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Fritz V. Herbold wrote (April 3, 2026):
This is one of my favorite Weimar cantatas and the BCW shows 94 interpretation so far, beginning with early renditions from 1954 (with Hermann Scherchen) and ending with 2026 (Emmanuel Music Orchestra with Ryan Turner on YouTube). The main reason for the popularity of this short cantata is it’s beginning with the signal-style dissonance with the strings playing a dominant seventh chord over an organ point of the tonic. ‘This harshly dissonant opening has on occasion been viewed as a unique stroke of genius’(A. Dürr, see below).
For some reason, the BCW does not mention the IMHO terrible arrangement of this work by the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould (see and hear on YouTube YouTube. Gould plays the string voices on the piano, accompanied by a full romantic string orchestra and the probably less well-known American counter-tenor Russell Keys Oberlin (October 11, 1928 – November 25, 2016) singer and founding member of the New York Pro Musica Antiqua ensemble who became the first, and for years the only, countertenor in the United States to attain general recognition—in The New Yorker's words, "America's first star countertenor." I don’t like this adaptation by Gould because this piece can’t be farther away of our idea of a modern HIP interpretation. Nevertheless the video is very interesting to watch (in the beginning Gould plays the Bach’s Fugue in E-flat major and gives an interesting introduction showing his understanding of Bach’s musical importance.
The KB (critical report) of NBA I/18 (see other details below) interestingly reports that further ‘uses’ (performances) cannot be proven for after 1714 in Weimar. Also, Bach scholar Friedrich Smend has ‘convincingly proven ‘that the music of the first aria of this cantata has been used again in the 53rd. movement of the Markus-Passion (see BWV 247 at BCW). In a reconstruction by Ton Koopman from November 1999 one can hear this aria ‘Falsche Welt, dein schmeichelnd Küssen’, (tenor, see Nr. 23 on Disc 1). Finally, A. Dürr (as main editor of the NBA I/18) makes a point for a ‘probable’ performance of this cantata on the 7th. Sunday after Trinity the year 1714, since the Oculi dates for 1714 and 1715 ‘don’t fit well‘ in Bach’s Weimar performance calendar and 1716 ‘wouldn’t fit stylistically’. Bach scholars are not in agreement about the original performance date and also suggest a use of the cantata for ‘at any time’ (‘in ogni tempore’). See introduction by A. Dürr, below.
BWV 54 is the 12th. cantata of Rudolf Lutz’s cycle, recorded live at the Evangelic Church in Trogen, see also the Bachipidia Bachipedia with links to the concert (YouTube), workshop and reflexion. The names of all performers, including all choristers can also be found there. See also my general comments about the Lutz cycle at Rudolf Luts - Discussions Part 1.
Remark: so far (until BWV 81), Rudolf Lutz’s performances always managed to take place on Fridays, 2 days before the respective feast Sundays of the Lutheran Church calendar in the year of his recordings. This time (Oculi) in 2008, February 24 fell on a Saturday and as a consequence, the performance had to be postponed to Friday, March 14 – 19 days later.
I am comparing Rudolf Lutz with 20 other more recent (mostly HIP) recordings.
Exceptionally, I am including Gustav Leonhardt’s recording in this discussion. Although I appreciate many excellent interpretations of the Harnoncourt – Leonhardt cycle (mostly because of the great soloists Paull Esswood (CT) and Kurt Equiluz (Tenor), this is not the case for many other renditions because of the too large choirs they use in their chorus and chorale settings.
Scoring: see KB, NBA: I/18 and Bach Digital Bach Digital.
Remarks:
1. Bach’s original score and parts are lost, but the NBA uses two contemporary copies of the score: a) by Johann Gottfried Walthers (kept in Brussels, Belgium) and b) by Franz Hauser (kept in Berlin, Germany).The original parts are named: Alt solo, Violine I, Violine II, Viola I, Viola II, Basso continuo. The two parts for viola I and II are typical for Bach’s early Weimar cantatas.
