Bach: Cantatas BWV 29, BWV 61, BWV 140

“the Canadian bass sings only a minute of accompanied recitative, but it is the most gripping moment on the disc” The Classical review

Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Performers:

Christine Schäfer (soprano)
Julia Kleiter (soprano)
Bernarda Fink (alto)
Werner Güra (tenor)
Kurt Streit (tenor)
Christian Gerhaher (baritone)
Gerald Finley (bass)
Anton Scharinger (bass)
Arnold Schoenberg Choir
Concentus Musicus Wien

Label: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 88697602662
Audio CD Limited Edition
Recorded: Musikverein, Vienna, 8-9 December 2006 (BWV 61), 13-14 January 2007 (BWV 29), 15-16 December 2007 (BWV 140)
Released: 4 January 2010
Number of Discs: 2
ASIN: B002K9C0RK

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; I. Coro: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

2. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; II. Recitativo: Er kommt, er kommt

3. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; III. Aria (Duetto): Wann kömmst du, mein Heil?

4. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; IV. Choral: Zion hört die Wächter singen

5. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; V. Recitativo: So geh herein zu mir

6. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; VI. Aria (Duetto): Mein Freund ist mein

7. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; VII. Choral: Gloria sei dir gesungen

8. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland”; I. Coro: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland

9. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland”; II. Recitativo: Der Heiland ist gekommen

10. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland”; III. Aria: Komm, Jesu, komm zu deiner Kirche

11. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland”; IV. Recitativo: Siehe, ich stehe vor der Tür

12. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland”; V. Aria: Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze

13. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland”; VI. Choral: Amen, amen!

14. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir; I. Sinfonia

15. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir; II. Coro: Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir

16. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir; III. Aria: Halleluja, Stärke und Macht

17. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir; IV. Recitativo: Gottlob! es geht uns wohl!

18. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir; V. Aria: Gedenk’ an uns mit deiner Liebe

19. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir; VI. Recitativo: Vergiss es ferner nicht

20. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir; VII. Aria: Halleluja

21. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir; VIII. Choral: Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren

Disc: 2

1. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; I. Chorus “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”

2. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; II. Recitative “Er kommt, der Bräutigam kommt”

3. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; III. Aria “Wann kömmst du, mein Heil?”

4. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; IV. Chorale “Zion hört die Wächter singen”

5. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; V. Recitative “So geh herein zu mir”

6. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; VI. Aria “Mein Freund ist mein! Und ich bin sein”

7. Cantata BWV 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”; VII. Chorale “Gloria sei dir gesungen”

8. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”; I. Ouvertüre “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”

9. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”; II. Recitative “Der Heiland ist gekommen”

10. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”; III. Aria “Komm, Jesu, komm zu deiner Kirche”

11. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”; IV. Recitative “Siehe, ich steh vor der Tür”

12. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”; V. Aria “Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze”

13. Cantata BWV 61 “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”; VI. Chorale “Amen, Amen! komm du schöne Freudenkrone”

14. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”; I. Sinfonia

15. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”; II. Chorus “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”

16. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”; III. Aria “Halleluja, Stärke und Macht”

17. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”; IV. Recitative “Gottlob! es geht uns wohl!”

18. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”; V. Aria “Gedenk an uns mit deiner Liebe”

19. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”; VI. Recitative “Vergiss es ferner nicht”

20. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”; VII. Aria “Halleluja, Stärke und Macht”

21. Cantata BWV 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”; VIII. Choral “Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren”

What the critics say

David Vickers, The Classical review, 17 May 2010

Since Teldec was gradually deactivated from making new recordings, Nikolaus Harnoncourt has found a sympathetic new home for his projects on Sony’s Deutsche Harmonia Mundi imprint. So far, most of his DHM ventures have revisited core repertoire (The Creation, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah) or operas by Haydn, Mozart and even Gershwin. Now in his 81st year, one of the most influential musicians to pioneer the “authentic” performance of Bach’s cantatas makes an intriguing return on CD to the repertoire that formed the bedrock of his recording activities between 1971 and 1990. Indeed, there is a limited edition two-disc version of this release that includes a bonus disc of the old Teldec recordings of the same three cantatas, so listeners can compare them with Harnoncourt’s modern-day interpretations (recorded at Vienna’s Musikverein in three batches between December 2006 and 12 months later).

As with his third recording of the Matthew Passion (the last big project with Teldec, issued in 2001) and newer interpretations of Haydn’s two late oratorios, these cantatas show that Harnoncourt’s vintage has improved with age: Concentus Musicus Wien plays the beginning of Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme with authority and ease, its string figures, fruity oboes and taut dotted rhythms assured and expressive; the Arnold Schoenberg Choir is on its most pleasing form, as is evident in its light articulation in the ‘Halleluja’ section. If Harnoncourt’s radicalism in this repertoire sometimes made for uncomfortable or precocious effects once upon a time, nowadays his Bach is more generally characterized by wisdom and eloquence, without any loss of tension or zeal. Likewise, the ritornello of Zion hört die Wächter singen is played with compassion and warmth by Concentus’s violins, thus providing an ideal partner for an ardent Kurt Streit.

