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The
delight of Cantata 68 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt
("In truth hath God the world so loved") stems from its two arias,
which in turn were lifted from BWV 208, better known as the "Hunt
Cantata". Recorded in 1980-81, this performance is as enjoyable
as it is spiritedly delivered. Arleen Augér, and her accompaniment
of violin and oboe led by cello, sing and play in splendid gaiety.
Her aria (no.2), whose auspicious first sentiment is "My heart ever
faithful /Exulting, sing gladly", begins with soprano exulting so
with a busily merry cello solo, before the rest of the continuo
concludes the movement with a cheerful ritornello. The ritornello-ending
aria is one of the most beautiful forms I've ever encountered in
Baroque vocal music since the tradition of Purcell; it is a pity
that Bach rarely used it, and so here is a rare opportunity indeed.
The
only other aria here is for the bass, and Huttenlocher gives a sternly
regal account of it, though ideally I would prefer a deeper, more
mellow voice than his. BWV 68 was written in 1725 to a text by Christiane
Mariance von Ziegler, the daughter of the then mayor of Leipzig.
Similar in form to the chorale cantatas, this cantata begins with
a solemn chorus in moderate siciliano rhythm. Rilling coaxes a flowing
line from the interchange of chorus and orchestra, and as is noticeable
of his style, gets a nice sense of unity at the expense of contrast
and curvature - that is, it's rather too straight.
Three trumpets, three oboes and timpani greet us at the onset of
BWV 69 Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele ("Praise the Lord,
my Spirit"). To illustrate the point that the BWV numbers do not
actually list in chronological order of composition, No.69 here
is actually believed to be one of the last preserved cantatas by
Bach. Written for the occasion of the (annual) Inauguration ceremony
of the Leipzig Town Council in August 1748, it is a mainly celebratory,
commemorative work.
Though
the sense of flow (again) is unbroken in Rilling's reading of the
opening chorus, the problem (again) is that I find it robs the spring
of life and festive energy from the music. The trumpets are bright
and silvery but do not punch, and neither does the timpani. The
effect is clean and full of body (the recording is from 1983), but
grows weary due to this lack of momentum. The entry of the chorus,
running on the word "Lobe" ("Praise"), comes across as rather
restricted and laboured, though fine is the singing.
For
this cantata, the soprano Helen Donath (another star) graces the
cast. Her pleasing voice effortlessly reaches the heights in marvellous
brilliance - but oops, she sings only in one recitative. The honour
of the arias are given to the alto and bass. Unfortunately, I'm
not too enamoured of Julia Hamari's contribution here - her tone
is rather dryer and dingier here than in other volumes. Like the
opening chorus, her running notes are also awfully straight, and
even her vibrato exhibits the regularity of a sine wave.
This
problem with "straightness" only works - gloriously at that - in
the final chorale, which is a slow affair accompanied by trumpets
and timpani, here rendered with satisfying stateliness. In all,
the overall picture that Rilling has produced sounds remarkably
serious for a celebratory occasion - I wonder what the council would
have thought listening to this... For my money, I recommend Koopman's
much more pleasing account on Volume 6 of
his cycle.
The
spectacular cantata that is BWV 70 Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!
("Watch ye, pray ye, pray ye, watch ye!") festures some of the most
astonishing effects ever created by the great Master. As the detailed
notes by Dr Bomba (don't you love this guy's name?) puts it - "Bach
pulls out all the stops in this cantata", even for the recitatives.
The musical atmosphere is more like a stage drama, even opera, rather
than the usual sacred cantata. Witness the superb rendition of the
second number recitative for bass, as he threatens sinners and encourages
the elected. The staccato motif in the orchestral accompaniment
provides a simple, but very effective effect, especially with Rilling's
moulding of dynamic and pace here. Listen to the unusual harmonic
shifts in no.4, the tenor recitative - the twist at "ein jammervolles
Ach!" is delicious indeed!
Left: J.S. Bach - 1746 portrait by
E.G.Haussmann.
Before
these is the festive opening chorus, which sports something of the
architectural energy of the composer's orchestral
suites and concerti. The opening words "Wachet! betet! betet!
wachet!", with the regular bi-syllabic rhythm, is perfect opportunity
for artful composition and interpretation. Bach - and the performers
here - do not disappoint, with the lively results heard here.
The
topic of the text to this 25-minute two-part cantata is the "joyful
anticipation of the Redeemer's coming". Alto Verena Gohl, whom I've
never heard before, impresses with her rounded legato and her pleasant
tone - very enjoyable singing here. Augér is as scathingly satisfying
as her aria's text depicts, "Leave to mocking tongues their scorning".
Part
two begins with an aria of classic Baroque art - "one of those admirable
Bach arias where musical ease teams with an irresistible assertiveness"
(Bomba), spiritedly sung by Lutz-Michael Harder. The following recitative
and aria for bass displays more unusual effects, including the burst
of speed in the middle of the aria on the words "Sound and crack",
which Dr Bomba rightly describes in parallel to Vivaldi (and may
I also add Handel). The cantata ends with a rich seven-part chorale
- the only one Bach ever wrote. This is an amazing work given eloquent
readings by Rilling and company; it is without doubt the most important
item in this, Hännsler's 22nd volume of the Edition Bachakadamie.
CHIA
HAN-LEON
is currently playing NOX, which his dearly beloved insists on calling
"XON" because she saw the box upside down.
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19.2.2000 © Chia Han-Leon
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