Customer Reviews

Bach: 6 Favourite Cantatas (BWV 147, 80, 140, 8, 51, 78) /Bach Ensemble * Rifkin

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Not everyone agrees Rifkin is right about his one singer to a part approach to Bach but the clarity in the vocal line is a big improvement over the massed forces approach.

This set is one of 2 budget double albums that Decca have compiled from 5 CDs issued on L'Oiseau Lyre 1987-91. Both double sets are well filled, give full notes and texts and sound quality is excellent.

The other, 458087-2, contains Gottes Zeit, Aus der Tiefen, Was Gott tut ist wohlgetan on CD1 and three bass cantatas on CD2. If you only get the 12 cantatas on these 2 double sets you will still have a great selection of the best of Bach's output.

The debate over the performance of J.S. Bach's cantatas boils down to the following: the evidence suggests that Bach only had one singer per part for performances of his cantatas. Thus, any historically accurate performance of these works will maintain the one-singer-per-part approach. At the same time, however, there is additional evidence that Bach wanted more performers. We are thus stuck with deciding whether Bach wrote for the musical forces he had on hand (which seems logical enough) or whether he composed for the performers he would like to have (which would seem silly, if he knew there would not be enough musicians to realize his intentions. On the other hand, Bach does make "solo" and "tutti" distinctions in the score... draw your own conclusions). Rifken is a strong supporter of the one-performer-per-part approach, which may seem a little sparse at first. Yet, when one listens to the various cantatas on these disks, one must confess that these sound, well, beautiful. This may not be an approach which would work for all of Bach's works, but the effectiveness on these disks certainly lends the interpretation validity. Regardless of where you fall-- and if you fall-- in the strenuous debates over historical performance, I would heartily recommend this disk. Not only are the performances polished, but the works themselves are exquisite-- a wonderful sampling of Bach's cantatas. (Personally I am addicted to the duet, "Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten" from BWV 74 which I could gladly listen to over and over-- listen to it and you will see why.)

Twenty years ago, Joshua Rifkin published the then controversial theory that Bach's cantatas were written with "one voice per part" (OVPP), i.e., the soloists also sang the choral parts. Evidently, this is no longer as controversial as it was in 1986 when these recordings were made. I don't know whether Rifkin is right, but his notes to the recording are persuasive, and I have since read much of Albert Durr's gigantic commentary on the cantatas, and Durr sees persuaded as well.

Good news: The music is translucent, the singing, for the most part, is excellent - especially soprano Julianne Baird on 4 of the six cantatas, and the great American bass, Jan Opalach on all except the solo soprano cantata, "Jauchzet Gott". The countertenor Allan Fast is excellent as well. The non-singing musicians play beautifully and Rifkin's direction makes the OVPP sound organic. Also, on two of the cantatas, tenor Frank Kelley deserves special mention for his heartbreaking rendition of his two major arias in those works. Jeffrey Thomas is excellent as well, although there's a brief moment of vocal failure in "Herz und Mund".

Bad news: As reviewers have noted, the sound engineering, in too many places, is extremely distracting. "Liebster Gott" is one of my favorite of Bach's church cantatas, and the recording of it here reflects an unparalled musical sophistication and just plain beautiful singing. But there's a moment in the first bars of the 2d movement also recitative that I must literally turn down the volume so it won't hurt my ears. Additionally, soprano Jane Bryden and countertenor Drew Minter are decisively inferior to Julianne Baird and Allan Fast. The tenors each sing admirably, but Frank Kelley sings so poignantly, one wishes he was the only tenor here. However, Jeffrey Thomas acquits himself admirably throughout, and deserves special mention for his work on "Wachet Auf." These problems are disappointing and more frustrating because of the general excellence of the performances.

Still, I can't stop listening. In retrospect, I don't know how I managed to miss this for so long. With small qualifications, I highly recommend this wonderful set.

It was Joshua Rifkin who first argued persuasively for the use of single voices per part in Bach's choruses, and that is the manner of performance he adopts here. Whatever reservations I or anyone may feel about this set in general, there can be no disputing Professor Rifkin's scholarship. Everything here is AAA authentic, and I wish that were all there is to the matter.

Unfortunately it's not. The dispute that Rifkin set in train between the single-voicers and multi-voicers has been the deadliest bore to afflict classical music since the onslaught of the repeats-are-compulsory enforcers 40 years ago. For my own part, I am entirely in favour of authenticity, but authenticity subject to a certain amount of discrimination and simple common sense. Just as in sonata-style compositions double-bar repeats mean that the section MAY be repeated, not that it has to be, so it involves a very limiting view of Bach's infinite musical genius to suppose that single-voice renderings are the only choral style possible. There is also the question how the requirement for authenticity affects phrasing, tempo, tone and general musicality. I recall first hearing Joshua Rifkin many years ago when he played the Scott Joplin soundtrack to The Sting, I own some of his other Scott Joplin rags, and I know what a marvellous natural sense of rhythm he has. What a pity then that he seems to feel that `classical' or `authentic' chastity compels him to deliver the melody of Jesu Joy in such a straitlaced and metronomic way. The same problem affects the famous melody of Wachet Auf, and although my growing collection of Bach cantata discs, currently around 50, does not include these famous works in other versions, nevertheless I own by now enough performances from Gardiner's great 2000-pilgrimage cantata series to appreciate in general that commitment to authenticity does not entail commitment to dryness.

