Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, 1961
Darzu ist erscheinen der sohn Gottes,
BWV 40
Recorded in Heilbronn, Germany, June
1964
Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, 1961
Selig is der Mann (Concerto in Diagolo),
BWV 57
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, June 1963
Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen, BWV 32
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, June 1963
Ich habe genug, BWV 82
Barry McDaniel (bass)
Recorded in Heilbronn, Germany, November
1964
Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn,
BWV 92 *
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, October
1972
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV
23 *
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, October
1972
Alles nur nach Gottes willen, BWV
72 *
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, October
1972
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern,
BWV 1
Recorded in Heilbronn, Germany, 1965
Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV
182
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, 1961
Kommt, eilet und laufet, ihr flüchtigen
Füsse (Easter Oratorio), BWV 249
Recorded in Heilbronn, Germany, June
1964
Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, 1961
Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret,
BWV 31
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, June 1963
Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden,
BWV 6
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, October
1959
Du Hirte Israel, höre, BWV 104
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, 1966
Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ,
BWV 67
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, October
1960
Ich bin ein guter Hirt, BWV 85 *
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, February
1970
Ich werdet weinen und heulen, BWV 103
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, July
1966
Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem
Namen, BWV 87
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, October
1959
Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen, BWV
43
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, 1961
Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen (Ascension
Oratorio), BWV 11
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, 1966
O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe,
BWV 34
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, 1961
Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, BWV
68
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, June 1963
Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV
39 *
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, October
1972
Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV
7
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, July
1966
Der Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes,
BWV 76
Recorded in Ilsfeld, Germany, October
1959
Freue dich, erlöste Schar, BWV
30 *
Recorded in Schwaigern, Germany, April
1971
The appearance of this
generously filled box of CDs is something
of a surprise. The record industry is
often criticised these days for an unenlightened
policy towards reissues. Since Fritz
Werner is not exactly a household name
these days and these recordings might
well have stayed locked in the vaults.
All credit therefore to Warner Classics
for reissuing not only these recordings
but also, in two companion volumes,
all the other Bach recordings that Werner
made for Erato between 1959 and 1974.
Nicholas Anderson contributes
an excellent appreciation of Werner
to the booklet accompanying this set
and I base the following paragraph on
his comments. Werner (1898-1977) was
prevented by the exigencies of wartime
from studying music until 1920. His
first appointment, on the recommendation
of Wilhelm Kempff, no less, was secured
in 1936 as organist and choirmaster
of a church in Potsdam. Two years later
he was installed in a similar post in
the Garrison Church in the same city.
His wartime service in the Second World
War took him to France where he established
many contacts within the musical community
that were to stand him in good stead
in his later career. After the war Werner
settled in Heilbronn and made his career
there. In 1947 he founded the Heinrich
Schütz Choir in that city and it
was with this choir that he made his
Bach recordings.
The extensive series
of recordings of Bach’s choral works
that Werner made for the Erato label
included over fifty of the church cantatas.
Now these have been gathered together
into two 10-CD boxes. I may be wrong
but I suspect that many of these cantata
recordings are making their CD debut
here. In the mid-1990s Erato issued
at least four double CD sets of the
cantatas, through which I first became
acquainted with Werner’s Bach, but so
far as I know that was the extent of
the reissues until now.
There are a number
of general points to make about these
recordings. Firstly, like his contemporary,
Karl Richter, Werner utilised a varied
but good team of vocal soloists. Many
of the names listed here are not as
well-known as those who featured in
Richter’s recordings but, generally
speaking, they all acquit themselves
well and some are very fine indeed.
Among the best of the soloists are Ingeborg
Reichelt, Marga Höffgen, Jakob
Stämpfli and Barry McDaniel. Finest
of all are the wonderful silvery soprano,
Agnes Giebel and the heady tenor of
Helmut Krebs. Krebs was a renowned Evangelist
and his distinctive tone and crystal-clear
diction are a constant source of pleasure.
However, though his contributions are
much fewer, I was very impressed by
another tenor, Kurt Huber. His name
was new to me but he sings with distinction
and a real feeling for Bach style.
