Bach - Cantatas 39, 73, 93, 105, 107, 131

dir. Philippe Herreweghe
Chorus and Orchestra of Collegium Vocale, Ghent

Barbara Schlick - soprano (cd1)
Agnès Mellon - soprano (cd2)
Gérard Lesne - alto (cd1)
Charles Brett - alto (cd2)
Howard Crook - tenor
Peter Kooy - bass

Lossless: Ape (img + cue + log) = 469 mb
Lossy: Mp3 (lame "preset standard") = 168 mb
Artwork @ 300dpi = 17 mb

Total playing time: 57:54 + 61:08

Aliomodo rating: *****

Recorded:
December 1990 (cd1) / October 1991 (cd2)
Minderbroederskerk, Ghent, Belgium

Virgin Veritas 5 62025 2

Info (liner notes):
The cantatas recorded here span some twenty years of Bach's career, and almost all were written before he reached the age of forty, belying the image of the stern, aged contra-puntalist of popular myth.
The earliest, Aus der Tiefen, dates from Bach's time as organist at the Blasiuskirche in Miihlhausen (1707-8). Tile church's pastor, Johann Adolph Frohne, was a musical conservative who discouraged the young Bach's more adventurous leanings. However, Bach soon struck up a relationship with the pastor of the nearby Marienkirche, Georg Christian Eilmar (1661-1715), and it was Eilmar who compiled the text for this musical elaboration of Psalm 130 (well known in Latin as De pro-fundis). The work's penitenial nature suggests that it may have been written for a memorial service following a fire that destroyed part of the town in May 1707. The tendency towards symmetrical form, incorporation of chorales and skilful word-painting are all prophetic of Bach's mature style.
The remaining five works were all written during Bach's first years as cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig. Cantatas 73 and 105 were part of Bach's first annual cycle (1723-4). Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht concerns the conflict between God and mammon, a subject that influenced the choice of text for the imposing chorus (Psalm 143). Bach vividly portrays the wavering of the soul in the tenor aria and in the string writing of the closing chorale. Herr, wie du willt is based on Christ's healing of the leper. The opening words ('Lord, if thou wilt') assume motivic importance throughout the work, and the first chorus is pervaded by a four-note figure derived from the opening of the chorale melody, Cantatas 93 and 107 are from the great cycle of chorale cantatas (1724-5), each based around the verses of a Lutheran hymn.
The opening movement of Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten is an extended chorale fantasia on the subject of surrender to God's will. Bach later included the soprano and alto duet as a transcription for organ in his 'Schübler' chorales. Was willst du dich betrüben concerns doubt and the restoration of faith. It sets all seven verses of Johann Heermann's 1630 hymn text unaltered, and makes expressive use of the key of B minor, with the closing chorale fashioned as a sialiano with orchestral interludes.
Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot was first heard on 23 June 1726, and is one of a number of cantatas influenced by the works of Bach's Meiningen-based cousin, Johann Ludwig Bach (1677-1731). It falls into two parts, beginning with Old and New Testament texts respectively. Focusing on the central theme of helping the poor, it opens with a magnificent three-part Chorus incorporating an impressive fugue.

Track listing:
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir (bwv 131)
Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir (bwv 73)
Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht (bwv 105)
Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot (bwv 39)
Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten (bwv 93)
Was willst du dich betrüben (bwv 107)

