Armonico's well-known high-energy account represents the Brandenburg Concertos. Violinist Thomas Zehetmair is exceptionally compelling in the unaccompanied sonatas and partitas, and the Concentus musicus Wien--again under Harnoncourt--perform a superb Musical Offering that richly repays frequent listening.

The result of Bach 2000 as a whole is an aptly encyclopedic grappling with the infinite legacy of this most compendious of composers, whose works are on one level a summation of all the styles available to him. Bach was once thought to represent a "terminal point" (to use Albert Schweitzer's famous formulation), the end of an era; today he is at least equally recognized as a fertile source of inspiration for composers since. To be sure, individual recordings of particular works will be found to be preferable, and it would be misguided to consider Bach 2000 any kind of "final" or "definitive" word. Instead, it's an indispensable starting point that represents a monumental achievement for our own contemporary understanding of Bach. --Thomas May --This text refers to the complete edition of this title

Album Description

Volume 1, 11 Discs
Secular Cantatas App. Sacred Cantatas; 11 CDs; Koopman, Harnoncourt, Koopman, Goebel and others

Volume 2, 14 Discs
The Sacred Vocal Works Masses,Magnificat, Passions, Oratorios; 14 CDs; Harnoncourt, Koopman, Corboz and others

Volume 3, 7 Discs
The Motets, Chorales & Songs Kirnberger Chorales,Schemelli Songs, Quodlibet

Volume 4, 16 Discs
The Organ Works; 16 CDs; Ton Koopman

Volume 5, 11 Discs
The Keyboard Works (I) The Well-Tempered Clavier, English & French Suites, Partitas etc; 11 CDs; Curtis, Ross, Wilson, Ruzickova

Volume 6, 11 Discs
The Keyboard Works (II) Goldberg Variations, Toccatas, Fugues, Italian Concerto, etc; 11 CDs; Staier, Barchi, Leonhardt, von Asperen, Baumont, and others

Volume 7, 13 Discs
The Chamber Music Violin Sonatas & Partitas, Flute Sonatas, Works for Lute, Art of Fugue, Musical Offering, etc; 13 CDs; Harnoncourt, Pianca, Tachezi, Brggen, Zehetmair, and others

Volume 8, 10 Discs
The Orchestral Works The Concertos & Orchestral Suite; 10 CDs; Il Giardino Armonico, Harnoncourt, Leonhardt

Festive Cantatas (Easter, Ascension, Advent, Christmas)
Average customer rating:

Celebrate the cycle of life with Bach

Festive Cantatas (Easter, Ascension, Advent, Christmas)
J.S. Bach , Philippe Herreweghe , and Collegium Vocale
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
Opera & Vocal | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000034D3P
Release Date: 1999-11-16

Customer Reviews:

Celebrate the cycle of life with Bach.......1999-12-25

The compositions collected in this set are dedicated to four Christian holidays: Easter, Ascention, Advent and Christmas. Each of the four CD's, wonderfully realized under Herreweghe's intelligent direction, focuses on one of the feasts.

CD1: - (a) Easter cantata "Erfreut euch, Ihr Herzen," originally composed as a secular work, but later adapted for the Easter celebration in Leipzig in 1724. An interesting feature of this cantata is a dialogue between fear and hope, personifying the complexity of feelings experienced in anticipation of the resurrection. (b) Easter Oratorio, also deriving from secular material and originally designated "cantata." This oratorio, opening with the beautiful instrumental Sinfonia, features a celebratory vocal interchange between the two Marys, Peter and John. SATB: Barbara Schlick, Kai Wessel, James Taylor, Peter Kooy.

CD2: - (a) Feast of the Ascention cantatas "Gott fahret auf mit Jauchzen" and "Sie werden euch in den Bann tun." The first is an unusually long cantata (could easily be called an oratorio), which is based on a six-stanza poem from the scripture - Bach varies the lengthy piece by alternating short arias and recitatives while keeping constant the combinations of solo voices. The second cantata is remarkable for its opening section combining an AT canon with a homophonic choral line, set against a chromatic continuo. (b) Ascension Oratorio, Bach's briefest oratorio. It is structured as a "historia," i.e. the narrative of the event. SATB: Barbara Schlick, Catherine Patriasz, Christoph Pregardien, Peter Kooy.

CD3: - Advent Cantatas "Schwingt freudig euch empor," and two versions of "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" (BWV 61 & 62) have each been inspired by Martin Luther's German version of the Catholic hymn Veni redemptor gentium. The gist of these cantatas is the opening of one's heart to god, symbolically expressed as the opening of doors. SATB: Sibylla Rubens, Sarah Connolly, Christoph Pregardien, Peter Kooy.

