Bach - Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, Aria Variata, etc.

Angela Hewitt: piano

Lossless: Ape (img + cue + log) = 199 mb
Lossy: Mp3 (lame "preset standard") = 91 mb
Artwork @ 300dpi included

Total playing time: 67:41
Recorded 2004 | Released 2004

Recording:
3-5 February 2004, Henry Wood Hall, London

Hyperion CDA67499

Track listing:
1. Fantasia & Fugue in a, BWV 904: Fantasia
2. Fantasia & Fugue in a, BWV 904: Fugue
3. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Aria
4. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation I
5. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation II
6. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation III
7. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation IV
8. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation V
9. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation VI
10. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation VII
11. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation VIII
12. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation IX
13. Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana', BWV 989: Variation X
14. Sonata in D, BWV 963: I.
15. Sonata in D, BWV 963: II.
16. Sonata in D, BWV 963: III. Fugue
17. Sonata in D, BWV 963: IV. Adagio
18. Sonata in D, BWV 963: V. Thema all' imitatio Gallina Cuccu
19. Partie in A, BWV 832: I. Allemande
20. Partie in A, BWV 832: II. Air pour les trompettes
21. Partie in A, BWV 832: III. Sarabande
22. Partie in A, BWV 832: IV. Bourrée
23. Partie in A, BWV 832: V. Gigue
24. Suite in f, BWV 823: I. Prelude
25. Suite in f, BWV 823: II. Sarabande en Rondeau
26. Suite in f, BWV 823: III. Gigue
27. Adagio in G, BWV 968
28. Fugue in C, BWV 953
29. Jesu, meine Zuversicht, BWV 728
30. Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten, BWV 691
31. Fantasia & Fugue in a, BWV 944: Fantasia
32. Fantasia & Fugue in a, BWV 944: Fugue

Reviews:
Gramophone
A fine musician completes her Bach keyboard journey with a choice selection

Miscellaneous Bach, but Angela Hewitt isn't scraping the bottom of the barrel. On the contrary, she has selected what appeals to her - pieces from 'different periods of Bach's life on this, the last planned CD of solo keyboard works'. Hewitt largely bows out on a high. The degree of preciosity that had crept into her playing of the English Suites has been eradicated, and her musicianship is of the stature that we have come to expect from a thoughtful artist.
A profound one, too, as her interpretation of the Adagio, BWV968, readily shows. This is a transcription (if not by Bach, possibly by his son Wilhelm Friedemann) of the first movement of the unaccompanied Violin Sonata in C major. It is, as Hewitt says, 'a strange and beautiful work' and she extols its qualities through a sustained line and lambent sonority. A similarly thoughtful attitude pays equal dividends in the Suite BWV823; the Prelude and Sarabande are introspective, the Gigue graceful yet sharply rhythmic, and the interpretation is enhanced by the attention paid to the importance of the left hand. Given the positive virtues that abound, it is puzzling to hear the Fugues BWV953 and 944 played in a detached manner. The tempi are well chosen, yet the expectations raised by Hewitt's own descriptions 'in joyous mood' and 'whirlwind moto perpetuo' respectively are not met. Still, it is the only lapse in a series of performances where freedom over articulation, phrasing, embellishment, dynamics and tempo is governed by an artistic sense of responsibility; and the whole recital is heard in a shrewdly balanced recording of fine tonal verisimilitude.

Musicweb
Angela Hewitt’s notes state that this is the last of her CDs of solo Bach keyboard works. It has been a significant series, a laudable one, and there’s no lessening in perception in this volume. It takes a disparate collection of works written over the course of Bach’s career. There are no obvious ties that bind them, though equally the programming as such is perfectly explicable. They show, as she says, great variety stylistically – and that’s one of the greatest of the pleasures to be gathered from this disc.

