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Johann Sebastian BACH (1685–1750) Cantatas Ich habe genug (BWV 82) [22:08] Der Friede sei mit dir (BWV 158) [09:53] Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (BWV 56) [18:04]
Gotthold Schwarz
(bass), Richard Mauersberger (treble) (158)
Members of the Thomanerchor Leipzig, La Stagione Frankfurt/Michael
Schneider
rec. 6–8 September 2004 (BWV 56, 158), 27–28 September 2006
(BWV 82), Kirche Altleisnig in Polditz, Germany DDD CAPRICCIO
67190 [50:06]
Two of the three cantatas on this disc belong to the most
popular vocal works by Bach. Both 'Ich habe genug' and 'Ich will
den
Kreuzstab gerne tragen' were written as part of the third annual
cycle of church cantatas in 1726/27. At the time they were
composed Bach wrote several other solo cantatas. It is very
likely these two cantatas for bass were to be sung by Johann
Christoph Samuel Lipsius, who was a law student at Leipzig
University at the time, and who regularly sang the bass parts
in Bach's cantatas. During the years 1725 to 1727 the Leipzig
city council paid him 12 Talers per year in recognition of
his commitment.
The cantata 'Ich habe genug' was written for the Feast of the Purification
of Mary (or Candlemas) on 2 February. Its central theme is
the longing for death and eternal life of the believer, now
that Jesus has come. Its background is the canticle of Simeon,
which as 'Nunc dimittis' has become a part of the liturgy of
the Christian Church: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace ... for mine eyes have seen thy salvation".
It seems Bach liked this cantata very much. He reworked it
three times: there is a second version for soprano, a third
for mezzo and a fourth for bass again, this time with an oboe
da caccia as obbligato instrument, instead of the oboe of the
first version. And in addition the first recitative, 'Ich habe
genug', and the second aria, 'Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen',
were included in the Clavierbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach,
its scoring being reduced to voice and basso continuo. It isn't
just the music which Bach must have liked, but probably in
the first place its subject: the longing for death, being a
transition to eternal life and a salvation from sin. It’s a
frequently recurring issue in Bach's sacred music.
The cantata opens with the aria 'Ich habe genug': "It is enough:
I have taken the Saviour, the hope of all the pious, eagerly
into my arms". This aria is in c minor, which - according
to Johann Mattheson - is both sweet and sad. And, Mattheson
adds, if the listener shouldn't fall asleep the music should
contain some liveliness. That is exactly what is the case here,
but in this performance it is too sad and gloomy, reflected
by the slowish tempo. Even the lively third section - "Nun
wünsch ich, noch heute mit Freuden von hinnen zu scheiden" (Now
I want to depart from here with joy) - is not particularly
joyful. Next follows the recitative 'Ich habe genug', which
- like all recitatives on this disc - is performed too much
rhythmic rigidity, whereas all treatises of the baroque era
ask the performer to sing according to the rhythm of the text.
It should be performed in a much more declamatory style. The
third movement is the aria 'Schlummert ein', one of Bach's
most famous. It is in E flat, and again it is in line with
Mattheson's characterisation of this key as "plaintive" and "pathetic" -
in the neutral meaning of the word. It is sad that so little
of its character comes out in this performance. The singing
of Gotthold Schwarz is too bland, and the characteristic swaying
rhythm is hardly realised by the orchestra. After another recitative
the closing aria - again in c minor - is about the joy in expectation
of death. Not very much of that is noticeable here as the performance
is just too subdued.
The next cantata, 'Der Friede sei mit dir', is a bit of a puzzle.
No autograph exists, and it is impossible to date this work.
Although the second and third movement are thematically comparable
to the cantata 'Ich habe genug' the manuscript copy mentions
both Candlemas and the third day of Easter as the days for
which it was written. From a textual point of view this is
rather strange, as the second and third sections are difficult
to link to Easter and the first and fourth can hardly be associated
with Candlemas. This has been reason to suggest that the cantata
in its present form could be a compilation of pieces from otherwise
unknown cantatas, put together by someone else. It begins with
a recitative which refers to the words with which Jesus greeted
his pupils after his resurrection: "Peace be with you".
Then follows an aria for bass which expresses the aversion
for this world and the wish to be with Jesus. The soprano sings
the chorale 'Welt, ade! ich bin dein müde' (World, farewell,
I am weary of you) on a melody by Johann Rosenmüller as cantus
firmus. An oboe plays colla parte with the singer. The aria
also contains a virtuosic part for violin, but the German Bach
scholar Alfred Dürr suggests it could have been originally
written for transverse flute. That is how it is played here,
but strangely enough the programme notes don't touch the issue
at all. As far as I know only a couple of previous recordings
use a flute as well - for instance Joshua Rifkin. The flute
part is played well here, and Schwarz is giving a reasonably
good account of the aria. Richard Mauersberger, a member of
the St Thomas' Choir, has a nice voice and sings the chorale
very well. The closing chorale, a stanza from Luther's Easter
hymn 'Christ lag in Todesbanden', is lacking in power.
'Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen' is written for the 19th Sunday
after Trinity. Its subject is the devout Christian shouldering
his cross until he is taken into the promised land. The first
aria is a vivid depiction of the believer walking under the
heavy burden of the cross. The performance is again rather
bland and there is hardly any declamation in the last, recitative-like
section. The next recitative has an obbligato part for the
cello, which expresses the waves to which the text refers.
Here the journey of the believer through the world is compared
to a boat-trip. The cello falls silent when the text refers
to the end of the voyage as the Christian leaves the boat and
enters his city: heaven. It is a pity so little is done with
this very expressive recitative. At least the cellist plays
her part well. Next follows a joyful aria in which the believer
expresses his relief that his cross will be taken from his
shoulders. It is done reasonably well, but it isn't very sparkling.
Another recitative follows and the cantata closes with a four-part
chorale.
I have already indicated that this is a rather disappointing recording.
I have heard Gotthold Schwarz several times, and I have never
really been impressed. He is certainly capable of short solos,
but his singing is too one-dimensional for cantatas of this
stature. The two solo cantatas here have been recorded many
times, and it won't be hard to find recordings which are much
better than this one. I don't see any reason for this recording.
Although La Stagione Frankfurt is an excellent ensemble, here
little credit is reflected on its reputation. The playing is
just as subdued as the singing, and the sound lacks clarity,
perhaps also due to acoustic.
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