This
disc perpetuates a concert given right at the end of Sir
John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. The pilgrims
ended up a long way from Leipzig, spending Christmas 2000
in New York, where they gave their final concerts. We’ve
already had one disc devoted to Christmas cantatas, performed
on Christmas Day itself (see review)
and now here is its companion, recorded at a concert given
just
two days later.
Two
of the cantatas date from 1725 and since BWV 57 is actually
prescribed for the second Day of Christmas it’s fascinating
to think that the congregation of St. Thomas’s, Leipzig heard
the first performances of BWV 57 and BWV 151 on consecutive
days!
Sir
John admits in his notes, which are superb as usual, that BWV 151 was
completely new to him. It’s unusual in that it opens with
an aria which accounts for over half of the work, nearly
10:00 in this performance. It’s an enchanting soprano aria
with a marvellous flute obbligato. Bach enriches the scoring
by having an oboe d’amore doubling the first violin part.
Gardiner speculates that the outer sections of the aria may
suggest Mary singing a lullaby to her newborn son. Gillian
Keith gives a performance of disarming loveliness. What
Gardiner rightly calls an “inspirational” aria inevitably
dominates the whole cantata but I am not complaining.
BWV
57 is a dialogue cantata in which the bass soloist
takes the part of God and the soprano is the Soul. Peter
Harvey, already
established through previous releases as a cornerstone
of the Pilgrimage project, compels attention in the opening
aria, ‘Selig ist der Mann’. He is partnered by Joanne Lunn
who, in the following recitative offers compelling singing.
She follows this with the aria, ‘Ich wünschte mir den Tod,
den Tod’. Gardiner describes this as “one of those tragic
triple-time dances at which Bach excelled.” Miss Lunn gives
a deeply felt performance of it, receiving fine support
from the English Baroque Soloists. Gardiner is not afraid
to set a generous, broad tempo and he and all the performers
dig deep under the skin of this wonderful music. Peter
Harvey is commanding in the “show-stopping battle aria”, ‘Ja,
ja, ich kann die Feinde schlagen’. Joanne Lunn is superb
in her concluding aria but what really caught my ear was
her contribution to the duet recitative that comes before
it. She begins with some meltingly beautiful phrases and
invests the whole recitative with life.
BWV
64 opens with a short chorus in which the Monteverdi
Choir offers splendidly animated singing. Bach’s inspired inclusion of a trio of
sackbuts in the orchestra adds marvellous depth and gravitas
to the overall sound. I liked very much the silvery soprano
that Gillian Keith produces for her aria, ‘Was die Welt
in sich hält’ and in the penultimate movement, an alto
aria, the delightful oboe d’amore obbligato contrasts with
and complements the timbre of Robin Tyson’s voice.
Finally, BWV
133 begins with an exuberantly festive chorus and in
the aria ‘Getrost! es fast ein heil’ger Leib’ Robin Tyson
puts across very well an excited joy at the meaning of
the Incarnation. Throughout this concert there are disappointingly
few opportunities to hear that fine tenor, James Gilchrist – there
isn’t a single tenor aria to be found! In the recitative
allotted to him in this cantata he makes us realise what
we’ve missed. By contrast, the programme is a feast for
lovers of the soprano voice and a third excellent singer,
Katharine Fuge, appears in this cantata. She sings the
aria, ‘Wie lieblich klingt es is den Ohren’ with wide-eyed
joy. I loved the way she switches the mood to tender regret
in the more reflective central section.
This
programme is a delight from start to finish and the music
shows Bach’s skill and perspicacity at responding in different
ways to differing aspects of the Lutheran interpretation
of the Christmas message. As ever in this series the standard
of performance is spectacular and Sir John is a superb guide
to the music, whether as conductor or annotator. This unfolding
series goes from strength to strength and I look forward
with the keenest possible anticipation to further releases
in 2007.
John Quinn
Bach
Cantata Pilgrimage themed page
Katharine
Fuge, Gillian Keith, Joanne Lunn (sopranos); William Towers,
Robin Tyson (altos); James Gilchrist (tenor); Peter
Harvey (bass)/The Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists/Sir
John Eliot Gardiner. 
