Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Ingeborg Danz, Deborah York :: Bach: Mit Fried und Freud - Cantatas

Superlative

hcf | 01/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Written to accompany Lutheran readings of Gospel during Sunday church services, these three cantatas explore the theme of death as the symbol of deliverance. It is important to place these cantatas within Lutheran aesthetics in order to realize that Bach's explorations of death were not meant to be gloomy or existential. Death is referred to as the "marvellous dawn" in BWV 8, the opening cantata on this disc. Nowhere is the passage of time so vividly depicted as in the opening chorus of BWV 8: the muted strings provide a frame of reference within which two oboes weave an ever-changing pattern of melody punctured by a chiming piccolo, which sounds like a tolling bell. The aria that follows this opening chorus (Was willst du dich) is my favorite piece on this disc, capturing a musical equivalent of the stillness before a storm - the inward drama of pondering the return to ashes "to which so many thousands are borne." The next aria (Doch weichet) brings closure to this moment of existentialism by reaching the emotional understanding of the meaning of death. The following cantatas, BWV 125 & 138, treat death as a joyous reminder that "god stands by you in your every need." This theme is especially well reflected in the 8-minute-long alto aria from BWV 125 Ich will auch mit gebrochnen Augen. The same cantata also features a stunning TB duet Ein unbegreiflich Licht erfullt, sung with warmth and clarity by two perfectly matched voices. I always give Herreweghe maximum points for the caliber of singer he selects for his recordings. As far as I'm concerned, you can't do better than Mark Padmore and Peter Kooy! The congenial chorus and expert instrumentalists add to the luster of this recording. gkolomietz@yahoo.com"