She certainly evokes the organ sonorities of the Fantasia and Fugue in A minor with commensurate clarity and precision in the Fugue; textures here are luminous, voicings apt, and there is no sense either of diminution of feeling or of unscaled extravagance. Similarly with the Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana' which appears in Andreas Bach’s Book and was probably written in 1709. Like the Goldberg Variations the theme returns at the end. Hewitt disregards the Largo indication for the first variation taking it at a more animated tempo, which feels right, and her left hand pointing in the third variation is captivating. Similarly the sense of speed, accuracy and control is nowhere more apparent than in variation eight and her apposite ornamentation shows itself in the return of the theme in the last, tenth variation.

BWV963 is the only original keyboard sonata by Bach – the others are transcriptions or used material by Reinken. Here she vests the short second movement with great amplitude and prettily brings out the quixotic chicken and cuckoo imitations in the finale marked, as if one couldn’t guess, Theme all’imitatio Gallina Cuccu. Entertaining though it is to hear this rather unbalanced and eccentric sonata the Partie in A major has rather more depth. It was for long thought to be by Telemann and its highlight, as Hewitt suggests, is the second movement Air for trompettes – unique for Bach and tremendous fun to listen to as well, one imagines, to play. The Suite in F minor is an explicitly French influenced compound whose middle movement, a Sarabande en Rondeau, has a gentle gravity; it actually sounds rather reserved here, though her articulation is first class.

Elsewhere we can speculate on the (doubtful) Adagio in C minor; it’s derived from the opening movement of Bach’s violin sonata in C major BWV 968 but the arrangement may well be by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. Her Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten is effectively realised and one can admire the control of her Fugal playing in the Fantasia and Fugue in A minor BWV944 which by virtue of good programming and symmetry matches the opening piece in the same key, BWV904.

Hewitt’s notes are written in a down to earth and attractive way and she has been afforded the same warm and yet detailed acoustic as was the case in previous volumes.

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Bach - Gamba Sonatas

Jaap ter Linden: Viola da gamba
Richard Egarr: harpsichord

Lossless: Ape (img + cue + log) = 336 mb
Lossy: Mp3 (lame "preset standard") = 91 mb
Artwork @ 300dpi = 22 mb

Total playing time: 61:15
Recorded 1999 | Released 2000

Recording:
October 17-19, 1999, St. George's Brandon Hill, Bristol, England

Harmonia Mundi - HMU 907268

Track listing:
1. Sonata in G Major BWV 1027 - Adagio
2. Sonata in G Major BWV 1027 - Allegro ma non tanto
3. Sonata in G Major BWV 1027 - Andante
4. Sonata in G Major BWV 1027 - Allegro Moderato
5. Capriccio in B-flat Major BWV 992 - Arioso, Adagio
6. Capriccio in B-flat Major BWV 992 - Double
7. Capriccio in B-flat Major BWV 992 - Adagiosissimo
8. Capriccio in B-flat Major BWV 992 - Double
9. Capriccio in B-flat Major BWV 992 - Allegro Poco
10. Capriccio in B-flat Major BWV 992 - Fuga
11. Sonata in D Major BWV 1028 - Adagio
12. Sonata in D Major BWV 1028 - Allegro
13. Sonata in D Major BWV 1028 - Andante
14. Sonata in D Major BWV 1028 - Allegro
15. Capriccio in E Major BWV 993
16. Sonata in G Minor BWV 1029 - Vivace
17. Sonata in G Minor BWV 1029 - Adagio
18. Sonata in G Minor BWV 1029 - Allegro

Reviews:
Gramophone
Linden and Egarr's lively, well-recorded readings, with their rich, lyrical sound, can take on any other recent recording.