cd1.01. BWV 131 - Aus der Tiefen rufe ich
cd1.02. BWV 131 - So du willst, Herr, Sünde zurenchnen
cd1.03. BWV 131 - Ich harre des Herrn
cd1.04. BWV 131 - Meine Seele wartet auf den Herrn
cd1.05. BWV 131 - Israel, hoffe auf den Herrn
cd1.06. BWV 73 - Herr, view du willt, so schick's mit mir
cd1.07. BWV 73 - Ach, senke doch den Geist der Freuden
cd1.08. BWV 73 - Ach, unser Wille bleibt verkehrt
cd1.09. BWV 73 - Herr, so du willt
cd1.10. BWV 73 - Das ist des Vaters Wille
cd1.11. BWV 105 - Herr gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Kn
cd1.12. BWV 105 - Mein Gott, verwirf michj nicht
cd1.13. BWV 105 - Wie zittern und wanken
cd1.14. BWV 105 - Wohl aber dem, der sienen Bürgen weiß
cd1.15. BWV 105 - Kann ich nur Jesum mir zum Freunde machen
cd1.16. BWV 105 - Nun, ich weiß, du wirst mir stillen
cd2.01. BWV 39 - Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot
cd2.02. BWV 39 - Der reiche Gott wirft seinen Überfluß
cd2.03. BWV 39 - Seinem Schöpfer noch auf Erden
cd2.04. BWV 39 - Wohlzutum und mitzuteilen
cd2.05. BWV 39 - Höchster, was ich habe
cd2.06. BWV 39 - Wie soll ich dir, o Herr
cd2.07. BWV 39 - Selig sind, die aus Erbarmen
cd2.08. BWV 93 - Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten
cd2.09. BWV 93 - Was helfen uns die schweren Sorgen
cd2.10. BWV 93 - Man halte nur ein wenig stille
cd2.11. BWV 93 - Er kennt die rechten Freudestunden
cd2.12. BWV 93 - Denk nicht in deiner Drangsalhitze
cd2.13. BWV 93 - Ich will auf den Herren schaun
cd2.14. BWV 93 - Sing, bet und geh auf Gottes Wegen
cd2.15. BWV 107 - Was willst du dich betrüben
cd2.16. BWV 107 - Denn Gott verlässet keinen
cd2.17. BWV 107 - Auf ihn magst du es wagen
cd2.18. BWV 107 - Wenn auch gleich aus der Höllen
cd2.19. BWV 107 - Er richt's zu seinen Ehren
cd2.20. BWV 107 - Darum ich mich ihm ergebe
cd2.21. BWV 107 - Herr, gib, daß ich dein Ehre

Review:
Gramophone - Disc 1:
The three works on this new disc from Virgin are profoundly expressive examples of Bach's craft in sacred cantata writing. Philippe Herreweghe's choir consists of some 16 voices to which he has added four excellent soloists all of whom are experienced artists in this repertory. Aus der Tiefen rufe ich is one of Bach's earliest cantatas dating back to 1707 or 1708 when he was at Muhlhausen. The text is a setting of Psalm 130, De profundis with additional verses from a Lenten hymn. Herreweghe conveys the sombre intensity of the piece and is especially well served by his soloists, choir and solo oboist. Some of the ensemble playing is scrappy but this is, none the less, a deeply felt performance with a lyrical contribution from Howard Crook.
The remaining two cantatas are Leipzig works from Bach's first annual cycle. Harmonically, Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir is a work of considerable strength. The text, Gospel-based, underlines the contrasting states of human frailty on the one hand and God's omnipotence on the other. The opening chorale fantasia is a highly imaginative blend of hymn, declamation and episodes for the instruments. Bach offers an alternative here between obbligato horn or organ and in this performance the latter is preferred. Counterpoint and subtle instrumentation play a part in the work's dark climax, a bass recitative and aria in which Bach's extraordinary gifts at evoking musicaltextual imagery are on display. Peter Kooy is resonant, declamatory and affecting and is well supported on the whole by the strings, though the violins are at times apt to sound thin and scrawny. Perhaps the elegiac element in this section is underplayed but it is skilfully done all the same.
The beautiful Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht is masterly from start to finish. The text focuses on two themes, the parable of the unjust steward and St Paul's warning to the Corinthians against idolatry and pride. The opening movement, with agonized, supplicatory cries from the choir paints a picture of the soul in deep distress. It is a picture which is further intensified in a canonic aria for soprano and oboe without continuo, the absence of which is indicative of man's fundamental instability. Barbara Schlick is affectingly partnered by Marc Ponseele whose delicately shaded oboe playing is all that one could wish for. Schlick herself is on top form, making this perhaps the interpretative high point of the entire recording; Bach's musical concept, furthermore, is breathtakingly original. Kooy declaims his expressive accompanied bass recitative with firm control and a feeling for the poetry, and Crook is effective in his aria dispelling the emotional intensity of the earlier sections. In this piece Bach calls for a 'corno' whose part is closely derived from the first violin line.
No such instrument or related instrument is used here however, Herre-weghe seeming happy to settle for an oboe. The closing chorale is yet another striking piece in which the upper string parts accompany the harmonically varied four-part vocal texture in progressively elongated note values ending with a sorrowful chromatic progression towards a tierce de Picardie. Herreweghe manages all this with tenderness and emotional restraint achieving a sustained often deeply affecting performance. No serious reservations here; three wonderful works, affectionately realized with solo contributions of distinction.'

