Cantatas 82, 159 & ,170

Bach (Artist), Tear (Artist), Shirley-Quirk (Artist), Marriner (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 5, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000041XI
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,995 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Cantatas No.170 'Vergnugte Ruh', Beliebte, Seelenlust': Arie 'Vergnugte Ruh', beliebte Seelenlust' - Janet Baker/Philip Ledger

2. Cantatas No.170 'Vergnugte Ruh', Beliebte, Seelenlust': Rezitativ 'Die Welt, das Sundenhaus' - Janet Baker/Philip Ledger

3. Cantatas No.170 'Vergnugte Ruh', Beliebte, Seelenlust': Arie 'Wie jammern mich doch die verke... - Janet Baker/Philip Ledger

4. Cantatas No.170 'Vergnugte Ruh', Beliebte, Seelenlust': Rezitativ 'Wer sollte sich demnach' - Janet Baker/Philip Ledger

5. Cantatas No.170 'Vergnugte Ruh', Beliebte, Seelenlust': Arie 'Mir ekelt mehr zu leben' - Janet Baker/Philip Ledger

6. Cantatas No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Arie 'Ich habe genug' - John Shirley-Quirk/Roger Lord/George Malcolm

7. Cantatas No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Rezitativ 'Ich habe genug' - John Shirley-Quirk/Roger Lord/George Malcolm

8. Cantatas No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Arie 'Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen' - John Shirley-Quirk/Roger Lord/George Malcolm

9. Cantatas No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Rezitativ 'Mein Gott! wann kommt das schone: Nun!' - John Shirley-Quirk/Roger Lord/George Malcolm

10. Cantatas No.82 'Ich Habe Genug': Arie 'Ich freue mich auf meinen Tod' - John Shirley-Quirk/Roger Lord/George Malcolm

11. Cantatas No.159 'Sehet, Wir Gehn Hinauf Gen Jerusalem': Arioso und Rezitativ 'Sehet, wir gehn... - Janet Baker/Robert Tear/John Shirley-Quirk/Philip Ledger/St. Anthony Singers

12. Cantatas No.159 'Sehet, Wir Gehn Hinauf Gen Jerusalem': Arie und Choral 'Ich folge dir nach' - Janet Baker/Robert Tear/John Shirley-Quirk/Philip Ledger/St. Anthony Singers

13. Cantatas No.159 'Sehet, Wir Gehn Hinauf Gen Jerusalem': Rezitativ 'Nun will ich mich, mein Jesu,... - Janet Baker/Robert Tear/John Shirley-Quirk/Philip Ledger/St. Anthony Singers

14. Cantatas No.159 'Sehet, Wir Gehn Hinauf Gen Jerusalem': Arie 'Es ist volbracht' - Janet Baker/Robert Tear/John Shirley-Quirk/Philip Ledger/St. Anthony Singers

15. Cantatas No.159 'Sehet, Wir Gehn Hinauf Gen Jerusalem': Chor 'Jesu, deine Passion' - Janet Baker/Robert Tear/John Shirley-Quirk/Philip Ledger/St. Anthony Singers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crucial cantatas., January 2, 2002

By 

"quia-nihil-sum" (Inverness,Scotland.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cantatas 82, 159 & ,170 (Audio CD)

I have every reason in the world to be grateful for having encountered this wonderful CD over 10 years ago now,when I was taking my first tentative steps into the vast ocean of classical music.First of all,this terrific triumvirate of cantatas revealed to me just what a feast of musical riches are to be found in this copious corpus of Bach's output,and secondly,they led me on to the glorious "sacred summits" of the master's settings of the St.Matthew and St.John passions.For me at least,this is one of the granite cornerstones of my collection,and a fondly remembered musical milestone in my ongoing journey through the repertoire.

The performances themselves date from the mid 1960's and positively revel in the lovely,well-balanced Decca sound of that period.Janet Baker excels herself in BWV 170,Vergnugte ruh,beliebte seelenlust ("Contented rest,beloved inner joy") and she makes a fantastic contribution to BWV 159,Sehet,wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem ("Behold,we go up to Jerusalem").But perhaps the most precious plum in this pudding from paradise is the stunning performance of BWV 82,Ich habe genug ("I have now enough").Based on the Song of Simeon by an anonymous poet,it is a fair contender for the title of Bach's loveliest Cantata of all.Certainly,all the evidence for the defence is superbly presented here,with a magical rendition of the opening aria by the baritone John Shirley-Quirk,with the oboist Roger Lord laying down a liquid line of pure instrumental gold at his feet.Then,when we come to the second aria,Schlummert ein,ihr matten augen ("Slumber now,ye eyes so weary") the prosecution is absolutely blown out of the water by what is one of the most gorgeous lullabies to have come from the pen of any composer.It is 11 minutes and 12 seconds of blissful beauty,and once you hear it for yourself,you will realise instantly why BWV 82 rates so highly in the affections of music lovers world-wide.

That perfect partnership of John Shirley-Quirk and Roger Lord also help to make that superb aria,Es ist vollbracht ("It is accomplished") from BWV 159 just as unforgettable.I should also say that the closing chorale ("Jesu,deine passion") of this cantata,and indeed the final track of the disc,is a quite lovely thing despite it's relative brevity (1'54"),and the choir squeeze every last drop of emotion out of it.Precious few discs end in such a gorgeous valedictory fashion as this,and it puts the ultimate seal of distinction upon the whole proceedings.

Of this excellent recording as a whole,I think from memory,the Penguin guide to Classical CD's recommended it as one of the few cantata recordings that belong in every personal collection.I couldn't agree more,given my own experience of it,and sincerely hope that this modest review of mine spreads it's fame a little further still,and that it will go on to enchant and beguile ears as lucky as mine were back in 1991 when I first inserted it into my CD player and pressed "play".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest Bach Cantatas recordings!, March 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cantatas 82, 159 & ,170 (Audio CD)

This is a MUST for anybody interested in Bach's cantatas! Recorded in the 1960-ties, this set remains one of the best Bach discs ever. Rarely cantatas singing has been done more convincingly and more movingly without sacrificing the beauty of the music. This is the problem of the admirable Harnoncourt/Leonhardt set, where playing and singing are not always as pleasant to the ear as they might be, although we have no doubts about the emotional involvement of the artists, what makes this recording such a treasure to me. As to Koopman, I never had enough patience to go through all CDs so far released - I found his cantatas and other recordings of Bach's works DULL (I had the same impression after hearing Koopman and his musicians presenting the B-minor Mass in New York). Suzuki gives me almost constant pleasure and his is the Cantatas Project I will stick with, but sometimes I need a little break from the ascetic sound of the "authentic instruments". And that's when I need Marriner (and Klemperer with his "St Matthew Passion" or Beecham with "Messiah")! Young music fans, especially those who came to cantatas through Koopman or Suzuki may not be familiar with Janet Baker, Robert Tear or John Shirley-Quirk and this recording may help them discover these legendary British artists. All three give unforgettable performances - try to listen to the words and see how wonderfully they are painted! And all that to the marvellous, rich sound of the Marriner's orchestra. This is Bach singing at its best and nobody who cares about this music should be without this CD. Never mind how many complete - or almost complete - editions of cantatas you have, this disc will be a treasure in any collection and a great introduction for newcomers.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finest CD in my collection., February 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cantatas 82, 159 & ,170 (Audio CD)

This remains the most passionate recording I have. The slow arias in #82 and #156 by Shirley-Quirk are haunting. I never tire of this disc.