CD4: - Christmas cantatas "Das neugeborne Kindelein," "Under Mund sei voll Lachens," & "Selig ist der Mann." The first two are celebratory (the tenor aria "Ihr Gedanken" is a special treat), while the third, set out in the 17-th century form of a dialogue between Jesus and the soul (SB), is contemplative and filled with the londing for death. SATB: Vasiljka Jezovsek, Sarah Connolly, Mark Padmore, Peter Kooy.

Bach: Easter Cantatas
Average customer rating:
Bach: Easter Cantatas

Manufacturer: Berlin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Christ Lag In Todesbanden, BWV 4: 1. Sinf - Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum
Christ Lag In Todesbanden, BWV 4: 2. Versus 1: Christ Lag In Todesbanden - Thomanerchor Leipzig
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Ein Herz, Das Seinen Jesum Lebend Weiss, BWV 134: 1. Recitativo: Ein Herz, Das Seinen Jesum - Ortun Wenkel/Peter Schreier
Ein Herz, Das Seinen Jesum Lebend Weiss, BWV 134: 2. Aria: Auf, Glaubige, Singet Die Lieblichen... - Peter Schreier
Ein Herz, Das Seinen Jesum Lebend Weiss, BWV 134: 3. Recitativo: Wohl Dir, Gott Hat An Dich... - Peter Schreier
Ein Herz, Das Seinen Jesum Lebend Weiss, BWV 134: 4. Aria: Wir Danken Und Preisen - Peter Schreier
Ein Herz, Das Seinen Jesum Lebend Weiss, BWV 134: 5. Recitativo: DochWurke Selbst Den Dank - Peter Schreier
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Bach: Easter Cantatas

Manufacturer: Hanssler Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2002-08-27

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Average customer rating:

Did the Amazon reviewer listen to the same record that I did?
a voice teacher and early music fan
Room for 1 more Cantata
Thanks, Archiv...

Bach - Easter Cantatas BWV 6 & 66 / Fink, Davislim, Clarkson, Chance, Padmore, Henschel, The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists, Gardiner
Johann Sebastian Bach , John Eliot Gardiner , Bernarda Fink , Mark Padmore , Michael Chance , Dietrich Henschel , Julian Clarkson , and Steve Davislim
Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004R9F7
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

1. Chorus: Bleib Bei Uns, Denn Es Will Abend Werden
2. Aria (Contralto): Hochgelobter Gottesohn
3. Chorale (Sopranos): Ach Bleib Be Uns, Herr Jesu Christ
4. Recitative (Bass): Es Hat Die Dunkelheit An Vielen Orten
5. Aria (Tenor): Jesu, LaUns Auf Dich Sehen
6. Chorale: Beweis Dein Macht, Herr Jesu Christ
1. Chorus: Erfreut Euch, Ihr Herzen
2. Recitative (Bass): Es Bricht Das Grab Und Damit Unsre Not
3. Aria (Bass): Lasset Dem Hten Ein Danklied Erschallen
4. Recitative (Dialogue) & Arioso (Countertenor, Tenor): Bei Jesu Leben Freudig Sein
5. Duet (Countertenor, Tenor): Ich F Zwar / Nicht Des Grabes Finsternissen
6. Chorale: Halleluja! Des Solln Wir Alle Froh Sein

Amazon.com

John Eliot Gardiner's year-2000 project is big, even for him: a "pilgrimage" to perform all of Bach's surviving church cantatas (more than 200) between Christmas 1999 and Christmas 2000 in various churches throughout Europe, with a finale planned for New York City. With so much music, so many places, and so little time, worries about routine, autopilot music-making, and inconsistent performance standards were understandable. It was no doubt prudent for DG to record most of the "Bach Cantata Pilgrimage" series in the studio before the tour began. So it's all the more distressing that, even with Gardiner's famously skillful choir and orchestra recording under studio conditions, the first volume of the series is a disaster. The Monteverdi Choir, renowned as the well-oiled, high-precision machine of the choral world, sings with poor blend and occasionally shaky tuning (practically unheard-of for this group); the orchestral playing is either blaring or blasé; and the soloists sound uninvolved or uncertain, or both. It's hard not to think that everyone was sight-reading the music during the recording sessions. Most unfortunate of all is the once-superb countertenor Michael Chance, whose wobbly, indeterminate, frayed singing is heartbreaking. (Get the much better volume 2 of this series, a reissue of a 1989 recording, to hear just how good he used to be.) DG probably was contractually obligated to release this recording, but Gardiner should be ashamed to have let it leave the studio. Thank goodness that later volumes in this series aren't as bad. --Matthew Westphal

