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Cantata BWV 19
Es erhub sich ein Streit
Discussions - Part 1 |
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Es erhub sich ein Streit |
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Anne Smith wrote (November 26, 2000):
Please forgive me if this has already been discussed. I have had Christoph Wolff's biography of Bach for several months, but I have only begun to read it seriously this week.
Wolff talks about the influence of Christoph Bach, Ambrosius' cousin, on J.S. He mentions Christoph's work for 22 obbligato voices "Es erhub sich ein Streit" for St. Michael's Day that J.S. performed in Leipzig. This sounds like wonderful music. I wondered if anyone has heard it performed or can recommend a recording.
Also, I come from a Presbyterian/Methodist background. We don't celebrate St. Michael's Day. I was wondering if the Lutheran Church still celebrates this day. |
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Deborah Carroll wrote (November 26, 2000):
(To Anne Smith) You are discussing one of my favorite cantatas, Kantata BWV 19 - "Es erhub sich ein Streit". My favorite recording of this work is Nikolaus Harnoncourt's interpretation for Teldec's "Das Kantatenwerk", Volume 5, Kantata's 17 through 20 [5].
The opening chorus (Mvt. 1) of this cantata is - I think - one of the most magnificent of Bach's entire cantata opus. You can almost feel the warfare and triumph, so evocative is this work.
As for the question regarding the extant practice of St. Michael's Day in the Lutheran religion, I'm not sure, but it's interesting, and I will research it and get back to you, if you'd like. |
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Yoël Arbeitman wrote (November 26, 2000):
(To Deborah Carroll) My understanding of Anne Smith's post is that she refers to a cantata with this same name, but by Christoff Bach. Am I wrong? |
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Anne Smith wrote (November 26, 2000):
(To Yoël Arbeitman) Yes, I am looking for the Cantata by J.S. Bach's father's cousin. It is so confusing with so many of the Bachs named Johann, Christoff, or both. Thanks to Deborah for the offer of finding out about St. Michael's Day. I would appreciate that. |
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Marten Breuer wrote (November 26, 2000):
(To Anne Smith) I only possess one recording of the aforementioned piece: It's on 'Archiv Produktion' ('Deutsche Grammophon') with Rheinische Kantorei and Musica Antiqua Köln, but I am not quite sure whether it's still available on the market. |
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Anne Smith wrote (November 26, 2000):
(To Marten Breuer) Thank you Marten. I will look for this at my regular on-line sources this afternoon. BTW, last night I was looking for the J.S.Bach version of this Cantata that Deborah mentioned and found that www.chapters.ca has some very good prices for the Cantatas. |
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Discussions in the Week of December 8, 2002 (1st round) |
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Aryeh Oron wrote (December 1, 2002):
BWV 19 - Introduction
The subject of discussion in the week of Dec 8, 2002, according to Thomas Shepherd’s suggested list, is Cantata BWV 19 ‘Es erhub sich ein Streit’ (There arose a strife).
Background
The background below, quoted from the liner notes to the CD reissue of Werner’s recording on Erato [3], was written by Nicholas Anderson:
See: Cantata BWV 19 - Commentary
Recordings
The details of the recordings of this cantata can be found at the following page of the Bach Cantatas Website: Cantata BWV 19 - Recordings
This cantata was recorded in the early 1950’s by both Fritz Lehmann [2] and Hans Grischkat [1]. These two German recorded a substantial amount of Bach’s vocal music, however most of it, including the cantata under discussion, has never been issued in CD form. Based on what I had the opportunity of hearing, I can say that their approach can be defined as romantic. That means using of big forces (choir and orchestra), expanded length and preference for legato lines rather than rhythmic approach. Although not in line with the modern approach of the HIP school, which prefers quicker tempi and dancing rhythm, I believe that the legacy of both conductors deserve re-issue in CD form. Not only as a respect and honour for conductors who were among the first to record the Bach Cantatas, but also in order to give us another angle to look at the cantatas. The modern interpretations have too many similarities, and sometimes I have the impression that the contemporary conductors try to imitate each other, or at least to follow the same route. We are in need of variety of approaches to enrich our listening. If we have a different one already recorded, why not making it available to the public? Furthermore, both conductors used first-rate vocal soloists, as the soprano Agnes Giebel (Grischkat) and the tenor Helmut Krebs (Lehmann). We have learnt from many cantata discussions that quite often singers from the past outclass many contemporary singers in terms of expression and vocal quality.