2. The NBA I/28.1 was published in 1967 meaning that it was not yet available for some of the earlier recordings before this date.
Introduction Cantata BWV 54 by Alfed Dürr (from The Cantatas of J. S. Bach)
‘The text of this cantata is drawn from the cycle Gottgefälliges Kirchen-Opjfer of 1711 by the Darmstadt court librarian Georg Christian Lehms. There it is assigned to the Third Sunday in Lent, though the content is of a very general nature, and the sources of the cantata include no reference to a specific liturgical occasion. Nor is there general agreement among scholars as to its date of origin, beyond the general fact that it clearly originated during Bach’s Weimar years. Various possible dates have been put forward in recent years: 471713, perhaps for use ‘in ogni tempore’ (on any occasion), like most of Bach’s pre-Weimar cantatas; 1714, more likely in the summer or autumn than in Lent; and 1715, for the Third Sunday in Lent (24 March). The text of this brief cantata essentially makes a single point: it warns against sin as an endowment of the devil, outwardly attractive but deadly within, which, with ‘true devotion’, can be resisted so that the tempter takes flight. Here and there, Lehms interweaves biblical allusions: the ‘whited sepulchre’ (no. 2) is quoted from Matthew 23.27, a saying of Jesus’s in which we also find (as also elsewhere in the Bible) the outward-inward contrast that provides the basic idea of the second movement; and the opening line of the third—‘ He who commits sin is of the Devil’— is taken word for word from the First Epistle of John 3.8. The phrase ‘It is like Sodom’s apples’ (no. 2) alludes to a tradition reported by Flavius Josephus, according to which such apples— the fruit of calotropis procera— outwardly resemble edible fruits, but when picked dissolve into ash and vapor. The text thus has links with the Epistles* for the Third Sunday in Lent and the Seventh Sunday after Trinity but is only very loosely connected with the Gospel* reading for either occasion. 48 It used to be thought that this cantata survives in an instate, but since the discovery of the printed text we know that this is not the case. The work is a true ‘cantata’ for a single voice, an alto soloist, and is laid out according to the simplest standard scheme of this genre, grouping two arias around a single recitative. The instrumental ensemble is made up only of strings, with divided violas, and continuo. Within this restricted scope, the composer had to create a field of tension that would be sufficiently arresting for the listener. For this Bach found the necessary motive in the double character of sin disclosed in the recitative: it is described as Trom without wonderfully fair’ but inwardly deadly and the work of the devil.’
Remarks:
a) Pitch and temperament: In both mentioned copies of the original score, Bach’s key is E Flat Major, but at a’= 465 Hz (‘Chorton’), as is the case with many other earlier cantatas. In his ‘Notes concerning the performance’ Leonhardt points out for BWV 54: ‘in view of the fact that the score of the Leipzig version (in chamber pitch, E Flat major) puts the alto part in all too deep a pitch, we decided in favor of the Weimar version (F Major)’This comment is very misleading, since there is no ‘Leipzig version’ for this cantata and he omits that the original Weimar key of E Flat Major in the copies of the original score is meant for ‘Chorton’ (a’= 465 Hz). This might be understandable since the NBA wasn’t available at the time of his recording. As a matter of fact, transposing the key to F Major isn’t a bad idea if you needed to play at the Leipzig ‘Kammerton’ of a’= 415 Hz. because this two half tones transposition would correspond to the same original Weimar pitch at a’= 465 Hz. I am commenting on all individual keys and pitches used in the later recordings below. Temperaments are equal with the exception of R. Lutz who uses nonequal temperaments following Young or Valotti. IMHO, slight variations of keys and pitches used here don’t really matter for the hearing pleasure.
b) total times vary significantly between 10:31 (Suzuki) and 14:23 (Ludwig Güttler). The average tempo is between 11:00 and 12:00.
c) I am discussing all three movement in one block for each interpretation since the alto soloist remains the same and the instrumentations varies only slightly in all three movements. The performance of the alto (CT, MS and Contralto) can be best appreciated in movements 2 and the coloratura parts in movements 3. I am concentrating my discussion there.