Gramophone - Disc 2:
This is the second of Philippe Herreweghe's Bach cantata recordings for Virgin Classics. I reviewed the earlier disc very enthusiastically (5/93) and so approached this one eagerly and with a degree of confidence that has proved well founded. The three pieces included here are mature examples of Bach's cantata writing; two of them, Nos. 93 and 107, were written in 1724 for the Fifth and Seventh Sundays after Trinity respectively, and thus belong to Bach's great second cycle in which he concentrated on a chorale-based scheme. No. 93 is founded on a mid-seventeenth-century hymn by Georg Neumark and No. 107 on another of the same period by Johann Heermann. The remaining cantata, No. 39, slightly later and of a different compositional type, is constructed along the lines of several by Bach's cousin at Meiningen, Johann Ludwig Bach, whose pieces Bach sometimes performed at Leipzig at this time. It is a masterly work, above all in the concerto-like construction of the opening chorus, scored for voices with treble recorders, oboes and strings.
For this recording Herreweghe has used a solo line-up slightly changed from the previous one. Here, Barbara Schlick has been replaced by Agnes Mellon, and Gerard Lesne by Charles Brett. Howard Crook and Peter Kooy are common to both discs. On balance there is little to choose between them and preferences one way or the other will depend more upon personal taste than any technical disparity. Agnes Mellon is beguiling both in her three arias—one per cantata—and in her duo with Charles Brett, though she lacks the linguistic assurance of Schlick who is the more experienced Bach singer. Brett is sensitive in his single aria (No. 39) and effectively balances Mellon in the above-mentioned duet (No. 93). Both Crook and Kooy are on characteristically fine form, dealing confidently and expressively with Bach's often virtuoso writing. Crook's account of ''Drum ich mich ihm ergebe'' (No. 107) is delightful, furthermore revealing Bach in distinctly rococo clothes.
Enjoyable, too, are the contributions from the Chorus and Orchestra of the Ghent Collegium Vocale. The string continuo playing has greater assurance than in some of Herreweghe's earlier cantata recordings and, as usual, the oboe playing of Marcel Ponseele is a constant pleasure, above all for his poetic phrasing and communicative articulation. An excellent recorded sound sets the seal on a fine issue. Strongly recommended.'

Musicweb:
This set of cantatas covers a large part of Bach’s compositional career, from his time as organist at Mühlhausen, in his early twenties, to his first years as cantor in Leipzig. Other than an observation in the notes that these works “belie the image of the stern, aged contrapuntalist of popular myth”, there seems to be no connection – of season, theme or soloist – between them. In the light of such themed collections – some of Herreweghe’s own recordings for Harmonia Mundi, for example – and completed or ongoing cycles of the cantatas, it would be easy for the present set to be ignored.

Please do not ignore it. For a minimal outlay (around £9 or even less in the UK) here be treasure indeed – two hours of it. These are excellent performances, excellently recorded, utterly absorbing. My only criticism, as usual with this series, is that the notes are minimal – about one page each in English, French and German. The French notes are not a translation of the English, as the German notes are: they are actually more informative, listing, for example, the Sundays on which the cantatas were performed.
There is a note to say that sung texts are available online at www.virginclassics.com, but I’ve been down that road before and never managed to find the promised goodies. The same goes for promises of finding librettos at the emiclassics parent site. In any case, there are several sites where information about, texts and scores of the Bach cantatas, in German and in translation, may be found. A good place to start is bachcantatas.com.
To begin with Cantata 131 on this site. Here you will discover that the text is taken from Psalm 130 (‘Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord’) with the central stanzas from Bartholomäus Ringwaldt, that the cantata was composed at Mühlhausen in 1707, and you will be able to download the German text, several English translations and versions in other languages, the vocal score, in German and English, with piano accompaniment, commentaries by various eminent commentators, etc. (Be warned that the music is contained in quite a large file – 49 pages – and that the English in the score is a paraphrase, designed to be sung, not an exact translation.) There are also links to all current CDs containing this cantata – including the current Herreweghe set. If you follow this hyperlink, you will also be able to find similar information relating to the other cantatas on these CDs.