The list of recordings of Bach’s vocal works by these conductors can be found at:
Fritz Lehmann: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Performers/Lehmann.htm
Hans Grischkat: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Performers/Grischkat.htm
Three of the five other recordings come from complete cantata cycles (Rilling [4], Harnoncourt [5], and Leusink [8]). Werner’s recording [3] from 1964 was for a short while available in CD form. The last one, from 1990, is a rare appearance of Karl-Friedrich Beringer and his Windsbacher Knabenchor [6] in the weekly cantata discussions.
You can listen to Harnoncourt’s recording [5] through David Zale Website: http://www.mymp3sonline.net/bach_cantatas/mp3.asp
Additional Information
In the page of recordings mentioned above you can also find links to:
the original German text, two complete English translations (by Francis Browne and Z. Philip Ambrose), and a French translation; Score (Vocal & Piano version); Commentary: in English (Simon Crouch), Japanese (Nagamiya Tutomu) and Spanish (Julio Sánchez Reyes).
I hope to see many of you participating in the discussion. |
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Thomas Braatz wrote (December 10, 2002):
BWV 19 - Provenance:
See: Cantata BWV 19 - Provenance |
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Thomas Braatz wrote (December 11, 2002):
BWV 19 - Commentary: [Alfred Dürr (with some of my own additions)]
See: Cantata BWV 19 - Commentary |
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Thomas Braatz wrote (December 13, 2002):
BWV 19 - Other Commentaries: [Petzoldt, Little & Jenne, Schweitzer, Voigt, Friedrich Smend]
See: Cantata BWV 19 - Commentary |
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Dick Wursten wrote (December 13, 2002):
Thomas Braatz wrote:
< The notion that angels are camped around us can be found in Psalm 34:8 [Dürr’s reference must be incorrect here – does anyone know what the correct reference is?], >
RE: nothing wrong with Dürr’s reference IMO. |
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Thomas Braatz wrote (December 13, 2002):
[To Dick Wursten] This is what my Bible program gives me for Psalm 34:8 --
LUV Psalm 34:8 Smaakt en ziet hoe vriendelijk de Heer is; welgelukzalig hij, die op Hem vertrouwt.
LUO Psalm 34:8 Schmecket und sehet, wie freundlich der HERR ist. Wohl dem, der auf ihn traut!
KJV Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Where are the angels?? What am I missing here? |
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Lawrence Walker wrote (December 13, 2002):
[To Thomas Braatz] Try Psalm 34.7 |
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Thomas Braatz wrote (December 13, 2002):
[To Dick Wursten & Lawrence Walker] Lawrence Walker suggested trying a differeverse. It appears the numbering systems for different Bible translations are not the same [these verse numbers are copied directly from the Bible program:
LUV Psalm 34:7 (034-8) De Engel des Heren legert zich rondom degenen, die Hem vrezen, en verlost hen.
NBG Psalm 34:8 De Engel des HEREN legert Zich rondom wie Hem vrezen, en redt hen.
YLT Psalm 34:7 A messenger of Jehovah is encamping, Round about those who fear Him, And He armeth them.
EIN Psalm 34:8 Der Engel des Herrn umschirmt alle, die ihn fürchten und ehren, und er befreit sie.
Next time I will need to view contexts rather than search for individual verses.
Thanks, Dick and Lawrence! |
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Jane Newble wrote (December 13, 2002):
[To Thomas Braatz] In an English Bible it would be Ps. 34:7. |
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Dick Wursten wrote (December 13, 2002):
Thomas Braatz quoted Albert Schweitzer
One remark intrigued me: (about the Da Capo in mvt 1.)
Schweitzer:
< At the finish, when Satan’s host has fallen, the composer writes Dal segno, repeats the first part, “Es erhub sich ein Streit” [“Now there was war”] and so concludes. This da capo that he has inserted out of mere habit is of course a sing against both the text and the music: it shows how helpless this unique genius is against the formulae and ordinances of his epoch. In this one Dal segno we have the whole tragic fate of Bach’s art. There must be something in the nature of the pictorial conception of music to account for the fact that its two greatest representatives, Bach and Berlioz, are insensible to many things of which a quite mediocre talent would be conscious. >
I sympathize with this observation of Schweitzer, though he exaggerates the importance of it ('tragic fate', ohlala). Since I am also quite text-orientated in listening to Bach, I sometimes have the feeling that with bach the music starts with an invention based on the text, but that the music that flows from his pen becomes autonomous and in the end only obeys musical laws.