Mvt. 1: Aria A, Violino I, Violino II, Viola I, Viola II and BC
Introduction by Alfred Dürr: ‘The opening aria, with its ingratiating suspensions, depicts the tempting beauty of sin; 49 but the initial dissonance (a dominant-seventh chord against a tonic pedal-point) already calls for resistance. This harshly dissonant opening has on occasion been viewed as a unique stroke of genius. Around the same time, however, Bach used the same chord to open the recitative ‘Siehe, ich stehe vor der Tür und klopfe an’ from the Advent cantata BWV 61, and here again it represents an awakening out of security and indifference. The middle section of the aria ‘Widerstehe doch’ is also full of harmonic audacities, among which the repeated deceptive cadence is unfailingly effective as a description of the ‘curse that is deadly’.
Mvt. 2: Recitativo A and BC
Introduction by Alfred Dürr: ‘The recitative, no. 2, is again boldly descriptive. The phrase ‘an empty shadow and a whited sepulchre’ has an immediate graphic effect with its lurid harmony. And the arioso* conclusion— a feature of numerous recitatives by the young Bach— here draws its significance from the quick, text-engendered continuo runs, which portray the ‘Sharp sword that pierces through our body and soul’.
Mvt. 3: Aria A, Violino I, Violino II, Viola I, Viola II and BC
Introduction by Alfred Dürr: ‘In the second aria, no. 3, the deceptive beauty of sin is exposed as truly reprehensible, but also susceptible to defeat. Bach here unites the violins and violas to form a single part each, so that with the addition of alto voice and continuo a fugue-like quartet texture arises. With its regular subject and countersubjects, the movement is oriented towards the permutation principle. Even the seemingly unthematic opening continuo part, with its stepping quavers, is later sung by the alto to the words ‘Denn dieser hat sie aufgebracht’ (‘ For [the Devil] has brought it about’), thereby disclosing its function as the second regular countersubject. The middle section is more freely structured, but only in its vocal passages, for the instrumental epilogue that follows each of them even treats the main theme in stretto. A free da capo of the main section concludes the aria and therewith the whole cantata’.
Remarks: Tempos vary between 4:23 (fastest, Christoph Spering) and 6:01 (slowest, Suzuki).
Gustav Leonhardt (12-1974): this is the second recording by Leonhardt. A 20 years earlier version (May 1954) with one of the first well-known counter-tenors, English counter-tenor, Alfred Deller, who was the man most responsible for the renaissance of music for counter-tenor in the 20th century. See BCW. He was a pioneer in popularizing the current practice of authentic early music performance, and he revived the counter-tenor voice as a vehicle for accurate performances of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music. This is one of the first recordings with ‘original’ / ‘authentic’ baroque instruments, among them Nikolaus Harnoncourt playing the violoncello and Leonhard playing the chest organ himself. Nevertheless although I appreciate this first recording from the interpretation, I am not a fan of Deller with his too shrill timbre, and I am not discussing it further. It wouldn’t be among my choices.
At the other hand, I like his second recording discussed here with English counter-tenor, Paul (Lawrence Vincent) Esswood (see BCW) a CT that I have enjoyed in most of his recordings with the complete Harnoncourt-Leonhard cycle. This is also one of the first recordings with ‘ original instruments’ as explained by Nikolaus Harnoncourt in his many liner notes and books.