If, as is generally believed, this is the earliest of Bach’s cantatas to have survived, what a wonderfully developed work it is. Just as Sibelius in his first two symphonies is clearly influenced by Tchaikovsky but is already recognisably ‘Sibelian’, so, too, in this early work Bach is wholly himself. Though the occasion was probably penitential – marking a disastrous fire – it certainly does not sound morbid.
Despite being in a minor key, even the opening words, ‘Out of the depths …”, marked adagio, are set reflectively rather than mournfully and in the sinfonia which precedes them, the oboe sounds placid rather than plaintive. Significantly, though the words are cries from the depths, it is the highest voices, sopranos and altos, who enter first. At letter C the tempo changes to vivace – a confident, not a despairing call to the Lord to hear. At letter F, the bass and the choral sopranos duet on the words ‘If thou, Lord, shalt count our sins ..” the tempo changes to andante but the mood remains positive. The soprano melody, based on Ringwaldt’s chorale ‘Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut’, necessarily sounds slower – and calmer? – because the minims and semibreves of the chorale contrast with the bass’s quavers and semiquavers – a prayer for mercy set against the expectation of forgiveness. Even the words ‘am Holz mit Todes-schmerzen’, referring to the atoning suffering of Jesus on the cross, are not dwelled upon: this was music for a Lutheran congregation, not a Calvinist one.
The section beginning as adagio (letter K) soon changes to largo (letter L) and is reflective rather than morbid. The marking lento at the beginning of the tenor/choral altos duet (10 bars before letter O) appears to be editorial but appears to be appropriate for this section in which the male soloist again expresses confidence while the alto melody is again based on ‘Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut’. The Fugue which concludes the work (from letter V) with the promise of release from sin matches the vivace fugue at the end of the opening chorus and is dance-like in character. This final section progresses from adagio (letter T) via un poc’allegro a mere three bars later, adagio again (U), allegro (9 bars later) to the fugue itself (V).
I have analysed this cantata in some detail because my view of it is at odds in some respects with the commentaries on the website to which I have referred. These commentaries use such terms as ‘plaintive’, ‘profoundly penitential’, ‘predominantly sober’, ‘sombre’, ‘anxious’ and ‘trembling’. These qualities do exist in the music, but in a subordinate role: the overall tone is hopeful and Herreweghe’s performance rightly subordinates the negative qualities to the positive. It would hardly be possible to imagine a performance which more exactly chimed with my interpretation of the mood of this cantata – or, indeed, of Bach’s religious music as a whole. Even in the closing sections of the great Passions the mood conjured by the music is reflective rather than mournful – the ‘sure and certain hope’ of the moderate reform tradition against the anxiety of the puritan, forever uncertain whether he is one of the elect.
In his early years at Leipzig, Bach continued to employ some of the techniques he had used at Mühlhausen – the interwoven chorale, employed in Cantata 131, is found again in Cantatas 93 and 107 on this set – but, miraculously, he even managed to improve on what was already near-perfection. Invidious as it is to single out one work, 105 would probably have the greatest appeal, especially in such an excellent performance.
The final cantata, ‘Why art thou so troubled?’, was composed in Leipzig in 1724 for the 7th Sunday after Trinity: the Epistle for that day (Rom.6 19-23) speaks of the forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life, while the Gospel (Mark 8 1-9) deals with the feeding of the four thousand. The text is not from either of these readings but relates to them – a hymn by the Lutheran pastor Johann Heermann (1585-1647) on the theme of trust in God. The score for this cantata is less unwieldy (24 pages) with the text in German only: English and other translations are also available on the main page for this cantata. Once again Herreweghe’s performance captures the mood of this cantata excellently, as it does of the other five cantatas on these discs.
The solo vocal contributions are all first-class: neither here nor in the choral singing did I find any cause for criticism. The minimal notes do not indicate the size of the chorus but it clearly represents a compromise between the one-voice-to-a-part position and the over-large choir. The orchestra, too, is an ideal size; both it and the chorus perform excellently. The recording is also excellent. With works spanning a wide range of Bach’s output, from the conservatism of the one Mühlhausen work to his second Leipizg cycle – though there is nothing here for the major festivals – this set would serve as an ideal introduction to the cantatas.

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