Edition Bachakadamie Vol.36 BWV 112 Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
BWV 113 Herr Jesu Christ, du hchstes Gut BWV 114 Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost Inga Nielsen Arleen Augr Gabrielle Schnaut sopranos Gabrielle Schreckenbach Julia Hamari altos Aldo Baldin Adalbert Kraus Kurt Equiluz tenors Walter Heldwein Niklaus Tuller Wolfgang Schne basses
Gchinger Kantorei Frankfurter Kantorei
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart
directed by Helmuth Rilling
Includes German texts with translations in French, English and Spanish.
Reissued 1999.
Hänssler’s complete Bach edition continues apace with outstanding renditions of these sacred cantatas. Bach’s intention to modernize church music planted seeds that yielded choice fruit with pieces like these, which not only mirror the Scripture texts but also illustrate them in musical ways recalling Richard Strauss over a century later. These cantatas are frequently quite tuneful, with many of the arias and chorales up to Bach’s own high standard and fully deserving of hearings outside of their present settings.
Singers and instrumentalists are uniformly excellent. Helmut Rilling’s brisk conducting keeps the proceedings moving, and the 1973-81 recorded sound, clear and close-up, has just enough hall ambiance to give some warmth and air around the notes. The notes by Dr. Andreas Bomba give cultural and textual contexts especially helpful in works such as these. The text translation Hanssler uses in the libretti differs from the one from which Dr. Bomba quotes, which at times can prove disconcerting. But even with this added effort, the good doctor’s comments prove extremely illuminating.
One point that the editor considered a disappointment in his review
Welcome to The Flying Inkpot. Still Singapore's longest running (c. 1997) website for all classical music and opera matters, we've been a little on/off (more off lately). If you're looking for a review of a concert you've been to but we didn't cover it, then maybe you should write for us. We need knowledgeable writers with an opinion on classical music. If you're that person, please write to The Editor