Nevertheless, in the liner notes and the BCW mention the use of 4 first and 4 second violins (one played by Sigiswald Kuijken!) as well as 2 first and 2 second violas. I think IMHO that (for the sake of transparency) he missed the opportunity to use less strings here. For the BC he uses violoncello, violone and organ (played by Leonhardt himself) in movement 1 and 3, and (only) violoncello, organ in movement 2. His choice of using the F Major key at the Leipzig pitch of a’ = 415 Hz has been explained above. I believe that many other recordings might have followed this good solution. His tempos of 8:16 (1), 1:14 (2) and 3:08 (3) sound adequate. Among my first choices.
Ricercar Consort (12-1983): French counter-tenor, Henri Ledroit, was initially trained as a baritone, but in 1972, at the age of 26, he met Alfred Deller who revealed his true nature as a counter-tenor. See BCW.
Tempos are 9:08 (1), 1:08 (2), 3:07 (3). Contrary to Leonhardt above, the consort uses soloistic strings of one instrument per voice, which sounds much more transparent. The ‘light’ BC of only 1 violoncello and chest organ enforces this. Regarding key and pitch, I am not sure here: the key finder shows D Major at modern pitch of a’ = 440 Hz sounding definitely lower than most of the other recordings. There is no information in the liner notes, so I believe this recording was either performed at modern pitch of a’ = 440 Hz’ or E Flat Major at the Leipzig ‘Kammerton’ of a’= 415 Hz. Both alternatives would still be a full tone lower as the intended original key / pitch. Among my first choices.
Robert King & The King’s Consort 1 (??-1986): I haven’t perceived any differences in this first recording compared to the second , see below.
Robert King & The King’s Consort 2 (09-1986): English counter-tenor, James (Thomas) Bowman, has been one of the world's leading counter-tenors for nearly 30 years; his career spans opera, oratorio, contemporary music and solo recitals. See BCW. The first movement is too slow for my taste. According to the BCW, the strings section has 2 solo violins I and II but mentions only one viola! The BC mentions violoncello, Violone, Chamber Organ (Robert King) AND Harpsichord, but I can’t hear the latter. Regarding key and pitch, the liner notes inform that Robert King followed Leonhard’s solution, playing at F Major at a’= 415 Hz. I like Bowman’s timbre and technique but he is not my first choice because of the very slow tempo.
Jeffrey Thomas & American Bach Soloists (04 & 10-1990): This is very ‘refreshing’ rendition at a quicker tempo of 6:08 in the first movement. Drew Minter is among the world's premier counter-tenors (see BCW). I like his timbre and technique. Regarding the strings the liner notes inform two violin and 2 viola soloists, but also a third instruments for both parts playing additionally. Nevertheless, this sounds still very transparent and the BC has a nice touch with an archlute apart from violoncello, violone and chest organ. There is no information regarding key and pitch, so I believe Thomas might have followed Leonhardt’s and Robert King’s approach playing at F Major at a’= 415 Hz or playing at the high Weimar ‘Chorton’ (a’ = 465 Hz) in E Flat Major. One of my first choices.
Roy Goodman & The Hanover Band (01 & 02-1994): This is the first recording with French contralto Nathalie Stutzmann(see BCW) who has a very particular low contralto timbre, very adequate to this cantata. The liner notes only inform Roy Goodman as solo violinist, but I am quite sure that I hear 2 solo violins and 2 solo violas playing here. The BC is relatively ‘light’ with a cello and chest organ only. Regarding key and pitch, the Hanover Band is a British period orchestra specializing in 18th- and 19th-century repertoire. As a historically informed ensemble, it aims to reflect the instrumentation practices of the time, so I guess Goodman might also have followed Leonhardt’s and Robert King’s approach playing at F Major at a’= 415 Hz or playing at the high Weimar ‘Chorton’ (a’ = 465 Hz) in E Flat Major. One of my first choices.