As you would expect, much of this 2-disc set is very enjoyable. With music like this it would take genius of entirely the wrong kind to make that not so. Among the soloists I would say that the bass Jan Opalach is very good and the tenor Frank Kelley is even better. Sadly I can bestow no such encomium on the soprano who monopolises BWV 51. Still ringing in my ears is the wonderful performance that Malin Hartelius turns in for Gardiner. Indeed, the first chorus Jauchzet Gott is, for me, the low point of this entire set - slow, lumbering and leaden-footed in a piece that should be effervescent and brilliant as it is from Gardiner, Mme Hartelius and the trumpeter Nicklas Eklund. The final passage in BWV 140 is if anything worse, the only saving grace being that there is less to lose. The text is Des sind wir froh, io io, ewig in dulci jubilo, which being interpreted is `Thus are we joyful, hurrah hurrah, in everlasting sweet joy.' If you want to hear the most hangdog jubilation you ever heard, come this way. Surely nobody could spoil the celestial duet Wir eilen from BWV 78, nor does Rifkin spoil it, but I still prefer the way it was handled by Teresa Stich Randall and Dagmar Hermann (especially the latter) on the old Vanguard disc under the baton of Prohaska. There seems to be another minor issue of authenticity here - on the Vanguard disc the continuo introduction gives the melody in all its glory, whereas here we get a skeleton outline only.

The recording is now a quarter of a century old, and it is not bad at all in my own opinion, although I found myself turning down the volume which had last been set for the thunderous start of Handel's Dettingen Te Deum. Occasionally I wondered whether the voices were a little backward, but maybe not. In any case that is probably a good fault in Bach, whose inspiration is basically instrumental and not focused on the voices like Handel's. What is certainly true is that the acoustic does not suggest churches as Gardiner's, having been done in churches, unsurprisingly does. The liner note is rather humdrum and tells us nothing about the performers, but I can forgive it that and worse for sparing us any further discussion of the rights and wrongs of single voices in the choruses. I readily admit that I found the mighty chorus Ein' feste Burg a novel and interesting experience when treated in this way.

i have to admit Rifkin's version of the B Minor Mass, although shocked me a bit at first, managed to convert me to the one-singer-per-part theory. the point is that in Bach's sacred music human voices are used as instruments & usually pit against the instruments. so the chorus includes both the vocalists and the instrumentalists. with this in mind, Rifkin's theory works out fantastically in his musical directorship. the sounds are crisp, the balance between the vocalists and the ensemble is perfect. I got this CD after being convinced by the Mass in B Minor. Highly recommended.

This is a very good CD containing some of Bach's most famous cantatas. However, most of the choral parts are sung by just soloists and therefore sound very thin at times. Besides from this drawback, the performances are very nice and the sound quality is high. And the best: You get 6 cantatas for just 16 dollars!

This product contains two compact discs of music by Bach. The first disc contains three cantatas, with timings of 27.07, 25.41, and 18.22 minutes/seconds. The second disc also contains three cantatas, with timings of 24.54, 17.41, and 22.13 minutes/seconds.

The pieces provide plenty of variety. Some of them are happy and forward-moving, in a manner similar to the driving quality of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. Others are slow and pondering, or even morose. Variety also takes the form of solo instrument only, solo voice only (male or female), group of voices. If you feel that your musical palette needs variety, then these CANTATAS are for you. The unique sound-textures of the authentic period of instruments also adds variety.

A couple of pieces will be familiar to the layperson, for example, the lovely JESU JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING. By "layperson" I mean, e.g., somebody having a knowledge of Bach that is derived mainly from Wendy Carlos' synthesizer renditions of Bach's music, or a similar limited background.

If is at all possible to find any negative aspect of the discs, it is the following. I find that one hour of listening (at one time) to be quite sufficient. The high-pitched female voices, at least to my ears, sometimes sound a little weird and irritating, in a manner similar to the theremin in the classic film, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

The following details the first cantata, HERZ UND MUND UND TAT UND LEBEN BWV 147, which has ten sections:

(1) Begins with trumpet and a chuggy organ providing background. Then a trio of ladies begins, sounding like a nest of drug-crazed birds. Then, tenors join in with jittery-sounding singing that goes, "Hee-hee-hee." At two minutes, the horns stop and the singing is smooth and no longer jittery. At 2 min, 50 seconds, the men resume their jittery "Hee-hee-hee" singing. And at 3 min, 10 sec, the trumpets join in. At 3 min, 40 sec, there is an instruments-only episode that lasts until the very end. This piece is 4 minutes and 12 seconds long.

(2) Begins with a solo tenor singing very slowly, accompanied with the organ. The tune is like a series of dramatic chord changes, where the chords don't have anything much to do with each other -- just a series of random chord changes (this is not a complaint). The singing has a morose quality. Perhaps he is confessing some terrible sin. This piece is only one minute and 38 seconds long.

