Customer Reviews

Favorite Cantatas

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I have discovered the American Bach Soloists relatively recently, as part of my effort to familiarize myself with one-voice-per-part (OVPP)performances of Bach. This group came recommended by Matthew Westphal (with whom we belong to the same music discussion club) as being among the credible proponents of the OVPP approach. This particular recording is not OVPP, but I got so enamoured with this group that I bought all of their Bach recordings I could find, OVPP or not. It also didn't hurt that Catherine Bott and Daniel Taylor were among the soloists - I am a big fan of both. The first cantata on this disc, BWV 140, is full of symbolism. Its depiction of Christ's arrival as a proverbial bridegroom has both the spiritual and the sensual meaning. The spiritual finds its expression in the upward-moving instrumental detail and the musical metaphor of the weak soul which grows stronger with each step it takes toward its savior. The sensual is highlighted by the use of "galant" musical language. The soul and the savior are appropriately represented by two SB duets. The next cantata, BWV 78, is based on a Lutheran chorale. A chorale is a short standardized hymn containing both a melody and a text. The practice of congregational singing of such hymns was instituted by Luther. Some of these hymns were composed by Luther himself; others were based on secular melodies; all were translated into German. Already democratic, these hymns were further popularized by Bach who built them into his original cantatas, skillfully paraphrazing many of the verses and adding stunning word painting effects. BWV 78 is an example of such word painting, with a particularly memorable SA duet, in which the two voices move in a close canon symbolizing the master-pupil relationship between Christ and his follower. The disc closes with BWV 80 whose opening movement is one of the most impressive chorale-based movements in Bach's entire output. In fact, treating opening movements as the most climactic part of the composition was quite typical in Lutheran liturgy: since cantatas were usually followed by a sermon, the cantatas themselves could not be too conclusory. Centering around a canon, the first movement of BWV 80 uses a stunning combination of the highest and the deepest instruments, symbolically representing the all-inclusive and ever-present power of god. The symbolism of openness and agreement is continued throughout the cantata: the highest and the lowest voices (soprano and bass) are used in the three movements following the opening chorus; the middle voices (the alto and the tenor, traditionally responsible for cantus firmus) take over in the second part of the cantata; and all come together in the final chorus. Of course, the genius of Bach transcends Lutheran context: it is helpful to know the genesis and the meaning of these cantatas, but they are immediately enjoyable even without preparation. The performances here are generally of a very high order. This is a definite "grabbit."

This CD is performed by a group of truly wonderful singers and instrumentalists. However, the exaggerated, fast tempi chosen by the conductor make many of the movements sound almost comical. The vocal soloists, vocal ensemble, and the Baroque instruments struggle to articulate the phrases clearly in some movements, and they don't always succeed either! It is truly a pity that this wonderful music suffers from such wrecklessly fast interpretations of these truly great choral works.