Bach - Cantatas Vol.29 BWV135, 2, 3, 38
soloists; Bach Collegium Japan/Suzuki
BIS BISSACD1461

Release date January 2006

Masaaki Suzuki’s projected Bach cantata cycle, begun in 1995, is now over the half-way mark. The four cantatas that comprise Volume 29 are ‘chorale cantatas’ all dating from Bach’s second year as Cantor at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Bach had the idea of a cycle of cantatas for every Sunday and feast day of the church year, in which each cantata would be based on a hymn on a subject relevant to the day in question. The hymn tunes would always be well-known to the congregation, and Bach would introduce the hymn melody at the outset by means of a cantus firmus in his opening chorus. The impressive chorus of Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein (O God, look down from heaven) uses a melody known to us in a different context; it’s the melody that the Armed Men sing in Act II of The Magic Flute. By no means all of the texts that Bach set are exactly pregnant with musical possibilities – if you read the texts before listening to Bach’s settings you’ll be amazed at Bach’s ingenuity at transforming the most unpromising material into gold. There are some gems among these works; Alec Robertson, in his famous study of the church cantatas, declared that the soprano/alto duet Wenn Sorgen auf mich dringen (When sorrows oppress me - from Cantata BWV 3) is the finest duet in the cantatas. It’s certainly very beautiful, and it gets a lovely performance from Dorothee Mields and Pascal Bertin, two newcomers to Suzuki’s little repertory company of singers. The other two soloists are both regular contributors to the series. Bach often gives his tenors horribly difficult things to sing. For instance, Tröste mir, Jesu, mein Gemüte (Comfort my spirit, Jesus - from Cantata BWV 135) is a pig, but Gerd Türk negotiates his way through it without evident distress. The bass, Peter Kooij, wasn’t in his best voice for these sessions, and is occasionally discomforted by high-lying passages. Suzuki’s players are their usual splendid selves, and his little choir is as committed as it always seems to be.

Reviewed by Sandy Matheson