Andrzej Mysiński & Concerto Avenna (12-1994): contralto Yadwiga Rappé died after a long illness on May 16, 2025, at the age of 73 and was one of the best-known singers from Poland. Her contralto timbre sounds even lower as with Stutzman and she is technically as good as most other soloist discussed her. The string section sound somewhat ‘washed out’. I am not sure how many violins and violas are playing here; the liner notes inform a total of 4 first and 4 second violins, as well as 1 viola I and 1 viola II and a BC with violoncello, violone, chest organ (movements 1 & 3), whereas the cembalo and a viola da gamba play in movement 2. This recording stands out regarding key and pitch since a key finder at modern pitch (a’= 440 Hz) finds B Flat Major (corresponding to the German B Major)! I believe that the Concerto Avenna is playing at the modern pitch and probably choose the lower key (3 halftones, tritone) to accommodate the low contralto voice better. Although the soloist is excellent, there is a certain lack of transparency - not among my first choices.
Koopman (09-1995): German counter-tenor, Andreas Scholl (see BCW) sings many of the alto parts with Koopman. He has also performed with Herreweghe and René Jacobs. This is his first recording of BWV 54 and his technically perfect voice and diction is excellent as in most performances.. The string section is reduced to the 2 violins I & II and the 2 violas I & II here. The BC is played only by violone and chest organ (played by Koopman himself). Regarding key and pitch, Koopman’s liner notes are very clear: In volume I (early cantatas) he plays at the early Weimar ‘Chorton’ of a’= 415 Hz but starting volume II he switches to the Leipzig ‘Kammerton’ a’= 415 Hz. Accordingly, I believe that he also chose F-Major in this case, sounding as E Flat major at the original a’= 465 Hz pitch of Bach’s performance in Weimar. Among my first choices.
Suzuki (04-1996): Japanese counter-tenor (see BCW) is technically perfect here and I like his timbre and diction very much, especially in the high registers, although the tempo of 6:06 is too fast IMHO. The string section is also limited to the 2 solo violins and 2 solo violas I and II. His BC varies according to the movements: violoncello, violone and chest organ in movements 1 & 3, only violoncello and organ in movement 2. Regard key and pitch the same goes here as with Koopman. Accordingly, I believe that he also chose F-Major in this case, sounding as E Flat major at the original a’= 465 Hz pitch of Bach’s performance in Weimar. Among my first choices.
Herreweghe (07-1997): this is the second recording with Counter-tenor: Andreas Scholl (see above). Comparing to his first performance with Koopman he sings even better! I am not sure about the size of the string section here; the liner notes inform a total of 12 instruments, but it sounds like Herreweghe also used a reduced instrumentation, probably with 2 solo violin parts each and 2 violas, I and II. The BC is informed as violoncello, violone, harpsichord and chest organ. Key and pitch are probably the same as with Leonhardt and his followers cited above, F Major at a’= 415 Hz. As so often with Herreweghe, this is a most ‘spirited’ and ‘fresh’ reading and among my first choices.
Ludwig Güttler & Virtuosi Saxoniae (02-1999): German tenor, Christoph Genz (see BCW) sings in this (former East German) recording with Güttler. This rendition was recorded at the Lukas Church, Dresden, Saxony, Germany. I like his timbre and his technique is perfect. Unfortunately the tempo of the first movement is painfully slow considering that most Bach scholars agree that Bach preferred relatively fast tempi. Both BCW and liner notes don’t specify the string instrumentation (I believe he uses more instruments of the Virtuosi Saxoniae than both solo parts for violin and viola – probably 4 first and second violins and 2 violas I and II. At the other hand the BC is mentioned: violoncello, double-bass, bassoon, chest organ and harpsichord. I believe this is the only recoding using a bassoon in the BC. Güttler plays at the modern pitch of a’= 440 Hz in E Flat Major, Because of the slow tempo, not my first choice, although the CT soloist is not bad.