Selected comparisons:
Savall, Koopman (6/00) (ALIA) AV9812
Luolajan-Mikkola, Spányi (7/00) (BIS) CD 1061
Crum, Cummings (7/00) (SIGN) SIGCD024

This is the fourth new recording of the Bach gamba sonatas to have come my way in the year 2000 - proof, no doubt, of the deserved popularity of these finely wrought, tuneful and attractively varied pieces. Indeed, if one had to choose just one CD to represent Bach's instrumental chamber music, then among the plethora of transcriptions and double albums there would perhaps be no better group of works to pick than these.
Jaap ter Linden and Richard Egarr enter a largish field which includes a number of modern cellists unable to resist this superb music, but they emerge as serious contenders for a placing. Linden is one of very few players to have recorded not only these works on the gamba but also Bach's solo cello suites on a baroque cello, and his sound has the smoothness and rich lyricism that one tends to associate with the latter instrument, while at the same time retaining something of the gamba's pleasing incisiveness of line. Richard Egarr's harpsichord is splendidly sonorous, and while his tautly controlled playing is in many ways the opposite of Linden's, the meeting of instruments and minds is nevertheless a happy one. Egarr, playing an obbligato part, has less opportunity to show off his individualism than he would in an improvised continuo accompaniment, but, even if he could have been favoured a little more in the balance, his ability to orchestrate an impressive range of sounds from his instrument is still in evidence, especially in the concerto-like Sonata in G minor. He also dispatches the disc's filler items - two of Bach's early, somewhat old-fashioned solo harpsichord pieces - with vigorous and virtuosic aplomb.
Compared with their recent rivals, then, these are lively performances which steer a comfortable middle course between those of the rich-toned but slightly unimaginative Markku Luolajan-Mikkola and Miklós Spányi and the more intense and inspired but sloppily recorded Jordi Savall and Ton Koopman. Alison Crum and Laurence Cummings suffer too much from a balance unkind to the gamba. It all comes down to taste, of course, but this new recording may just be the one to live with.

Andante
Bach's three beautiful sonatas for gamba and harpsichord are so often played (and recorded) on the cello that the original sound - weak and wheezing is perhaps a harsh but not inaccurate description - takes some getting used to (HMU 907268). Jaap ter Linden, with harpsichordist Richard Egarr, offers the most convincing of several recent versions. He manages to overcome his instrument's acoustical problems, producing both a finely-spun legato and considerable firm articulation. He and Egarr produce true chamber music. The miking sometimes slights the harpsichord, except in the two solo Capriccios (BWV 992,993) which add a lovely contrast.


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Bach - French Suites [Gould]

Glenn Gould: piano

Lossless: Ape (img + cue + log) = 345 mb
Lossy: Mp3 (lame "preset standard") = 120 mb
Scans @ 300dpi = 28 mb

Total playing time: 38:54 + 46:52

Recorded: 1971-73, Eaton's Auditorium, Toronto, Canada

Released: 1994, Sony Classical SM2K 52 609

Track listing:
CD 1
1. Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812 - I. Allemande
2. Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812 - II. Courante
3. Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812 - III. Sarabande
4. Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812 - IV. Menuett I
5. Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812 - V. Menuett II
6. Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812 - VI. Gigue
7. Suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 - I. Allemande
8. Suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 - I. Courante
9. Suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 - III. Sarabande
10. Suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 - IV. Air
11. Suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 - V. Menuett
12. Suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 - VI. Gigue
13. Suite No.3 in B minor, BWV 814 - I. Allemande
14. Suite No.3 in B minor, BWV 814 - II. Courante
15. Suite No.3 in B minor, BWV 814 - III. Sarabande
16. Suite No.3 in B minor, BWV 814 - IV. Menuett -- Trio
17. Suite No.3 in B minor, BWV 814 - V. Anglaise
18. Suite No.3 in B minor, BWV 814 - VI. Gigue
19. Suite No.4 in E-flat major, BWV 815 - I. Allemande
20. Suite No.4 in E-flat major, BWV 815 - II. Courante
21. Suite No.4 in E-flat major, BWV 815 - III. Sarabande
22. Suite No.4 in E-flat major, BWV 815 - IV. Menuett (BWV 815a)
23. Suite No.4 in E-flat major, BWV 815 - V. Gavotte
24. Suite No.4 in E-flat major, BWV 815 - VI. Air
25. Suite No.4 in E-flat major, BWV 815 - VII. Gigue