Secondly, the obligato
instrumentalists, so crucial in performances
of Bach’s vocal music, are, if anything,
even more consistently excellent. Time
after time I was delighted by an instrumental
contribution to a chorus or aria. Particularly
gratifying are the contributions of
oboist, Pierre Pierlot and the distinguished
trumpeter, Maurice André. It
will be noted that both of these players
are French. German singers dominate
in the ranks of the vocalists but a
sizeable number of Werner’s instrumental
soloists were French, a clear example
of the benefits of the contacts he made
during the war.
The contribution of
the main orchestra, playing on modern
instruments, is always reliable. The
chorus is a bit more variable in quality,
I think. As Nicholas Anderson justly
observes the choir is fairly large and
"could not always match the discipline
and vocal unanimity achieved by Karl
Richter’s rival Munich Bach Choir."
However, there is no doubting their
fervour and commitment. Also, I think
it’s fair to say that if they can’t
always command the necessary incisiveness
perhaps the recording engineers are
partly to blame. The recorded sound
is generally perfectly satisfactory
but the choir is often very much at
the rear of the soundstage, as it were,
and I don’t think this helps them
What of Werner himself?
There’s one point I’d like to make straightaway.
These present recordings span a period
of thirteen years and by 1972, when
the last of them were set down, Werner
would have been 74. When some of these
recordings were issued on CD in the
1990s I recall reading one review which
suggested that Werner was at his best
in his earlier recordings. That may
well be so and other collectors may
find that they agree with that view.
All I can say is that to my ears these
performances display a rather remarkable
consistency of view and approach and,
whereas I do tend to agree with
those who aver that Karl Richter’s later
recordings of Bach are sometimes not
quite as incisive as his earlier efforts,
I don’t detect that so much with Werner.
I must come clean and
say that years ago it was the advent
of the period-style performances, and
the work of John Eliot Gardiner and
Philippe Herreweghe in particular, that
opened my ears to the music of Bach
and his contemporaries. In their performances
the textures were clear and rhythms
lively. I realised how much of the dance
there is in much of Bach’s music. It
was only later, working backwards, so
to speak, that I came to the more traditional
performances of Richter. Whilst on balance
my preference remains for period performances
I now find I can find much to relish
in good performances from an earlier
age, such as Richter’s. When I first
got the opportunity to sample Werner’s
work I admired it very much and that
admiration has increased with more much
material to hear in this large box.
I’ve expressed my admiration
for the period performers quite deliberately
in order to set in context my next comment.
These wonderful musicians have brought
the music of Bach and his contemporaries
to life in a profoundly exciting way.
However, just occasionally I pause and
wonder whether for them works such as
the Bach cantatas are first and foremost
concert music? With Richter and, indeed,
Werner I never have such doubts. I always
feel that they interpret Bach’s sacred
vocal music as religious music.
With Werner I find you always get a
sense of style (albeit stylistic fashions
have moved on somewhat), a sense of
line and, above all, a sense of complete
conviction. I suspect he may well have
always started with the words rather
than with the music.
How can one do justice
in a review to over twelve hours of
magnificent music? It’s impossible,
of course and the best I can do is to
give some general pointers and pick
out what for me were some highlights
and hope that will be sufficient to
guide the reader.
The cantatas included
here fall broadly into two groups. Most
of those on the first four CDs cover
the period in the church’s year from
Advent (BWV 61) to the feast of the
Purification (BWV 82). The final cantata
on CD 4 (BWV 182) is for Palm Sunday
and the remainder of the collection
thereafter focuses chiefly on the period
between Easter Sunday, through Pentecost
to the Second Sunday after Trinity (BWV
76)
Because several major
feasts are represented there’s a fair
sprinkling of lavishly-scored, celebratory
cantatas. As a very broad generalisation
I think Werner is at his best in such
music. Sometimes when Bach is in more
reflective mood Werner can be just a
bit heavy and plodding in his choice
of tempi. In general he paces the more
extrovert music sensibly, not rushing
the music off its feet but giving it
time to breathe while having the necessary
life in the tempo. Chorales are usually
soundly paced.