The performance of chorales seems laboured to my ears, but devout gravity is successfully conveyed in Harnoncourt’s strong application of French overture style to the opening of Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (even if the swampy grandeur of the choral singing reminds me that BWV 61 is one of the Weimar-period cantatas that most aptly supports the historical plausibility and artistic practicality of smaller performing forces). It is not often that one hears this short cantata with such a trio of soloists as starry as Christine Schäfer, Werner Güra and Gerald Finley; the Canadian bass sings only a minute of accompanied recitative, but it is the most gripping moment on the disc; listening to Schäfer in baroque repertoire can be a tense experience, but her performance of the aria ‘Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze’ (BWV 61) seems to be relaxed and eloquent.

The sinfonia of Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir features organ obbligato played judiciously by Concentus mainstay Herbert Tachezi, and the opening chorus – which Bach later parodied for ‘Gratias agimus tibi’ and ‘Dona nobis pacem’ in the B Minor Mass – flows with majestic splendour (the three trumpets and timpani are admirably precise and penetrating, if somewhat brittle). As has so often been the case with Harnoncourt during his long career of musical inquisition, these imperfect performances contain fascinating ideas that can elude those who seek mere perfection.

Gavin Dixon, Musicweb international

Two questions are likely to go round in the minds of Harnoncourt fans contemplating this purchase: Does the performance match – or even exceed – the high standards of his Das Alte Werke cycle? And are the contributions of the soloists commensurate with their stellar reputations?

Yes is the simple answer to both questions. After a lifetime of directing Bach performances of the highest standard, we should expect something special from Harnoncourt, and he doesn’t disappoint.

The Das Alte Werke cycle was shared between Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt, but these three cantatas were all directed by him, so in some senses the comparison is quite direct. And certainly the interpretive bond between conductor and composer is essentially the same after all these years. Many of the instrumentalists are also shared between the two recordings, including the exemplary Herbert Tachezi, whose organ accompaniments in BWV29 are as sprightly and fresh now as they were in the early 1970s. The main difference is the choir, and the fact that these performances use women’s voices, both for the solos and in the ensemble. It is also a larger choir, I think, and I suspect a larger orchestra too.

Listening to the two readings side by side, the weight of both the orchestral and choral sound is what really distinguishes this new recording. Superior technology may also play a part in this, as may the rich, pure acoustic of the Musikverein. The bass end of the orchestra and continuo have a real presence that is lacking from the earlier recording, or at least seems lacking in retrospect. A common perception about the trajectory of period performance in the intervening decades is that players have improved their proficiency on the instruments they use. The only difference I can detect in this respect is the fluency of the oboe obbligatos. The phrasing seems more eloquent this time round, be it through greater freedom of rubato or subtly of dynamic gradation. And the lower end of the oboe (and taille) tessitura is another great beneficiary of the superior audio.

Tempi, on the whole are very similar to the last time round. One or two movements are noticeably faster, including the opening chorus of Wachet auf and the final Amen chorale of Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland. Is Harnoncourt more confident of his all-adult choir in these passages? Or maybe he trusts the high quality audio and superior acoustic to clarify details that may otherwise be lost.

The soloists all stamp their individuality onto their respective arias and recitatives. And just like Thomas Hampson and Paul Esswood the last time round, all give full-blooded, emotive and lyrical performances. All are good, but my favourite performances are from the men. Anton Scharinger’s bass in Wachet auf has a real warmth and presence. Similarly Gerald Finley in Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, has a penetrating yet round tone matching beautifully the tutti pizzicato of the strings as he knocks on the door in Siehe, ich stehe vor der Tür. Christian Gerhaher is woefully underused, appearing only in Wir danken dir, a casualty, perhaps of a line-up already over-subscribed by top names. I’m not really a fan of Christine Schäfer’s wide vibrato, but I suspect I’m in a minority there. Her Genank an uns aria was the only track on the disc that I would sooner have heard from a boy treble.

The project has been described in the press as Harnoncourt’s 80th birthday present to himself. And why not? In recent years he has stretched his repertoire to works that would have seemed unimaginable in 1974 – I’m thinking in particular of Porgy and Bess – so it is a well-deserved return to home ground. Few would expect radical changes to his interpretation, and those that he makes seem to have been motivated primarily by the change of venue and soloists. If you liked his original recordings of cantatas 140, 61 and 29, you’ll like these, and the modern audio makes the whole experience just that little bit more satisfying. However, anybody expecting the success of this disc to lead him to embark on another full cycle may be disappointed.