CD 2
1. Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 - I. Allemande
2. Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 - II. Courante
3. Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 - III. Sarabande
4. Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 - IV. Gavotte
5. Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 - V. Bourrée
6. Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 - VI. Loure
7. Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 - VII. Gigue
8. Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817 - I. Allemande
9. Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817 - II. Courante
10. Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817 - III. Sarabande
11. Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817 - IV. Gavotte
12. Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817 - V. Polonaise
13. Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817 - VI. Menuett
14. Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817 - VII. Bourrée
15. Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817 - VIII. Gigue
16. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - I. Ouverture
17. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - II. Courante
18. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - III. Gavotte I
19. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - IV. Gavotte II - Gavotte I da capo
20. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - V. Passepied I
21. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - VI. Passepied II - Passepied I da capo
22. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - VII. Sarabande
23. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - VIII. Bourrée I
24. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - IX. Bourrée II - Bourrée I da capo
25. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - X. Gigue
26. Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 - XI. Echo

Reviews:
Amazon (editorial review - "Essential Recording")
Just as Bach's English Suites aren't really English, the French Suites aren't really French in any noticeable way. What they are is Bach. All suites, whatever their country of origin, consist of a chain of miscellaneous dances. This set of six is Bach's lightest collection in suite form, and Gould plays them with his usual nimbleness and quick-witted charm. It's amazing how Gould makes the music sound like he was making it up as he plays along--the humming probably contributes to that impression--and like all of his Bach, this is mandatory listening.

Gramophone 1985
Bach's 'French Suites' are relatively intimate pieces, more so, at least, than the partitas or 'English Suites', and Gould does not respond well to their most intimate and expressive movements. These are the sarabandes, and the famous one in Suite No. 5 is nearly caricatured. Yet the same work's Loure receives an intriguing and original performance, and elsewhere much superlative playing can be found. This is especially so in the allemandes and courantes which open each suite — hear the lithe grace, for example, of the initial movements of Suites Nos. 2, 3 and 5. The closing gigues, also, are quite marvellous in their exuberant clarity and intellectual fire, above all that belonging to Suite No. 5. Just as admirable are the gavottes, where they occur, Gould playing them with an exact decisiveness. Splendid, too, is the contained force of Suite No. 3's Anglaise and the Aria of No. 4.
All this we first heard a decade ago, but the French Overture is new to the local catalogue. Its recording dates from the same 1971-3 period as the suites yet creates a number of different impressions. The opening and closing grave sections of the first movement are mannered, but the long central quick section is superbly energetic and precise, tingling with excitement. Surprisingly heavy and slow are the courante and gigue, very different from their opposite numbers in the suites. In between come pairs of gavottes, passepieds and bourrees, all strongly characterized and very enjoyable.

Gramophone 1975
(click to enlarge)


Musicweb (Sony SMK 87764 edition)
This disc contains Bach’s French Suites, some of his most popular music. Gould surprises - as he often does - with a dazzling variety of tempi in these works. From the breakneck opening allemande of the first suite, he plays a delicately slow sarabande, and a subtle menuett I where the rhythm is almost picked out note by note. Gould said, "About tempo, I’ve never understood why it’s such a big deal." He points out how, for this recording, his tempi had slowed down considerably - he had his favourite piano rebuilt, and the weight of the action led to much more legato than he would have truly liked. But he said that this recording was "as deliberate and dry as any Bach" that he had recorded. Curiously, this is sometimes the case - while some movements are very fast, recalling the 1955 Goldberg Variations, others are slow and deliberate.

