This release has been reviewed extensively and was enjoyed
considerably by John Quinn. I refer you to his comprehensive
background notes on each of these cantatas. With increasing numbers
of easily accessible themed, part or complete sets of J.S. Bach's
remarkable catalogue of cantatas this kind of single-disc release
can seem like a little boat bobbing around on an ocean of choices.
The qualities of this recording and performance make it easy to
welcome in any context, even if you find yourself duplicating BWV
numbers.
Following the single voice to a part chamber-music approach pioneered
by Joshua Rifkin, this is a period instrument ensemble with a starry
vocal cast. None of this is any guarantee of success, but the
colourful sympathy of the instrumental accompaniments and the vocal
give-and-take heard from the soloists is a delight from start to
finish. The first soprano and alto duet of
BWV 78 reassures
us of this very early on in the programme, the lightness of Elin
Manahan Thomas's soprano uniting with Daniel Taylor's high alto to
create an energetic and playful antidote to the darker dramas
elsewhere. James Gilchrist's communicative tenor is more than just a
safe pair of hands, his recitatives and arias delivering all of the
defiance asked for in
BWV 78 and tenderness in
BWV 147.
Founder of The Magdalena Consort Peter Harvey's bass is powerful and
emotive, but as with all of the other soloists there is a sense of
control and restraint which keeps us in our respectful
ecclesiastical place, and doesn't run the risk of taking us to the
bawdiness of the opera house.
The famous chorales in
BWV 147;
Wohl mir, dass ich Jesum
habe and
Jesus bleibet meine Freude are taken at a
suitably brisk but not overly hasty pace, and with impeccable
ensemble the voices blend both with each other and the rich sound of
the full ensemble. What you miss with the single voices in these and
other choral sections is that opening out into realms of greater
richness which a fuller choir can achieve. A snatch of
BWV 78
gives this sort of spiritual flavour on the BIS
A Choral Year
with Bach, which amounts to a sort of Bach Collegium Japan
sampler (
review). John Eliot Gardner's Monteverdi Choir is
similarly elegant in
BWV 147 (
review), but the drier acoustic of this recording doesn't give me
quite the same level of sublime enjoyment as Bach Collegium Japan.
The subtle weighing up of preferences in these aspects of a
recording can be an enjoyable life's work and never be resolved
entirely, so as ever we can relax and take pleasure in the ease with
which we can have numerous versions of the music we love, and chose
which version to play at any particular time based on the mood of
the moment. Illustrating this point you can have James Gilchrist on
Gardner's account of
BWV 78 (
review), a pilgrimage made by Daniel Taylor in Gardner's
Vol. 16. Peter Harvey's contribution to Gardner's
St John Passion and Cantata Pilgrimage should also be
acknowledged. Popular soprano
Elin Manahan Thomas's credentials also precede this
release, and she proves a perfect Bach singer.
Production standards are up to Channel Classics' usual fine standard.
The booklet provides all texts in German and English, and Peter
Harvey's notes are informative and useful in taking a peek behind
the content of the scores. The recording is nicely atmospheric, the
continuo instruments perfectly audible without being too prominent,
the whole balancing brightness and detail perfectly against a nicely
broad stereo spread of sound which becomes all-embracing as more
musicians take their entries.
Dominy Clements
Previous review:
John Quinn
