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Cantata
BWV 87 Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen
("Till now have ye not been asking in my name's honour") is a quiet
and solemn cantata, composed for Rogation Sunday, 1725. The bass
takes the traditional role as Vox Christi (voice of Christ),
delivering the words of the Gospel. Walter Heldwein's delivery is
fine but doesn't sound particularly convincing. There are two gems
in this work, one a long and plaintive alto aria beseeching forgiveness,
of whose. Julia Hamari's subtly haunting and hypnotic rendition
I much enjoyed. Rilling's direction provides beautiful fluidity,
subtly achieved, which Fritz Werner in his 1961 Erato recording
doesn't quite match - you can hear how differently the two conductors
deal with Bach, and I prefer Rilling.
The
other gem in Cantata 87 is the tenor aria, calling upon the self
to be calm and courageous in the face of trouble in the soul. Unfortunately,
tenor Aldo Baldin sounds just a touch too strained this time (he
was much better in Vol.25)
As
Andreas Bomba's meticulous (but concise) notes explain, Bach's (sacred)
cantatas are sermon music, which follows certain dramaturlogical
structures. BWV 88 is divided into two parts, framing a sermon
(no, not provided here). Most of the cantatas are settings of the
same old "I'm sinful, God save me" sacred texts, which to a reviewer
of cantatas can be extremely wearisome. Cantata 88 provides a little
variety, beginning with a colourful scene of fishers and hunters,
the first accompanied with serene oboes, the latter horns (what
else?). The result has more than a touch of Handel.
The
performance here, recorded in 1970, is less than enthusiastic, I'm
afraid, sounding somewhat routine. The reading of BWV 89
is also less than satisfactory, somewhat lifeless - it's possible
to make the musical theme of that opening bass aria "bounce" more,
with more drama. Comparing with Koopman's reading on Vol.8 of the
Erato series, one might note that just by instilling a subtle bounce
into the music makes it spring to life. The straight, flat notes
of Rilling's direction does not help. Koopman's Amsterdamers are
far more interesting to listen to, and his bass Klaus Mertens is
virtually peerless. In consolation, Helen Watts and Arleen Augér
do perform their solo arias well; indeed, the Hännsler version is
mainly saved by the lovely Mozartian flavour of the performance
of the soprano aria (the Erato reading is distinctly more Baroque
by way of Koopman's pointedness).
The
jewel of this album is Cantata 90. It is short - a mere 13
minutes - but special. The tenor immediately begins, accompanied
by a busy and whirling solo violin, as he sings the ruin of "blasphemous
disdainers". Adalbert Kraus gives determined and worthy performances,
while Koopman's tenor is slushy. Also, whereas Rilling's violinist
is given prominence as a solo instrument - much more distinctive
this way - Koopman's reading has the violin(s) playing as background
accompaniment. Quite different effect. Next comes an athletic bass
aria with trumpet, both cheerfully "extinguish with haste" the sacred
places of sinners - "Ye make of the temples a house full of death."
Well, more than a few have commented on violence in the Bible. All
this provides some inspired wordplay from Bach.
But
most interesting is the final chorale, where Bach takes full advantage
of the line "And send a blessed hour of peace". I'll give Dr Bomba
the honours in explaining the genius of the composer:
"The
harmonisation of the line starts in E major (chord of the seventh),
continues with A minor, G major as the dominant of the parallel
key C major, which is interpreted as the dominant for F major, then
the parallel key D minor leading into C major as the dominant for
F major, or, in parallel, D minor at the end of the line, where
the melody comes to a standstill on F. But Bach choooses neither
of these harmonic alternatives. He rather interprets F as a major
third within a D flat major chord. He leads the movement bach out
of this maze via a diminished three-third-chord on C and to its
conclusion.... how the contemporary congregation must have pricked
up their ears when they heard this harmonic labyrinth through unplayable
keys in unequal temperament!"
...
And the genius is that this is so logical, yet so simple and yet
so artful and ultimately beautiful. That's Bach.
A
somewhat disappointing release, but not without merits and an education.
CHIA
HAN-LEON's
German is mainly from Bach, Beethoven and international instruction
manuals.
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12.1.2000 © Chia Han-Leon
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