Bach: Cantatas, Vol 2 (BWV 71, 131, 106) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki
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Music CD Cover
Edition: Music CDFormat: Import
CD Release Date: 1996-03-26
Music Label: Bis
Soundtracks:
- I. Coro
- II. Aria- Choral
- III. Coro
- IV. Arioso
- V. Aria
- VI. Coro
- VII. Coro
- I. Sinfonia- Choral
- II. Aria
- III. Coro
- IV. Aria
- V. Coro
- I. Sonatina
- IIa. [Coro]
- IIb. [Arioso]
- IIc. [Arioso]
- IId. [Coro]
- IIIa. [Aria]
- IIIb. [Arioso- Choral]
- IV. [Coro]
Free Music Notes for Bach: Cantatas, Vol 2 (BWV 71, 131, 106) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki
Free Music Review: Among the Best
Hit: 5 Stars
It is almost certain that Bach, at least for his early cantatas, composed them with the expectation that each entire work be performed by four soloists - no choir or "ripienists," just 4 "concertists." Joshua Rifkin was the most notable and earliest proponents of this theory, and Rifkin's Bach Ensemble recorded them as such., For that and many other reasons, the Rifkin recordings are the gold standard, both for their formal clarity and beauty of performance. (See my review of that recording.)
Nevertheless, these recordings have all the depth and spiritual truth (as noted by an earlier reviewer) that one could ask for from a performance of these works. And the musicianship of the conductor, chorus (just a few extra singers, not a great wall of sound as is encountered, for instance, in John Eliot Gardiner's work) and soloists here is so breathtaking that even die-hard partisans of the OVPP performance practice (such as this writer) will find this record indispensible.
The album here features 3 cantatas, among Bach's earliest, composed while he was the organist at the Blasiuskirche in the imperial free city of Mullhausen (umlaut over the "u"), 1707-08 - where Bach was employed as organist in his early twenties. Cantatas 131 and 106 are among Bach's most popular cantatas, and deservedly so. Cantata 106, called the "Actus Tragicus" (so-named named after that title appeared on the heading of an early edition), is, according to Alfred Durr (umlaut over the "u"), "a work of genius such as even great masters seldom acheive", which "belongs to the great musical literature of the world." Cantata 131, whose title/first line, "Aus der Tiefen," ("Out of the depths") is based nearly entirely on the text of Psalm 130, and might have been written as a memorial service, but which, in any case, has a funereal character, and is up there with the Actus Tragicus in popularity.
As on this album, 106 and 131 are very frequently played/recorded together, composed perhaps weeks apart (131 could be Bach's first church cantata, 106 on its heels). Cantata 71 - written for the Council Elections at Mullhausen during the same brief period is lesser known but is an amazing acheivment in its own right. Interestingly, for 71, Bach actually distinguished the music sung by the soloists and that sung by the soloists (optionally) augmented by one or two singers in each part called "ripienists," that is, "fillers."
Which brings us to this recording. The Bach Collegium Japan uses more than one voice per part, but not many more, and the conductor, Masaaki Suzuki, employs an acumen for period instrumentation and performance practice that seems a response to nothing less than divine vocation.
The bulk of the music in these three cantatas is carried by the soloists, each of whom has a voice and vocal technique that is so fluent and pure as to render one speechless before its unmatched elegance and beauty. The highlight of this group is undoubtedly the amazing countertenor, Yoshikazu Mera who, in 106 bestows the aria "In deine haende" as though a donation from the spheres themselves. As an earlier reviewer noted, Mera announces his parts in this music with a level of virtuosity seldom encountered anywhere, an unassailable demonstration that Beauty, along with Unity, Goodness, and Truth, is a transcendental attribute. Almost equally compelling is the spectacular soprano Aki Yanagisawa, who sings on 106. The other soloists are also very fine.
As much as I love the Rifkin recordings, I return again and again to these "to refresh the spirit" as Bach once wrote of his musical purpose. If you don't know the OVPP sound, you should really listen to Rifkin. But this music is so great that if you're like me, you'll need several recordings. I hope that you will share my enthusiasm for this great album.
Bach: Cantatas, Vol 2 (BWV 71, 131, 106) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki Poster
"Gott!" That's how this disc begins. No overture or instrumental prelude of any kind, just a lusty C-major "Gott!" repeated three times, as trumpets, oboes, and recorders play triumphant arpeggios. Cantata No. 71, Gott ist mein K?nig ("God is my King"), is unusual in other ways, too. It's one of the few cantatas in which Bach left clear indications about which portions of the choruses are to be sung by soloists only and which are to be sung by a small choir. Conductor Masaaki Suzuki has done well, not only with his top-notch choir and period-instrument orchestra, but also with soloists who blend beautifully with each other. The other two compositions included here are more subdued affairs. Cantata No. 131, Aus der Tiefe ("From the depths"), has a good bit of contrast (including a couple of lively choruses) for such a penitential work. Among its many wonderful moments is bass Peter Kooy in duo with the marvelous baroque oboist Marcel Ponseele while soprano Midori Suzuki floats a plaintive chorale melody above them. The gently comforting funeral cantata No. 106, often called the "Actus tragicus," is one of Bach's best-loved works; the key moment at its center, in which a strict fugue for chorus fades away to leave the pure-toned soprano Aki Yanagisawa with an a cappella call for Jesus, is breathtaking. Now, both of these cantatas have long, intricate lines, notably in their final choruses, that work better with soloists only, and they've been recorded that way more than once. But, if you're going to have a choir sing them, you probably couldn't do better than this one. --Matthew WestphalClassical Music CDs
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