But listening anew to Glenn Gould play these pieces elicits such pleasure that one leaves aside the question of tempo. From the forceful gigue in the first suite and the brilliant allemande that opens the third suite, to the melodic yet syncopated approach to the menuett-trio in the same suite, to the almost excruciatingly slow sarabande of the first suite or the pointillist sarabande of the fourth suite, this disc is full of surprises. The music here is often reduced to its simplest expression, and is even more ascetic than many harpsichord performances. It is almost as if Gould is trying to turn his piano into another instrument. Yet the results show that this excellent pianist was able to transcend the music and put his personality into everything he played.

Gould gives one of the most personal performances of the French Suites available on disc. He is one of those musicians you either love or hate - either you appreciate the variety of tone and rhythm he uses, or you detest his lack of regularity. This recording remains one of the landmarks in the discography of the French Suites.

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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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Bach - Concertos

EUROPA GALANTE
Dir. Fabio Biondi

Fabio Biondi violin, direction
Alfredo Bernardini oboe
Sergio Ciomei harpsichord

Virgin Veritas - 45361-2

Eac / Ape (img+cue+log) / Mp3 (lame vbr --alt preset)
Total playing time: 60:46
Covers & booklet included (scan @ 300dpi)

Recording date:
Sion, (CH), Studio Tibor Varga, 5-9 March 1999

CD release: 1999


Track listing:
BWV 1052, 1054, 1056, 1060
1. Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C Minor Mvt1 Allegro
2. Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C Minor Mvt2 Adagio
3. Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C Minor Mvt3 Allegro
4. Violin Concerto in G Minor Mvt1 Allegro
5. Violin Concerto in G Minor Mvt2 Largo
6. Violin Concerto in G Minor Mvt3 Presto
7. Violin Concerto in D Minor Mvt1 Allegro
8. Violin Concerto in D Minor Mvt2 Adagio
9. Violin Concerto in D Minor Mvt3 Allegro
10. Harpsichord Concerto in D Major Mvt1 Allegro
11. Harpsichord Concerto in D Major Mvt2 Adagio e piano sempre
12. Harpsichord Concerto in D Major Mvt3 Allegro

Review:
Amazon:
Bach, like most Baroque composers, regularly adapted music that he had written previously for one context to be reused in another. For example, he adapted various movements from his cantatas for the Mass in B Minor; he reworked several of his trio sonatas for viola da gamba and keyboard; and he transcribed his Violin Concerto in E Major for harpsichord and strings. It has long been presumed that most of Bach's harpsichord concertos were composed originally for other solo instruments; latter-day musicians have back transcribed, as it were, a number of those concertos. Several of these transcriptions, along with the harpsichord version of the E Major violin concerto, get delightful performances on this release from charismatic violinist Fabio Biondi and his period-instrument ensemble Europa Galante. The transcriptions of the G Minor and D Minor harpsichord concertos seem quite credible; the transcription for violin and oboe of the C Minor Concerto for two harpsichords is even better, the soloists' lines being much clearer than is the case with two harpsichords tinkling away at each other. Biondi plays with more vibrato and more legato--in a more "Romantic" style, one might say--than most Baroque violinists; in some of the slow movements, he sounds almost like... well, if not Isaac Stern, then perhaps the young Yehudi Menuhin. It's as if he's the period-instrument violinist for those who never got used to the sound of period instruments. Yet Biondi plays with imagination and charisma, and Europa Galante (which does make a period-instrument sound) plays with the sparkling energy that seems to be the trademark of Italy's best Baroque groups. The recorded sound, unfortunately, is a bit flat and constricted; while this is a real shortcoming, it's not so serious as to prevent a warm recommendation for the excellent performances.