Amazon.com

This is the first of a series of recordings stemming from John Eliot Gardiner's "Bach Cantata Pilgrimage," a project to present all of the sacred cantatas in churches throughout Europe. The two cantatas on this disc are lesser-known Easter cantatas. Written in 1725, BWV 6 "Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden" ("Abide with us") is darkly dramatic, full of yearning. BWV 66, from 1724, is a reworking of a secular piece originally written to celebrate a princely birthday. It's a brighter work, as evidenced by its opening chorus, "Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen"("Rejoice, ye hearts"). Gardiner's period-practice interpretations are muscular enough to satisfy traditionalists as well, and performances of both cantatas are good without lighting any fires, as are the soloists--with the exception of Michael Chance's undernourished countertenor. Short timing, though--only 48 minutes, more than enough for another cantata. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Did the Amazon reviewer listen to the same record that I did?.......2007-03-05

I quote:

"The Monteverdi Choir, renowned as the well-oiled, high-precision machine of the choral world, sings with poor blend and occasionally shaky tuning (practically unheard-of for this group); the orchestral playing is either blaring or blasé; and the soloists sound uninvolved or uncertain, or both. It's hard not to think that everyone was sight-reading the music during the recording sessions. Most unfortunate of all is the once-superb countertenor Michael Chance, whose wobbly, indeterminate, frayed singing is heartbreaking."

Sorry, but why didn't I hear any of this? Am I deaf? Unperceptive? A combination thereof? OK, Michael Chance did seem a bit weak at times, but it did seem a very hard part (how on earth did whatever adolescent of the Thomaner Choir given the job of singing it manage it in Bach's day?). And to my ears, the Monteverdis sounded as well-oiled as ever.

So, why only 4 stars? Because this CD has now been overshadowed by Gardiner's latest from his own SDG label, which arrived chez Teemacs only last week. It has Easter cantatas, including these two, plus also the wonderful BWV4 and BWV31 (not to be missed!). The versions of these two are of course live and they sound crisp and exciting.

However, if you don't want the double CD SDG version, this is a good one.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-09-26

Bach's Cantata"Bleib bei uns, dess es will Abend werden"BWV6 was performed in Leipzig on Easter Monday in 1725. He chose the Gospel reading of the day for the text (Luke 24:13-25). It is an account of the meeting of Jesus with the disciples walking along the road to Emmaus,and Bach focuses on the disciple's yearning for Christ to remain with them. As if to enable his listener's to relive their sorrow, the music is somewhat morose. The plea 'Bleib bei uns'(abide with us) surely had a deeper meaning for Bach as he experienced the impending confinement of his beloved Anna Magdalena. Perhaps that is the reason I did not find this cantata to my liking. However, I definately do not think that it was performed badly! One thing to note is that it is very instrumental, so much so that the instruments in many instances overwhelmed the choir and I don't think relocating the mikes would have helped; it's just the way Bach wrote it. Bernarda Fink's solos was sung well operatically, but not altogether in a suitable style for Bach; it was far too dramatic with an overabundance of vibrato. I LOVE her in opera; this just doesn't work for me. Other than that it's enjoyable to hear, but a "downer". Bach's cantata:"Erfreut euch,ihr Herzen" BWV66 was performed in 1724. This cantata is based on the epistle of the day:Acts 10:34-43,which bristles with Peter's raw energy as he boldly testifies to the death and the resurrection of Jesus and the forgiveness now available to all who believe.The utter exuberance of the opening chorus certainly portrays the joy of the Resurrection!!!!!And the performance of it on this disc is indeed inspiring. It is not as heavily instrumental as the previous cantata although it has some glorious trumpet parts, but much of the strong instrumentation occurs in between the singing. The soloists including Michael Chance were excellent; the high tessitura continued for the countertenor thruout , but Chance more than held his own. The duet between Chance and Padmore was very well done; all elements being in place such as balance, tonality , phrasing and interpretation. At no time was there any "shakiness" etc. on the part of the countertenor; perhaps those who criticised are really not all that familiar with the countertenor voice. Likewise I did not detect any flaws in the choral performance. The disc is worth listening to even though I do not think it is the best of the Bach Cantatas!!!!

Room for 1 more Cantata.......2000-09-03

If there were only 48 minutes on the CD, there would have been room for another great Cantata "Der Himmel Lacht!" BWV 31.

