Johann Sebastian Bach |
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Johann Sebastian Bach |
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Johann Sebastian Bach's composer-in-residence status made him responsible for writing music for municipal affairs, a duty that entailed serving both practical and spiritual purposes.The lyrics make metaphoric references to the city; much of the text is drawn from Psalms. Fitting the cantatas' public nature, Philippe Herreweghe has treated them as celebratory, colorful, and often sprightly, certainly less somber and morally complex than, say, Joshua Rifkin's recordings of Bach cantatas. Recitative moments often attend a meditative pace, and though there are spoken moments here, they are brief, just parts of a larger mosaic that ranges from soprano with violin accompaniment to full orchestra. These are joyous expressions of God's blessing, and the performances do them justice. The depth of the recorded choruses, in particular, is remarkable--the manner in which the distinct timbre of various vocal parts is maintained even as nearly 20 voices work together. --Marc Weidenbaum |
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Reviewer: hcf I have all of Herreweghe's recordings of Bach. I am a fan of the balmy precision and spotless polish of Herreweghe's approach, but if you're looking for edgier performances you may want to look elsewhere. Herreweghe's recordings of Bach are organized thematically. This CD, featuring cantatas Bach wrote for the annual inauguration of the Leipzig town council, is perhaps less momentous than Herreweghe's previous CD exploring the Lutheran perspective on death ("Mit Fried und Freud"), but it is delightful nevertheless. The narrow municipal purpose of these cantatas is transcended by the rich scoring of the instrumental parts and the subtlety of the arias. Other than Ingeborg Danz (whom I don't consider to be the most appropriate Bach alto), the soloists here would be my top choice for any Bach recording. The marvelous Peter Kooy doesn't get a lot to sing, but the few lines he does sing practically steal the show. |
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