(3) Begins with oboe accompanied by the organ. (It sounds like an oboe, but I can't be certain of the instrument.) At 50 seconds, a woman's voice joins in. The woman and oboe take turns with the tune, handing it back and forth to each other. This piece is moderately paced. The last 30 seconds has only an oboe solo.

(4) Begins with a man singing plus organ. This slow-moving piece has a start-and-stop-and-start quality.

(5) Begins with a violin plus organ. At 50 seconds, a woman begins singing. This piece is moderately fast paced, having a galloping quality. The woman and violin take turns with the tune, handing it back and forth to each other.

(6) This piece is called, WOHL MIR DAS ICH JESUM HABE ZWEITER TEIL. But everybody will recognize the that the piece is JESU JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING. The vocal part takes the form of a chorus of men and women, providing a sort of occasional, tasteful embellishment. The instruments are the main thing. This piece is two minutes and 18 seconds long. If you need to write a list of one hundred things to do before you die, I would recommend that one of these things be listening to WOHL MIR DAS ICH JESUM HABE ZWEITER TEIL. It is astonishingly beautiful.

(7) Begins with a fast cello solo plus the rootie-tootie organ. At 20 seconds, a tenor joins the cello and the rootie-tootie organ. This piece is a happy one. At 1 minute 30 seconds, the man sings only, "Ahhh-ahhh-ahhh."

(8) A woman solo is accompanied by a trio of happy oboes, sounding like a trio of ducks singing in tight harmony. "Quaaaah-quaaah-quaaack," goes the trio of oboes. The organ plays throughout.

(9) Begins with a stately group of trumpets playing dignified fluorishes. At 30 seconds, a baritone enters. At one minute, 20 seconds, the man sings a brief gargling episode, going, "Ohhhh, ohhhh," in a jiggley manner.

(10) This piece is called JESU BLEIBET MEINE FREUDE. But it appears to be an exact repeat of the earlier piece, WOHL MIR DAS ICH JESUM HABE ZWEITER TEIL. Both pieces are two minutes and 18 seconds long.

It might be of interest that a piano version of JESU JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING is a minute longer, at three minutes and 16 seconds long (see, NAXOS album 8.554041). The notes to this NAXOS label album inform us that, JESU JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING, in its piano form, "is a transcription of a chorale prelude from Bach's Cantata No. 147, HERZ UND MUND UND TAT UND LEBEN (HEART AND MOUTH AND DEED AND LIFE) by the pianist Myra Hess. A pupil of Tobias Matthay, Myra Hess made her concert debut in 1907 under Thomas Beecham . . . her transcription has made JESU JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING one of the best known of all Bach's compositions." In reading this, I am grateful to Myra Hess for bringing us a tune that otherwise would be in relative seclusion, residing in Bach's CANTATA BWV 147.

An extremely high quality CD recording. The Duets are splendid. Wann kommst du, mein heil will bring you to tears and Wir eilen mit schwachen is charming. Jesu Joy of Man's desiring is perfect. This is great music done in the best spirit. I really think this is one of those milestone recordings for this music. Something like Kind of Blue is to Jazz.

one per part is wonderful. I felt overall the singing and the instrument playing are very good. The opening chorus of "Herz und Mund" is so winter-y festive and dance-like but unfortunately it is marred by an overmiked soprano. "Jesu bleibet meine Freunde" chorale is much faster than I've heard before but sounds completely natural. I've never heard "Ein feste Burg" with such clarity before. But unfortunately the soprano is overmiked here too. Julianne Blair is always in control in the "Jauchzet" except at the highest note in the Alleluia. Her tempo is middle of the road and quite natural but overall the performance can't touch Emma Kirkby's rendition with Gardiner which btw I felt was recorded purposely at a fast tempo matching Elizabeth's Schwarzkopff's recording; but compared to Blair and Kirkby, Schwarzkopff sounds as if she was barking instead of singing yet all the elderly men swear by her recording. Jan Opalach (bass) and Drew Minter (countertenor) are wonderful throughout.

2 CDs for the price of one. It is a bargain. Try it!

I must admit that I am still growing into an advocate for the One-Voice-Per-Part theory. It is an interesting practice. It is also a convincing practice, if you've ever read "The Essential Bach Choir" by Andrew Parrot.

This is a good recording of limited interest. The interest of the recording may be confined to those who not only listen to Bach's works for leisure, but study the music as well.

That is because these discs are dominated by nothing more than the One-Voice-Per-Part practice. I cannot exactly praise the singing and the instrumental forces, since they are, in my opinion, mediocre (more like on the good side of mediocre).

The reason why I say that this recording is good, although not the best, is that there are many better recordings of the select canatas out there. While they're not One Voice Per Part recordings, they still proove much better. For example: Herreweghe's renditions of BWVs 8 and 80, and Gardiner's renditions of BWVs 140 and 147. Also, to be fair, Rifkin is not the best interpreter of the music itself, despite the fact that the One Voice Per Part (OVPP) idea is solely his. I much perfer the OVPP recordings of Andrew Parrot. Give them a try.

3-Stars. A good recording of limited interest.