I signal this esp. in aria's, where the text is mono-directional, that is:
there is a thought which is introduced, expanded and concluded in the last line.... To put such a text to music and then at the end doing a Da Capo is a logical sin (sin against the Logos = word/meaning) , though musically often very justifiable and for a passive listener even enjoyable. The same 'indifference' to the text I sometimes experience with Bach, when in an text some isolated words are 'word-painted', words which are not the orientating words for the meaning of the the text..., but sometimes even quite the opposite.
P.S.
IMO the words 'Feuer, Ross, Wagen' (mvt 3) should not be linked to 2 Kings 6:17 (Dürr) but to 2 Kings 2:11, a textreference also present in Mvt. 7, the choral ('Elias Wagen Rot'), which is the 'key' music for St. Michaelsmass.
There are chariots of fire.. and a band of angels, watching over me, coming for to carry me home..
That is exactly the picure we should have in our mind, when listening to this beautiful cantata...
My favourite movement: Mvt. 5 tenor-aria with c.f.: Bleibt ihr Engel bleibt bei mir ! |
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Thomas Braatz wrote (December 14, 2002):
BWV 19 - The Recordings:
The recordings that I listened to this week are:
Rilling (1971) [4]; Harnoncourt (1972) [5]; Güttler (1984) [M-1] (Mvt. 5 only); Leusink (2000) [8]
Both Rilling and Güttler are more non-HIP than HIP (the instruments are more modern and there are more instruments per part; also both performances at standard pitch, while Harnoncourt and Leusink are a semi-tone lower)
Mvt. 1 - Introductory Choral Mvt.:
[4] Rilling:
This is a truly exciting performance of this great cantata mvt. with an appropriately driving tempo that propels everything forward with great clarity and balance between the parts. The trumpets lend a truly festive feeling that adds further power to punctuate the almost continuous motion in the choral parts. If there is any negative to be said about this performance at all, it would be that the soprano line suffers at times from a lack of clarity due to the vibratos that are used, but this can be easily overlooked/overheard because so many other aspects of this performance demonstrate true excellence which will serve to move the listener to become a part of this great battle and sense of victory.
[5] Harnoncourt:
This performance gives the sense of ‘much ado about nothing.’ The ‘much ado’ refers to the great effort that one hears being expended: the loud timpani, the shouting and barking in the choir, the usual overly strong accents, etc. The ‘nothing’ refers to the lack of real substance: the clarity and balance between all the parts and a lack of precision. It may seem hard to believe at first that all this commotion that Harnoncourt is ‘drumming’ up beclouds what is actually on the printed page of the score. All the voices other than the sopranos (and even occasionally the sopranos also succumb) are fraught with an unbelievable muddiness of sound. The trombas lack security in the tones that they produce (sometimes too loud, other times not loud enough); the listener, as a result, will not be engaged by the type of sound that they create. The vibratos in the voices of the boy singers become ugly because they are being forced beyond their capabilities.
[8] Leusink:
The howling banshees are present almost from the very beginning and give this performance the feeling that this is really a parody in the normal, non-musicological sense of this word. The double-bass, timpani, and organ combine to create a booming sound just perfect for a ‘boom-box.’ There is an aura of Florence Foster Jenkins surrounding this entire mvt. mainly due to the crazy sounds produced by the sopranos and altos. There is nothing very much uplifting about the sound of the trumpets.
Ranking:
Rilling [4] (near the top); Harnoncourt [5] (below average); Leusink [8] (abominable)
Mvt. 2 - Bass Recitative (Secco):
[4] Rilling/Nimsgern:
For the text of this recitative, Nimsgern has the perfect voice. He displays his expressive capabilities to very good advantage despite the fact that this recitative is so short. The bc with harpsichord holds out the long notes for their full value.
[5] Harnoncourt/van Egmond:
The shortened accompaniment in the bc removes the necessary support that a half-voice such as van Egmond’s really needs. Notice how soft (sotto voce) his voice becomes in the middle section – this is hardly singing, but he does demonstrate an attempt to bring expression into his presentation of the text. It simply remains on a much less intensive level when compared with a true professional voice such as Nimsgern’s.
