|
|
Cantata BWV 67
Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ
Discussions - Part 1 |
|
Discussions in the Week of April 22, 2001 (1st round) |
|
Aryeh Oron wrote (April 22, 2001):
Background
This is the week of Cantata BWV 67 according to Pablo Fagoaga's suggestion. While doing my homework for the review of the various recordings of this cantata, I have noticed that 8 of the 11 recordings of which I am aware belong to the old school (which means non-HIP). Furthermore, 6 of these recordings were done before 1970. Furthermore, AFAIK, this is the first of Bach Cantatas to be recorded in its completeness (by Straube), back in 1931! Why was this special cantata so (relatively) popular in those old days, I do not have a clue. Although BWV 67 has some fine movements (which will be reviewed later), IMHO it does not belong to the group of those cantatas, which are satisfying from every angle, like for example BWV 6 that was discussed in BCML not a long while ago.
As a background for this cantata, I shall use this time ‘Oxford Composer Companion – J.S. Bach’, edited by Malcolm Boyd. I received this book, which was favourably reviewed by some members in the BCML & BRML, only couple of days ago. I want to use this opportunity to thank Kirk McElhearn for the tip and recommendation to buy it from Daedalus Books. It cost me only $15.00, while the list price is $49.95! This is an excellent book, which will serve me many hours in the forthcoming years. As a single one source of information, which includes updated and accurate information it is incomparable. However, I miss some entries. Only few biographies of renowned Bach performers are included. I could not find the problematic issue of translation of the texts of Bach’s vocal works into English, or the issue of non-Bach Cantatas (included in the BWV catalogue), or the concept of the Lutheran Church Year (which is very essential for our understanding of the context in which the cantatas were written and composed), and more. Even important terms in the modern performance practice of Bach’s vocal works, like OVPP and HIP, are barely mentioned and not explained. Although every cantata is discussed, the level of guidelines for the listener is not as developed as in the books of Robertson and Young, which I often use as background to my reviews (BTW, these two writers are not mentioned in the Companion at all!). Do not understand me wrong. You can see my small complaints as recommendations for improvements in a new and updated version of this book, if there will ever be one. However, hereinafter is what Nicholas Anderson wrote about BWV 67 in Oxford Companion (I allowed myself eliminating the factual data, most of which appears above):
“Unlike the music Bach had performed during the Easter festival itself, for which he has fallen back on earlier cantatas, Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ was entirely new. Both in respect of content and formal symmetry the work bears an affinity to five other cantatas scheduled for performance in 1724 on the subsequent Sundays leading up to Whitsuntide. This has prompted some writers to suggest that Bach conceived them as a little cycle within the larger annual one embracing the liturgical year.
The text is closely allied to the appointed Gospel reading, St John 20: 19-31, which contains the story of doubting Thomas.”
Complete Recordings
I am aware of 11 complete recordings of Cantata BWV 67, and during last week I have been listening to 9 of them. I missed the two earliest and I am curious to hear what those who have access to these recordings think about them.
(1) Karl Straube (1931)
I do not have this recording. I believe that at least one member in BCML has this CD, which can be purchased only from Bach Museum in Leipzig (they have not answered my messages so far). I would like to hear his (or her) opinion about this pioneering recording.
(2) Reginald Jacques (1949)
I do have this recording in LP form only, and therefore I was not able to listen to it. Until I have it transferred to CD, I found for you a short review of the recording in an old guide from 1955 named ‘The Guide to Long-Playing Records – Vocal Music’ by Philip L. Miller’:
“This cantata, with its special dividend of an attractive and reserved performance of the familiar chorale, is authentic enough in style, if we accept the translation and the sheer Britishness of the voices. I am never quite satisfied with the rather stilted effect of the English in the recitatives, and in the arias even Ferrier’s good diction does not make the texts plain enough. It is, of course, to the contralto’s participation that the performance owes its chief distinction”.
For your convenience I put a biography of Kathleen Ferrier in the Bach Cantatas Website in the following address: Katleen Ferrier (Contralto) - Short Biography
(3) Günther Ramin (1954)
[4] Karl Richter (1958; 1st recording)
[6] Fritz Werner (1961)
[7] Ernest Ansermet (1969?)
[8] Karl Richter (1973-1974; 2nd recording)
[9] Gustav Leonhardt (1977)
[10] Helmuth Rilling (1978)
[11] Ton Koopman (1997)
[14] Pieter Jan Leusink (2000)
Review of the Recordings
Mvt. 1 - Chorus
“The supple, declamatory opening chorus scored for SATB with corno da tirarsi, flute, 2 oboes d’amore, strings and continuo, establishes a joyful Easter spirit which is maintained throughout the work. The single sentence of the text, from 2 Timothy 2: 8 (in the Authorised version: ‘Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead’) serves to emphasize the Gospel reading. The movement is impressive not least for the immediacy of its word-painting, one feature of which is the way that Bach always relates the periodic sustained corno da tirarsi notes to the word ‘halt’ (‘hold’).”