The richly-scored cantata
for Christmas Day 1725, Unser Mund
sei voll Lachens, BWV 110,
is a good illustration of several of
my general points. The addition of trumpets
and drums underlines the festive nature
of the day. The long, majestic opening
chorus derived from the Overture to
the Orchestral Suite in D major, BWV
1069 is lively enough in tempo but when
the chorus enters the lines sound a
bit blurred. In part this may be the
fault of the recording (of 1961 vintage)
but I rather think it’s due to the fact
that the choir is a little too large
and doesn’t sing with enough incisiveness.
To my ears they don’t articulate the
rhythms crisply enough. Helmut Krebs
is splendidly relaxed in his aria, ‘Ihr
Gedanken und ihr Sinnen’ but his singing
is incisive, as you’d expect.
The alto aria, too, affords much pleasure
with Claudia Hellmann’s rich voice blending
beautifully with the twining oboe d’amore
obligato.
The very next cantata
in the set is also very successful.
Selig ist der Mann, BWV 57 was
first heard on the very next day, December
26, 1725. This is a dialogue between
soprano and bass soloists, taking the
roles respectively of a Soul and of
Christ. The singing of Agnes Giebel
and of the American bass, Barry McDaniel
is a delight and I completely agree
with Nicholas Anderson’s verdict that
this account of BWV 57 is one of the
highlights of this collection. McDaniel
produces his voice evenly throughout
its compass and is eloquent and refined.
Giebel is simply radiant. In her second
aria her light, unaffected singing is
supported excellently by a sprightly
violin obligato.
McDaniel is also involved
in another very fine performance. He
sings the celebrated solo cantata, Ich
habe genug, BWV 82. He may not match
the supreme achievement of Hans Hotter
in this work (does anyone?) but he treats
us to some fine, sensitive singing.
His diction is excellent, as is his
phrasing. In the beautiful central aria,
‘Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen’ he
demonstrates a lovely legato and excellent
breath control. He’s not the only star
of this performance, however, for oboist
Pierre Pierlot turns in a peerless performance.
Werner’s pacing and feel for the music
and its line contribute significantly
to the success of the reading.
There is much to enjoy
in the Easter Oratorio, Kommt, eilet
und laufet, ihr flüchtigen Füsse,
BWV 249.Maurice André is
prominent in the splendidly festive
opening sinfonia. The duet for tenor
and bass finds tenor Georg Jelden showing
some signs of strain but Jakob Stämpfli
is his usual reliable self. The soprano,
Edith Selig, who is one of the less
frequently used soloists, sings her
long aria, ‘Seele,deine Spezerein’ very
well and she is accompanied by a wonderful
obligato flute solo, which is so well
played that one can forgive the player’s
audible intakes of breath. Pierre Pierlot
is on hand to contribute a superb flowing
oboe adornment to Claudia Hellmann’s
aria, ‘Saget, saget mir geschwinde’.
She sings it very well though she doesn’t
erase memories of Dame Janet Baker.
Du Hirte Israel,
höre, BWV 104, written
for the second Sunday after Easter dates
from 1724. It’s a lovely work with the
theme of shepherding aptly illustrated
by a good deal of pastoral music. The
opening chorus is indeed pastoral in
style. Werner takes it at quite a leisurely
pace, though he doesn’t dawdle. I did
think, however, that his sopranos sounded
a little strained at times. Here we
encounter tenor, Kurt Huber, for the
first time in the set. He makes a fine
impression. He sings with excellent,
plangent tone and is wonderfully fluent
in the very difficult chromatics of
his aria, ‘Verbigt mein Hirte sich zu
lange.’ Much though I admire Helmut
Krebs I think that Huber actually makes
a more ingratiating sound. He seems,
dare I say it, more polished than his
distinguished colleague and his voice
is certainly more even. I also liked
very much Jakob Stämpfli’s dignified
singing in his flowing aria. Huber also
gives great pleasure in Ich bin ein
gutter Hirt, BWV 85 where he has
a treasureable aria, ‘Seht, was die
Liebe tut’, which he dispatches in an
exquisite head voice.
