BACH
Cantata No.185 Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe
Cantata No.186 Ärgre dich, O Seele, nicht
Cantata No.187 Es wartet alles auf dich
Arleen Augér, Maria
Friesenhausen (sopranos)
Hildegard Laurich, Helen Watts (altos)
Aldo Baldin, Kurt Equiluz (tenors)
Philippe Huttenlocher, Wolfgang Schöne (basses)
Gächinger Kantorei, Frankfurter Kantorei
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart/Helmuth Rilling
Recorded 1971/76/77 respectively
HÄNSSLER EDITION VOL.
56 CD 92056 [73.59] Edition
Bachakademie
Crotchet
The three cantatas featured here were written in 1715, 1723 and 1726 respectively
during Bach's years in Weimar and Leipzig. Whilst in the former city he composed
at least 22 cantatas starting with No.182, as well as many important organ
works and the English suites. There is a cyclical shape to No.185, the opening
motif in the continuo instruments anticipating the first line of the final
chorale. By the time he moved to Leipzig, Bach's cantata format had changed
from an opening chorus, four arias and a chorale by adding recitatives and
by making much more innovative use of a wider variety of instruments, in
particular the oboe family (the oboe itself, the oboe d'amore and the oboe
da caccia). No.186 was meant for performance on the 7th Sunday
after Trinity upon which day the sermon was the feeding of the five thousand,
though one thousand of them seem to have been lost in translation according
to the booklet notes. No.187 was composed for the same Sunday in the liturgical
calendar three years later..
The highlight of this dic is a ravishing duet 'Lass, Seele, kein Leiden'
for soprano and alto, exquisitely sung by the late and sorely lamented American
soprano Arleen Augér with the only British soloist among the many
featured, Helen Watts. It comes in cantata No.186, the central and longest
of the three on this disc which is part of the huge edition begun in 1970
culminating this year by marking the 250th anniversary of Bach's
death in 1750. That the recordings themselves are 25-30 years old is not
only clear from the participation of Auger and Watts and also Equiluz and
Schöne, but also in the rather dead sound. Having said that, the music
of No.186 is decidedly superior and gets a suitably inspired response from
all concerned.
For the chorus, cantatas can be of highly limited interest with participation
sometimes restricted to just one final chorale as in No.185, where the singing
is accordingly rather limp. In the other two, however, there are fortunately
several substantial contributions, the first chorus of the latter ('Es wartet
alle auf dich') is full of contrapuntal music of the highest complexity which
Rilling paces admirably, the vocal lines clearly defined, the textures always
translucent. The singing of Watts' alto colleague Hildegard Laurich (in Nos.185
and 187) leaves much to be desired however - her sound is foggy, the tone
uneven and there is some suspect intonation in places. Maria Friesenhausen,
on the other hand, fares better in her aria in No.187 though she is no patch
on Auger.
Christopher Fifield
Performance
Recording