[8] Leusink/Ramselaar:
Ramselaar engages in expressive antics which do not ‘ring true.’ It is too obvious that he is ‘playing with the text.’ This does not inspire a serious attitude toward the text on the part of the listener. The long notes in the bc are shortened a la Harnoncourt. There was to effort made to check out the correct text: Ramselaar sings ‘Schar’ instead of ‘Heer.’
Ranking:
Nimsgern [4] (big gap then:) van Egmond [5] and Ramselaar [8]
Mvt. 3 - Soprano Aria
[4] Rilling/Rondelli:
The soprano, Rondelli, is able to produce some beautifully sung tones with a full voice in the high as well as in the low range. However, there are times when she constricts her voice and trembles insecurely. She also ‘warbles’ on each 16th note oher long coloratura. This is another sign of her vocal insecurity. Sometimes her German diction lacks the necessary clarity for the words to be properly understood.
[5] Harnoncourt/Unnamed Boy Soprano:
Harnoncourt chooses a very sprightly tempo for this aria. The boy soprano, although generally with a good sense of intonation (which is hard to find in this series,) lacks depth in the low register and also has a rather disturbing, shaky vibrato. This aria is simply too difficult for this boy soprano, although he does amazingly well in parts. The oboi d’amore exhibit only a slight tendency toward shakiness in intonation (which makes it sound like they are not really certain of the actual pitch of the note that they are playing. They want to leave it up to the listener to decide. This type of playing does not inspire confidence in the listener.
[8] Leusink/Holton:
Holton’s half voice has ‘met its match’ in this aria. Listen to her voice, trembling very fast with fear. In the low range there is almost nothing. All of this sotto-voce singing. This means that the listener will perceive only a small fraction of the expressive qualities that are built into this mvt. The orchestral accompaniment is also not very inspiring.
Ranking:
Rondelli [4] (only above average); Unnamed Boy Soprano [5] (average); Holton [8] (below average)
Mvt. 4 - Tenor Recitative (Accompagnato)
[4] Rilling/Kraus:
Kraus manages to make the phrases flow here (he does not usually do the secco recitatives as well as this.) The text is treated with reverence and the musical aspect of the phrasing is not neglected. All of this makes this version of the recitative very listenable.
[5] Harnoncourt/Equiluz:
Equiluz has less of the lyric quality of Kraus’ performance. There is almost too much trembling in his voice at times (as if he is straining too much.) This may be due to Harnoncourt’s overly strong accents in a recitative of this type. Such accents are not very helpful, or even appropriate, in an accompagnato recitative.
[8] Leusink/van der Meel:
The tenor, van der Meel, attempts to put some expression into the text and with the exception of a few high, ‘dead’ notes, where he does not really know what to do with the notes, he manages to give a reasonable, understandable rendition of this recitative.
Ranking:
Kraus [4]; Equiluz [5], van der Meel [8]
Mvt. 5 - Tenor Aria:
[4] Rilling/Kraus:
Kraus seems to be somewhat removed from the microphone so that the balance between the trumpet and voice can be maintained, since this is really a duet between the two. The trumpeter (Hermann Sauter) plays the chorale evenly (no loud or soft notes) in a sustained, legato style with little vibrato. Kraus may not have ‘all the pleading quality of voice that Equiluz has,’ but he makes up for this with a very moving, lyrical quality that shines best of all in the coloraturas, which are so uncannily fluid that it becomes difficult to describe. The best thing to do is simply enjoy this marvelous trait of Kraus’ voice. The emotional expression of the text/music is also quite believable. Rilling does follow Bach’s dynamics, but the orchestral apparatus is definitely non-HIP with a modern string orchestra.
