|
If Christmas is a time when, like me, you get out your recording of the Weihnachts-Oratorium and listen to a cantata or two, this new release in the Gardiner complete cycle can provide a welcome change. It contains three cantatas for the Third Day of Christmas plus one for the Second.
In 2000, John Eliot Gardiner, the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists undertook the extraordinary task of performing all 186 of the extant Bach cantatas within a year, on (or very close to) the days they were written for. It must have been an exhausting undertaking, the logistics something of a nightmare. The resulting recordings constitute the most complete and cohesive cycle of the works available and this latest release is a worthy addition.
The cantatas vary enormously in style and quality. It's a fascinating form, each work a concise and satisfying statement of some aspect of religious doctrine. You don't have to be a Christian to appreciate or enjoy them.
Gardiner's "pilgrimage" took him all over Europe, many of the works taking place in churches the composer had performed in. For the final three concerts (there were 62 altogether), they moved to New York and this, the penultimate one, was performed in St Bartholomew's on 27 December 2000.
The first work on this CD is BWV 64 ("Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget"), which bursts energetically into the opening Chorus. There's an attractive jazzy organ accompaniment to the following Recitative (Alto) and then a lovely Soprano Aria. It's unfortunate that the booklet doesn't specify which of the singers is performing in each work, with three sopranos and two altos participating throughout. The theme of this cantata is summed up in the soprano's "All the world contains must disperse as smoke", a reminder, if one is needed, that Christmas isn't all about material gains and jollity.
It is beautifully performed by soloists and instrumentalists, the solo oboe d'amore make a particular impact. At no point on the recording are you aware of this being a live performance and the sound quality is first class.
The second work, BWV 151 ("Sußer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt"), starts with a gentle Soprano Aria that takes up more than half of the entire work. We then move back a day to the Second Day of Christmas for "Selig ist der Mann" BWV 57, a fascinating dialogue between Bass (Jesus) and Soprano (Soul). The structure is Aria followed by Recitative repeated symmetrically and with a closing Chorale as coda. It changes dramatically in tone halfway through, with Jesus doing battle with the soul's enemies in a section reminiscent of the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto (driving semiquavers on the violins propelling the action forward). The final work moves back to the Third Day and "Ich freue mich in dir" BWV 133, beginning with a festive and uplifting chorus.
The soloists are Katherine Fuge, Gillian Keith and Joanne Lunn (sopranos), Robin Tyson and William Towers (altos), James Gilchrist (tenor) and Peter Harvey (Bass). Admirers of Gilchrist should note that he only has two recitatives on this album.
This is a gentle and enjoyable programme of some of the least known of the Bach cantatas. With Gardiner's usual impeccable musicianship and fine performances all round, it is an excellent contribution to the project and a timely release for the Christmas market.
 | 
more 