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Bach - Complete Harpsichord Concertos

TREVOR PINNOCK, harpsichord
KENNETH GILBERT, harpsichord
LARS ULRIK MORTENSEN, harpsichord
NICHOLAS KRAEMER, harpsichord
PHILIP PICKETT, recorder
RACHEL BECKETT, recorder

THE ENGLISH CONCERT
Dir. TREVOR PINNOCK

DG Archiv - 471 754-2

Eac / Ape (img+cue+log) / Mp3 (lame vbr --alt preset)
Total playing time: 199 min
Covers & booklet - English notes only (scan @ 300dpi)

Recording dates:
München, Herkulessaal der Residenz, 8/1979 (BWV 1052)
London, Henry Wood Hall, 2/1980 (BWV 1053-1055,1058), 10/1980 (BWV 1060-1062),
11/1980 (BWV 1056-1057), 2/1981 (BWV 1063-1065)

CD release: 2002


Info (from the liner notes):
Bach's concertos for one, two, three and four harpsichords have a twofold historical significance. Within the history of musical forms they initiated the genre of the keyboard concerto, which at the hands of the Viennese classical composers - continuing in the tradition of Johann Sebastian Bach by way of his sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian - was to become the most prominent type of solo concerto. In the context of Bach's own concertos, on the other hand, those for harpsichord are latecomers; they are the products of the last of the four phases of Bach's creative activity in the field of the instrumental concerto.


Track listing:
CD 1:
Cto in D minor BWV 1052: Allegro
Cto in D minor BWV 1052: Adagio
Cto in D minor BWV 1052: Allegro
Cto in E Major BWV 1053: without tempo indication
Cto in E Major BWV 1053: Siciliano
Cto in E Major BWV 1053: Allegro
Cto in D Major BWV 1054: without tempo indication
Cto in D Major BWV 1054: Adagio e piano sempre
Cto in D Major BWV 1054: Allegro

CD 2:
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in A major BWV 1055 Allegro
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in A major BWV 1055 Larghetto
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in A major BWV 1055 Allegro ma non tanto
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in F minor BWV 1056 without tempo indication
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in F minor BWV 1056 Largo
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in F minor BWV 1056 Presto
Cto for Harpsichord, 2 Recorders and Strings in F major BWV 1057 without tempo indication
Cto for Harpsichord, 2 Recorders and Strings in F major BWV 1057 Andante
Cto for Harpsichord, 2 Recorders and Strings in F major BWV 1057 Allegro assai
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in G minor BWV 1058 without tempo indication
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in G minor BWV 1058 Andante
Cto for Harpsichord and Strings in G minor BWV 1058 Allegro assai
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C minor BWV 1060 Allegro
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C minor BWV 1060 Adagio
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C minor BWV 1060 Allegro

CD 3:
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C major, BWV 1061, 1. [without tempo indication]
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C major, BWV 1061, 2. Adagio owero Largo
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C major, BWV 1061, 3. Fuga
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C minor, BWV 1062, 1. [without tempo indication]
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C minor, BWV 1062, 2. Andante
Cto for 2 Harpsichords and Strings in C minor, BWV 1062, 3. Allegro assai
Cto for 3 Harpsichords and Strings in D minor, BWV 1063, 1. [without tempo indication]
Cto for 3 Harpsichords and Strings in D minor, BWV 1063, 2. Alla Siciliana
Cto for 3 Harpsichords and Strings in D minor, BWV 1063, 3. Allegro
Cto for 3 Harpsichords and Strings in C major, BWV 1064, 1. Allegro
Cto for 3 Harpsichords and Strings in C major, BWV 1064, 2. Adagio
Cto for 3 Harpsichords and Strings in C major, BWV 1064, 3. Allegro
Cto for 4 Harpsichords and Strings in A minor, BWV 1065, 1. [without tempo indication]
Cto for 4 Harpsichords and Strings in A minor, BWV 1065, 2. Largo
Cto for 4 Harpsichords and Strings in A minor, BWV 1065, Allegro


Review:
Penguin Guide to Compact Discs:
"Trevor Pinnock plays with real panache, his scholarship tempered by excellent musicianship."

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