[5] Harnoncourt/Equiluz:
Equiluz’ singing is simply exquisite. He has a very honest, pleading quality in his voice which fits the text perfectly. It is only in the other aspects of this recordings that this performance falls short of the mark of true excellence: the tromba player (Josef Spindler) is very insecure in playing the simple notes of the chorale. If there is one place not to sound uncertain it is in the absolute calm but deliberate presentation of the notes that are suspended above everything else that is going on (voice and orchestral parts.) This tromba player fails to fulfill the necessary requirements, perhaps due to lack of control in playing a period instrument. There are blaring notes, very soft ones and a general tendency to create a trembling (zitternd) tone, all of which are extremely distracting. Add to this the problem (whether Harnoncourt forced this upon the player or the player simply was unable to avoid the difficulty) that there are pauses in the middle of a chorale line. If this is supposed to be Harnoncourt’s idea of articulation, then this is entirely inappropriate; if Spindler has a serious breath volume problem and is unable to play more than two or three notes at a time, then he should not have been playing here at all. In any case the tromba playing here sounds very amateurish and becomes a blemish on what should have been a truly excellent performance of this aria. Harnoncourt compounds the performance problems by not observing the dynamic markings that Bach placed into the score. For Harnoncourt playing a ‘piano’ marking means not reducing the volume, but detaching the notes from each other, thus creating the many hiatuses between notes for which Harnoncourt is (in)famous.
[M-1] Güttler/Schreier:
This is a very vivacious rendition of this beautiful aria with the renowned Peter Schreier doing the aria in his own inimitable style. He does have to contend against the prima donna, Ludwig Güttler, who always wishes to outshine all others wherever possible. There is no way to overhear the trumpet part due to its sheer volume. (a modern piccolo valve trumpet?) The vibrato is almost distracting at times. Güttler, as conductor, does observe Bach’s dynamics. The orchestra is a modern string orchestra with the equivalent power and force reminiscent of the recordings of Karajan, Richter, etc. As a result Schreier has to produce at maximum volume at times. When Schreier has to sing “Engel,” the quality of the vowel and the voice seem rather narrow and constricted. Equiluz and Kraus do much better at controlling this sound which occurs frequently in this aria. Güttler has chosen a very fast tempo, much too fast for a ‘loure’ which should be slow and majestic. There is none of this here.
[8] Leusink/van der Meel:
The tenor, van der Meel, is the weakest of all the tenors that sing this aria. There simply is no way to compare this voice with the other three who are so superlative that nothing else can even approach them. Van der Meel, to begin with, has some intonation problems that become agonizing when the listener becomes aware of the fact that he is ‘slipping away’ on a longer note that he is trying to hold onto. There is generally a ‘dead’ quality which shows no emotional commitment to the text or the music. “He’s getting the job done, but that’s about all!” The tromba player (Susan Williams) has some insecure notes. These are notes that suddenly have very little volume (the lower B natural, for instance), but, at other times, there are notes which just as suddenly become very loud. When she tries to put a trill on a C# (not indicated in the score), the trill is very imperfectly played. These discrepancies simply can not exist in the playing of a chorale of this type. The playing without a vibrato is very suitable here, but the volume of this instrument leaves very much to be desired. Leusink’s orchestral accompaniment includes the usual heavy-handed double string bass growling the bass notes an octave lower than everything else, and, of course, it is much to loud, as always. Leusink overlooks the Bach’s dynamic markings. All in all, this is a very uninspiring performance of a great piece of music.
Ranking:
Rilling/Kraus [4] (where everything comes together just right)
Güttler/Schreier [M-1] (not as good as the former,but trumpet playing and orchestral accompaniment reasonably good)
Harnoncourt/Equiluz [5] (tromba playing and orchestral accompaniment average, but Equiluz superior)
Leusink/van der Meel [8] (many deficiencies – a very boring performance)
Mvt. 6 - Soprano Recitative (Secco)
[4] Rilling/Rondelli:
This version of this secco recitative, with a bc consisting of a violoncello and harpsichord, holds out all the chords as Bach had indicated them in the score. Rondelli has a full voice that carries well. It is unfortunate that she is heard very rarely in this cantata series, (perhaps because she has more problems with the arias) for this voice sings with power and emotion in this recitative without overdoing it as many trained, but ‘worn-out’ operatic voices do, when they are asked to sing in this cantata series (Augér is an exception here.)
[5] Harnoncourt/Unnamed Boy Soprano
Despite the shortened bc accompaniment, this unnamed boy soprano’s performance is far superior to anything that an imitation, such as Ruth Holton’s could ever accomplish. The diction is perfect (the listener will be able to understand the words without having to guess what they are) and there is a lively expression in the voice.