Gardiner (03-2000): this is the second recording with contralto Nathalie Stutzmann, IMHO, 6 years later she sings even better as with Goodman (see above). Her characteristic lower contralto voice is mostly one of my first choices. I don’t believe Gardiner used the whole string section of his English Baroque Soloists, but instead only 2 violins and two violas. This rendition is very transparent although not as ‘refreshing’ as with Herreweghe. The BC is relatively ‘light’ with violoncello, double-bass and chest organ. Among my first choices. Key and pitch are probably the same as with Leonhardt and his followers cited above, F Major at a’= 415 Hz. As so often with Herreweghe, this is a most ‘spirited’ and ‘fresh’ reading and among my first choices.
Charles Humphries & Kontrabande (01-2001): English counter-tenor, Charles Humphries (see BCW) might not be as well-known as the other CT’s here, but his performance is good as many, although not so steady in the higher registers., especially in movement 3. The liner notes mention two solo violins I and II but only 1 viola anda BC with violoncello, violone, and harpsichord. Key and pitch are probably the same as with Leonhardt and his followers cited above, F Major at a’= 415 Hz. Among my first choices.
Gérard Lesne & Il Seminario Musicale (11-2001): French counter-tenor and conductor, Gérard Lesne (see BCW) has a forceful CT timbre, but doesn’t sound confident technically, especially in some coloraturas in movement 3 and somewhat shrill in the higher registers. The strings follow the original score, with 2 solo violins I and II and 2 solo violas I and II. The BC mentions viols (= violas da gamba), violoncello, archlute and both harpsichord and organ. I hear the harpsichord in movements 1 and 3 and the chest organ in movement 2. Key and pitch are different than all other recordings: key finder software’s shows D Major at the modern pitch of a’= 440 Hz which means that Lesne might have chosen this lower key at modern pitch to accommodate the range of his voice or that he tuned his strings and keyboard instruments to the original ‘Chorton’ pitch of a’= 465 Hz playing – as did Bach originally – in E Flat Major. Among my first choices.
Daniel Stepner & Aston Magna (07 & 08-2002): American counter-tenor, Jeffrey Gall (see BCW) I am not a great fan of this performance, especially because of his somewhat to shrill timbre, especially in the high registers. The liner notes inform the exact instrumentation: 2 first and second solo violins and two first and second viola soloists and a BC with violoncello (or viola da gamba), violone and chest organ. Regarding key and pitch we have exactly the same situation as with Gérard Lesne, see above. I also believe that Stepner tuned his strings and keyboard instruments to the original ‘Chorton’ pitch of a’= 465 Hz playing – as did Bach originally – in E Flat Major. Not among my first choices.
Helmut Müller-Brühl (10 & 11- 2004): Norwegian mezzo-soprano, Marianne Beate Kielland (see BCW) has a great timbre – not as low as the contraltos mentioned above but a crystal clear diction and perfect technique in all registers. One of my favorite MS’s. The strings of the ‘Kölner Kammerorchester’ is larger here (total of 6 violins I, 5 violins II, 2 violas I and one viola II. The BC consist of violoncello, double-bass and chest organ. This recording was registered at the modern pitch of a’= 440 Hz, playing in E Flat Major and thus sounding a half tone lower than the original version. One of my first choices for MS.
Rudolf Lutz (03-2008): Austrian counter-tenor, Markus Forster (see BCW) is clearly one of my favorite counter-tenors of a newer generation. Technique, ‘warm‘ timbre and diction are perfect here in the (original) small setting of solo violins I and II, solo violas I and II and violoncello, violone and chest organ (played by Lutz himself) in the BC (movements 1 & 3 and without the violone in movement 2) . One can appreciate his voice better in movement 2 with the BC only and his coloraturas in the second half of movement 3 are perfect from the lowest to highest notes. At the end a surprise: following a suggestion of Bach scholar Martin Petzoldt, Lutz choose to includes a chorale setting arranged by himself, sung by the alto accompanied by an upper voice (German: Oberstimme) played by the both violins and violas and full BC on the text ‘Jesum nur will ich liebhaben’ and the popular music of ‘Werde munter, mein Gemüthe’ by Johann Schop (1642) also used in BWV 146, 147 and 154). Lutz is either playing at the original key E Flat Major with his strings and chest organ tuned to the ‘Chorton’ a’= 465 Hz. or he followed also Leonhardt’s example playing in F Major at his usual ‘Kammerton’ pitch at a’= 415 Hz. The notation examples in his liner notes suggest the first option. One of my first choices for CT.