That has Trumpet and Timpani Obliggato and is wonderful!

Maybe in the future?

Thanks, Archiv..........2000-04-01

This CD opens a series of 12 releases (to appear on a monthly basis until November 2000) with selected Bach's cantatas performed by various soloists and The Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists under Sir John Eliot Gardiner. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, Gardiner prepared his own cantatas project called: "Bach Cantata Pilgrimage" that will "feature performances of all Bach's surviving church cantatas within a single year at a variety of churches throughout Europe (as well as three concerts in New York bringing the Pilgrimage to its conclusion) on the feast days for which they were composed" (from the advertising leaflet). After having listened to this first release, I am deeply grateful to Archiv Produktion that "Cantata Pilgrimage" cycle will be limited to only 12 CD, though originally it was planned as a COMPLETE CANTATAS PROJECT! I do not know about other Bach fans, but I am certainly not ready to face yet another complete cantatas project, especially recorded by "authentists". Koopman's boring production is coming to an end - to me, Koopman's cycle will always be an example of a dry music making , dictated by scholarship rather than musical instincts (but what an organist he is!). Suzuki's are much more balanced recordings - they are beautifully played and sung and the commitment of all the artists is never in doubt. Here again, some "scholarly" touches mar the final effect - Suzuki's tempi follow the general "quickish" trend, but somehow they are not breathless and thoughtless and don't bother me as they do in some other recordings. I enjoy a lot Philippe Herreweghe's releases of selected cantatas and sometimes regret that Harmonia Mundi did not embark on the "complete cantatas" project with this conductor. Gardiner's cycle on "Archiv" is no surprise and, as we might expect, he choses a spledid "historical" setting for his Pilgrimage: year 2000 and Bach's death's anniversary. Will it work as an excuse for yet another extensive cantatas series? All depends on the quality of Gardiner's releases, and this first installment does not make the whole project look promising. I was struck by a particularly limp choral singing, affecting greatly the clarity of vocal lines and the pleasure of listening. The soloists are much more impressive, Bernarda Fink with her marvellous voice particularly pleasing the ear. Male soloists give good performances (Mark Padmore especially so), but Michael Chance's voice sounds uneven and sometimes quite unpleasant. One more thing - this CD's total playing time is only 48 MINUTES. I understand that there may be some logical justification for putting only two cantatas on one disc (both are for Easter Monday), but doesn't such a short playing time call for a lower price? Such a price would be encouraging to numerous Bach fans who still hesitate before embarking on another "Collecting Bach Cantatas" project. I do not want to discourage anybody, especially those who want to start a collection: Gardiner's survey is quite extensive and will be completed within a year. It will also be more affordable than Suzuki or Koopman and in many ways, more enjoyable than the latter. Gardiner's fans (I am among them though not always for his Bach) will certainly want to give this new release a try and may find much more to enjoy in it than I did. If I were to decide about a new Bach cantatas project I would like to see an "old-fashioned" series, similar in quality and artistic commitment to the achievement of Marriner on his marvellous disc with Janet Baker and John Shirley Quirk. But who would like to do it?

Bach: Cantatas & Easter Oratorio (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

Teresa Stich-Randall and the art of musical style

Bach: Cantatas & Easter Oratorio (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Vanguard Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000I6N9
Release Date: 1999-02-23

Tracks:

Cantata No.80, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Chorale
Cantata No.80, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Aria for Soprano Chorus and Bass
Cantata No.80, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Bass Recitative and Arioso
Cantata No.80, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Soprano Aria
Cantata No.80, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Chorus
Cantata No.80, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Tenor Recitative
Cantata No.80, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Duet for Alto and Tenor
Cantata No.80, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott - A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Chorale
Cantata No.140, Wachet auf - Wake Up: Chorus
Cantata No.140, Wachet auf - Wake Up: Tenor Recitative
Cantata No.140, Wachet auf - Wake Up: Soprano and Baritone Duet
Cantata No.140, Wachet auf - Wake Up: Tenor Chorale
Cantata No.140, Wachet auf - Wake Up: Baritone Recitative
Cantata No.140, Wachet auf - Wake Up: Soprano and Baritone
Cantata No.140, Wachet auf - Wake Up: Chorale

Tracks:

Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Sinfonia for Orchestra
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Adagio for Oboe and Strings
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Duet , Peter and John, and Chorus
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Recitative (all soloists)
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Aria, Mary
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Recitative (Peter, John, Mary Magdalene)
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Aria, Peter
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Recitative and Arioso, Mary and Mary Magdalene
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Aria (Mary Magdalene)
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Recitative (John)
Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet und laufet - Come, hasten and run: Chorus
Cantata No.4, Christ lag in Todesbanden: Sinfonia
Cantata No.4, Christ lag in Todesbanden: Chorus - Verse 1
Cantata No.4, Christ lag in Todesbanden: Duet for Soprano and Alto - Verse 2
Cantata No.4, Christ lag in Todesbanden: Tenor Chorale - Verse 3
Cantata No.4, Christ lag in Todesbanden: Chorus - Verse 4
Cantata No.4, Christ lag in Todesbanden: Bass Chorale - Verse 5
Cantata No.4, Christ lag in Todesbanden: Duet for Soprano and Tenor - Verse 6
Cantata No.4, Christ lag in Todesbanden: Chorale - VII

Tracks:

Cantata No.146, wirmussen durch viel Trubsal - Through Bitter Tribulation: Overture
Cantata No.146, wirmussen durch viel Trubsal - Through Bitter Tribulation: Chorus
Cantata No.146, wirmussen durch viel Trubsal - Through Bitter Tribulation: Alto Aria
Cantata No.146, wirmussen durch viel Trubsal - Through Bitter Tribulation: Soprano Recitative
Cantata No.146, wirmussen durch viel Trubsal - Through Bitter Tribulation: Soprano Aria
Cantata No.146, wirmussen durch viel Trubsal - Through Bitter Tribulation: Tenor Recitative
Cantata No.146, wirmussen durch viel Trubsal - Through Bitter Tribulation: Tenor & Bass Duet
Cantata No.146, wirmussen durch viel Trubsal - Through Bitter Tribulation: Chorale
Cantata No.161, komm du susse Todessunde: Alto Aria
Cantata No.161, komm du susse Todessunde: Tenor Recitative
Cantata No.161, komm du susse Todessunde: Tenor Aria
Cantata No.161, komm du susse Todessunde: Alto Recitative
Cantata No.161, komm du susse Todessunde: Chorus
Cantata No.161, komm du susse Todessunde: Chorale
Seven Easter Chorales: Christ ist erstanden
Seven Easter Chorales: Christ lag in Todesbanden
Seven Easter Chorales: Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag
Seven Easter Chorales: Erstanden ist der heil'ge Christ
Seven Easter Chorales: Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn
Seven Easter Chorales: Jesus Christus unser Heiland der von uns den Gottes-zorn wand
Seven Easter Chorales: Jesus, meine Zuversicht

Tracks:

Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Aria
Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Recitative
Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Aria
Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Recitative
Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Aria
Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Recitative
Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Aria
Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Recitative
Cantata No.202 -The Wedding - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten: Gavotte
Cantata No.209, Non sa che sia dolore: Sinfonia
Cantata No.209, Non sa che sia dolore: Recitative
Cantata No.209, Non sa che sia dolore: Aria
Cantata No.209, Non sa che sia dolore: Recitative
Cantata No.209, Non sa che sia dolore: Aria
Cantata No.51, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen: Aria
Cantata No.51, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen: Recitative and andante
Cantata No.51, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen: Aria
Cantata No.51, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen: Chorale and Alleluja

Customer Reviews:

Teresa Stich-Randall and the art of musical style.......2007-07-24

Teresa Stich-Randall was part of legendary singers in the gold era of the post war II, with unique tone of voice and natural ability to touch musically the heart. She is remembered most for Baroque music and Mozart but actually had a large broad of repertoire in operas and melodies. In Bach she was much ahead technically of how high notes are attacked as well as for the phrasing. Her wonderful short vibrato makes it perfect for Baroque music. In this CD, her glorious sound matches perfectly the trumpet of the famed Maurice André and makes great duets. Each instrument are a delight when either separated or together making almost one voice; André sings and Ms. Randall is "the trumpets shall sing". It is a must. Stich-Randall also excels in Mozart, Haendel, R. Strauss, lieder were her vocal agility deploys a full range of colors. She is sometimes uneven in her vocal performances with Mozart but never in Bach's cantatas. Even with the latter musically she is always in right style and her fresh voice keeps coming out. She was the first American singer to receive the highly honored price of Kammersangerin. She remained active after her retirement doing important master classes. In these, she would often open doors to young singers musically but also showing them how phrasing the words and incorporating music and sounds according to the scene, melody or type of music could be crucial. It is with a lot of sadness that she passed away on July 17, 07. Her recordings and presence will stay always in the world of music ! Emmanuel Benador