[8] Leusink/Holton:
This type of ‘boyish’ singing begins to ‘get on my nerves’ because everything is being sung in such a ‘matter-of-fact’ fashion (lack of any kind of emotional commitment to the text whatsoever). While Holton may hit the notes with proper intonation, she still sings as an adult trying to imitate a young boy soprano and demonstrate a lack of perception. This entire method of singing is disingenuous. On top of this, Holton creates certain ‘howling’ sounds on some notes and almost disappears with her voice entirely on others. This is a half-voice which has nowhere to go musically since it seems to be ‘stuck’ in a rut, not even being able to enunciate the German text sufficiently for its message to be imparted to the listener.
Ranking:
Rondelli [4] and Unnamed Boy Soprano [5] (both very good)
Holton [8] (simply does not make the grade – very uninspiring)
Mvt. 7 - Final Chorale:
[4] Rilling:
This is the only version where you can hear all the notes the trumpets are supposed to play. The timpani are not obtrusive. The choir sings legato without having to break off after every 2nd or 3rd note. This is a spirited performance which gives a fitting climax to this cantata. The only possible drawback is that the trained (overly-trained?) voices sing with too much vibrato, a feature that is always distracting, particularly in the soprano voice.
[5] Harnoncourt:
Taking a very slow tempo, it becomes necessary for Harnoncourt to insert more of his many pauses in the middle of a musical phrase. The entrances of voices and instruments are quite ragged. Somehow the performers do not know precisely when they should enter. The intonation of the instruments is off. This begins to sound a bit more like a junior-high-school performance than part of a serious collection of Bach cantatas. The timpani part is much too loud, while the trumpets are suffering agony in the stratosphere, skipping notes when they are too hard to play.
[8] Leusink:
Here there is a lot of timpani sound along with trumpets that simply miss playing certain notes (or play them very softly.) The tempo is much too bouncy and fast. On the high notes the sopranos begin to chirp. There are some separations between notes in the musical lines of the chorale. Certain voices stick out when they should not.
Ranking:
Rilling [4] (the only version that approaches excellence)
Harnoncourt [5] and Leusink [8] (these are good amateur performances, don’t expect too much here) |
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Jane Newble wrote (December 14, 2002):
[8] This week I listened several times to the one performance I have of this cantata - Leusink.
Personally I find it quite difficult to listen to the first movement. The rough and uncontrolled howling of the sopranos and altos is painful, even though it gives quite a comical impression of a battle-field with hounds.
Somehow it does spoil the rest of the cantata, although by the time the tenor sings his beautiful aria I have calmed down enough to enjoy it! It gives the impression of a calm, steady walk, and it must be very difficult to sing without being distracted by the trumpet. It shows Bach's incredible genius again.
The last choral has echoes of the fight of the first movement, and is still rough, although not so bad.
It is obvious that I shall have to find a different rendering of this, and I am looking forward to Thomas Braatz' comments and comparisons on the different performances. They might give me an idea of what to go for.
By the way, I did like the thought of Bach writing an 'F' on the page, then turning it over and starting again. |
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Jane Newble wrote (December 14, 2002):
Thomas Braatz wrote:
[4] < Rilling:
This is a truly exciting performance of this great cantata mvt. with an appropriately driving tempo that propels everything forward with great clarity and balance between the parts. The trumpets lend a truly festive feeling that adds further power to punctuate the almost continuous motion in the choral parts. If there is any negative to be said about this performance at all, it would be that the soprano line suffers at times from a lack of clarity due to the vibratos that are used, but this can be easily overlooked/overheard because so many other aspects of this performance demonstrate true excellence which will serve to move the listener to become a part of this great battle and sense of victory. >
Not sure why I didn't get this email until this morning, but anyway, I shall get Rilling [4].
Does anyone else think the same about Rilling's performance [4]? |
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BWV 19 |
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Neil Halliday wrote (October 18, 2003):
[4] The last entry on the BCW discussion page, concerning BWV 19 ("Es erhub sich ein Streit"), at: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV19-D.htm is a question from Jane Newble (Dec. 14th 2002)
"Does anyone else think the same about Rilling's performance [4]?"
The answer to this question, in response to Tom Braatz's excellent review of several recordings of this cantata, is most definitely - YES!!.
The only comments I would add to Tom's remarks are: the powerful, resonant yet excellently recorded timpani in the opening chorus (Mvt. 1); and the marvellous continuo bassoon in the soprano aria (Mvt. 3).
The tenor aria (Mvt. 5), with trumpet playing the chorale tune, is one of Bach's all-time great pieces of music, and the modern string orchestra is an absolute delight in this movement. |
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Continue on Part 2 |
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