Another magnificent
creation is Halt im Gedächtnis
Jesum Christ, BWV 67, a cantata
for the first Sunday after Easter. The
choir does the opening chorus well and
Werner clearly has the measure of the
music. Krebs has a splendid aria, ‘Mein
Jesus ist erstanden’ and he does full
justice to it. However, in the bass
aria, ‘Friede sei mit euch!’ Franz Kelch’s
performance is just a little bit spoilt
by a degree of unsteadiness on the part
of the choir in their interjections.
Though there’s much
to praise in this collection there is
the occasional disappointment. I found
Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in
meinem Namen, BWV 87 rather hard
going, I’m afraid. For once Bach’s inspiration
is less evident, I think. It’s a rather
dour and intractable piece written in
1725 for Rogation Sunday, the Fifth
after Easter. Werner’s direction tends
to plod a bit, I find. Alto Hertha Töpper
and bass Franz Kelch make rather heavy
weather of their contributions and even
Krebs sounds under pressure. The choir
sounds muffled in the concluding chorale
and overall this is a rare failure for
Werner.
By contrast Lobet
Gott in seinen Reichen, BWV 11,
the so-called Ascension Oratorio is
a success. What a splendid work this
is! The superbly celebratory opening
chorus is brilliantly led by trumpeter,
Maurice André and two colleagues.
The singing of the choir is satisfyingly
stirring. Kurt Huber makes a fine narrator,
offering expressive and forward moving
singing (what was he like as The Evangelist,
I wonder?). The aria ‘Ach, bleibe doch,
mein liebstes Leben’ is rather too steady
for my taste. Werner’s tread is somewhat
heavy here and he can’t have made life
too easy for his soloist, Barbara Scherler,
but she sings well despite this. Soprano
Hedy Graf produces lovely, fluent singing
in the marvellous aria, ‘Jesu, deine
Gnadenblicke’ and Bach’s wonderfully
airy scoring is very well realised by
Werner and his players. The great final
chorus could, perhaps, have been taken
just a notch faster (or maybe it would
have benefited from a lighter tread
on the part of the choir?) However,
all in all Werner and his forces do
justice to this fine work.
A brief mention of
just two more highlights must suffice.
One such is most definitely Agnes Giebel’s
rendition of ‘Mein gläubiges Herze’
in Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt,
BWV 68. She sounds eager and
smiling. It’s a delightful performance.
Equally distinguished is her soprano
colleague, Ingeborg Reichelt in ‘Höchster,
was ich habe’ from Brich dem
Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39, where
she is on elevated form.
The documentation consists
of a fine essay on Werner’s Bach by
Nicholas Anderson and brief notes on
each cantata. These are written by a
variety of hands and are of slightly
varying quality. These essays are also
given in French and German translations.
Sadly no texts or translations are provided.
This is an important
release, I think. Fritz Werner’s Bach
might be dismissed as old fashioned
by those who have come to regard lithe
period-style performances as the norm.
However, that would be a great mistake
for there is much to enjoy here and
much to ponder and to learn from also.
Yes, there are movements where the tempo
seems a bit sedate. Yes, there are times
when the chorus work is not of the standard
that one expects these days. Also it
is true that some of the vocal soloists
are not quite of the same standard as,
say, Agnes Giebel but none of them lets
the side down in any way. Above all,
Fritz Werner has this music in his blood.
His instincts for Bach style are generally
sound and he directs the music with
a profound belief in it. These are performances
of quiet conviction.
I am thrilled that
Warner Classics have made these recordings
available again and at a bargain price.
I would advise anyone who takes Bach’s
vocal music seriously to snap them up
while they are still around. There are
two similar large boxes of Werner’s
Bach that have been released simultaneously.
I am eager to sample them but for the
meantime I recommend this distinguished
set very highly indeed.
John Quinn