Klaas Stok & Concerto d' Amsterdam (10-2008): Dutch younger generation counter-tenor, Maarten Engeltjes, started singing in a boys-choir when he was 4 years old (see BCW). This must explain his excellent technique and cultivated timbre – with a certain warmth that also reminds Foster above. You can listen to the first movement on YouTube (YouTube). With only the BC as accompaniment, one can appreciate his voice especially in part 2 as well as in the second half of part 3 with perfect coloraturas. In the liner notes, the Concerto d' Amsterdam plays normally with 3 violins and 3 violas, but I believe Stok might be using only 2 instruments as scored originally. This rendition also sounds very ‘light’, ‘crystal’ and transparent. This is a recording with the great church organ of the ‘Grote Kerk’ in Dordrecht, NL, together with violoncello and double-bass. Since this church is tuned at the ‘Chorton’ of a’= 465 Hz, I believe that all the strings are also tuned to this pitch and played at the key E Flat Major, as in Bach’s original performance in Weimar. Also one on my first choices for CT.
Nicolette Moonen & The Bach Players (11-2010): English mezzo-soprano, Sally Bruce-Payne (see BCW) has a long standing experience with many other recordings with The Bach Players and also with Gardiner. She has a rather dark mezzo-soprano timbre – not as low as with Rappé and Goodman, but is technically perfect, especially in the coloraturas in movement 3. The minimal strings with both solo violins I and II and solo violas I and II with a ‘light’ BC consisting of violoncello and chest organ are very transparent and ‘crystal’. Regarding key and pitch, this is the same situation as discussed with the Concerto Avena - Jadwiga Rappé (see above): A key finder at modern pitch (a’= 440 Hz) finds B Flat Major (corresponding to the German B Major)! I believe that Moonen is playing at the modern pitch and probably choose the lower key (3 halftones, tritone) to accommodate the low MS voice better. Among my first choices.
Jeanne Lamon & Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (03 & 04-2011): Canadian counter-tenor, Daniel Taylor (see BCW) has also performed with Gardiner and Herreweghe and is among my preferred CT’s. The string section is minimal with both solo violins I and II and both solo violas I and II. The ‘light’ BC only uses violoncello and chest organ. Key and pitch are probably the same as with Leonhardt and his followers cited above, F Major at a’= 415 Hz (or Es Flat Major at the Weimar ‘Chorton’ of a’= 465 Hz. Among my first choices.
Kuijken (12-2012): Slovak mezzo-soprano, Petra Noskaiová (see BCW) sings many alto parts with Kuijken and has a relatively low, very smooth and soft MS timbre. She also shows a perfect technique with the coloraturas in movement 3. In the liner notes Kuijken explain in great detail the use of vocal and instrumental forces, especially in the continuo group, consisting of a ‘basse de violon’ (instead of the violoncello) and chest organ. His violins and violas follow the original scoring with 2 solo instruments each. A very clear and transparent rendition, as mostly with Kuijken. As is many other recordings discussed above, key and pitch are probably the same as with Leonhardt and his followers cited above, F Major at a’= 415 Hz (or Es Flat Major at the Weimar ‘Chorton’ of a’= 465 Hz. One of my first choices.
Ranking: the large number of recordings for this cantata discussed here is performed with first class contraltos, mezzo-sopranos and counter-tenors, all of them with their specific characteristics. I have many personal preferences, but these don’t deserve a ranking in the sense of better / worse. I really like them all! |
