JS Bach - Cantatas BWV 54, 82 & 170
£14.20
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Label: Hyperion
Cat No: CDA68111
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Vocal/Choral
Release Date: 3rd January 2017
Contents
Works
Cantata BWV52 'Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht'Cantata BWV82 'Ich habe genug'
Cantata BWV170 'Vergnugte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust'
Cantata BWV174 'Ich liebe den Hochsten von ganzem Gemute'
Artists
Iestyn Davies (countertenor)Arcangelo
Conductor
Jonathan CohenWorks
Cantata BWV52 'Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht'Cantata BWV82 'Ich habe genug'
Cantata BWV170 'Vergnugte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust'
Cantata BWV174 'Ich liebe den Hochsten von ganzem Gemute'
Artists
Iestyn Davies (countertenor)Arcangelo
Conductor
Jonathan CohenAbout
Europadisc Review
The tone of the texts in these three cantatas can be unsettling for modern audiences: renunciation of worldly ostentation, trembling and revulsion in the face of sin, and eagerly embracing death. Some performances go for the jugular, revelling in the vivid textual imagery, but Davies obviously bears in mind that the original purpose of these works was principally meditative, an opportunity for the congregation to reflect on the biblical texts or sermon of a particular day. While he is clearly alive to the meaning of the words (the clarity of diction throughout is remarkable), these are deeply considered readings, remarkable above all for their inwardness. Both text and music are allowed just enough space speak (as it were) for themselves, without recourse to needless dramatics.
The opening movement of Vergnügte Ruh’ is as harmonious as one could wish, the string players of Arcangelo under director Jonathan Cohen playing with gorgeous sensitivity, while the central aria, ‘Wie jammern mich doch die verkehrten Herzen’, makes a strong impression with its striking scoring of organ obbligato plus unison violins and violas. The closing aria, in which the voice expresses its disgust at all sinning, launches with a combination of gusto and poise, and includes lively organ figuration deftly played by Cohen.
Just as arresting is the three-movement BWV 54: scored for alto solo, five-part strings and continuo, it features a particularly bold opening aria with crunchy dissonances as the singer exhorts the listener to ‘Stand firm against all sinning’. After a central recitative that takes the vocal range down particularly low, the closing aria is a three-part fugue with chromatic lines and winding semiquavers evoking the twisted workings of the devil.
The closing work is Ich habe genug, which touches on the biblical episode of the presentation of Christ in the temple to the aged Simeon, and is a meditation on the end of life and worldly cares. It works surprisingly well with a countertenor of Davies’s calibre, the vocal tone lending particular intensity to the text. Oboist Katharina Spreckelsen excels in the outer movements, while the central aria, ‘Schlummert ein’, scored for strings and continuo, is utterly sublime. The use of a lute in the continuo group pays rich dividends, subtly enlivening the textures.
It’s good to have a couple of bonuses in the form of the Sinfonias from Cantatas 52 and 174, actually the recycled first movements of ‘Brandenburg’ Concertos 1 and 3, the latter spectacularly expanded to include horns, oboes and bassoon. Lively and robust, they provide and effective foil to the cantatas between which they are placed. But the singing is the main reason to get this disc: sensitive, intelligent, and above all completely enthralling.
Reviews
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