(3) Ramin is very slow, but fascinating and very dramatic. The choir is enthusiastic up to getting out of their lines, and the instrumental playing is not clean, but who cares?
(4) Hearing Richter’s recording immediately after Ramin’s, its seems that the pupil took his teacher’s approach as a starting point. I have to admit that he did it better. The playing and the singing in the opening chorus are cleaner and clearer. It is more balanced and details I missed in Ramin’s rendering can now be clearly heard. However, Ramin’s has sense of spontaneity, which the more polished Richter almost lacks.
[6] If I thought that Richter was good, comes Werner from the same school and proves that he can improve upon his colleague. There is kind of tenderness and softness to his approach which cause his rendition to sound more rich and varied and convincing than the recordings by his two predecessors. I could say that his rendition sounds modern, despite the non-HIP instrumentation, but with better sense for drama than Koopman, for example.
[7] Hearing Ansermet’s opening chorus, one can easily say that although he certainly loves Bach, he does not really know how to do it right in this idiom. This is an over-romantic performance, the various lines are not clear, too much emphasis is put on one aspect, which is what seems to him as the leading melodic line. He misses so much of the occurrences, that I can only feel sorry for him.
[8] There is a claim, which I have read more than once (even in the Oxford Companion) that the later Bach Recordings were weaker than his earlier ones. I want those who think so to explain to me what is weaker in the second recording by Richter of BWV 67, about 15 years after he made his first one. It is bolder, more vigorous and more . Indeed not more convincing, because the approach is quite different, but it sounds justified in its own way. The first one was more contemplative, while the second is more sweeping.
[9] Leonhardt gives restrained, almost subdued performance. Yet he is so delicate in his word-painting and almost transparent lines. Apparently this is a less showy and forceful performance than some of its predecessors were, but I find it not less effective and dramatic.
[10] With Rilling we return to the older-school, where the feelings are more openly expressed, the dramatic content is more extrovert and the colours are stronger. The singing of the choir is warm and excited. Some of the vocal lines are given to the solo singers rather than to the choir, and I find it most effective.
[11] Koopman’s rendition is too fast for me. How can one follow him and concentrate on the message, where it is finished almost before it started? Leusink [14], whose approach is similar to Koopman’s, achieves more effective results by slowing down the tempo.
Mvt. 2 - Aria for Tenor
“From the chorus key of A major, Bach leads us to E major for the dance-like tenor aria with oboe d’amore and strings. This presents two conflicting emotions, the joy of the Resurrection on the one hand, but doubt concerning its reality on the other.”
(3) Gert Lutze (with Ramin) continues the slow tempo of the first movement, but the consequences here are not as successful. It seems that the singer has some difficulties holding the long lines, and he sounds struggling with his part, rather than expressing his joy.
(4) Peter Pears’ (with Richter 1) expressiveness is marvellous. He succeeds where most of the other singers fail to convey both the joy and the doubt. You can almost portray the question marks in the right places according to his singing. Some might say that his English accent is too much felt, but I like very much his unique timbre of voice.
[7] Ansermet improves in this aria, probably due to the fact that he has to use smaller means and the presence of good and reliable tenor like Werner Krenn. And yet, this rendition still leaves me unmoved, because there is no real dialogue between the singer and the accompaniment.
[8] Peter Schreier (Richter 2) succeeds, exactly as Pears (Richter1) did, in expressing the contrary emotions. A slight hesitation here and there emphasizes the complex situation.
[9] Equiluz (with Leonhardt) lets himself be swept by the catchy melody, but he does not lose control on delivering the complicated feelings. This is a marvellous performance, interesting and full of nuances, to which I am ready to listen over and over again.
[10] If I am not mistaken, Thomas Braatz prefers Adalbert Kraus (with Rilling) in the arias rather than in the recitatives. Here he is given only an aria and I find that he makes the outmost of it. He is flowing with the melody and delivering the complicated message at the same time.
[11] Türk (with Koopman) is given more room to express himself than the choir in the opening chorus. But there is kind of lightness to this rendition, which causes both the singers with his pleasant voice and his accompaniment to miss most of the dramatic potential of this aria.
[14] Hearing Leusink’s recording there is no doubt that Knut Schoch and his accompaniment are happy and joyous. However, I could not hear the doubt, which is a very hard to express feeling.
Mvt. 6 – Aria for Bass with chorale
“The heart of the cantata lies in the bass aria with choral interjections, which contains Christ’s Easter greeting, ‘Friede sei mit euch’ (Peace is unto you’). This A major movement, uniquely constructed among those in Bach’s cantatas, takes the form of dramatic scene for bass solo and three-strand ‘chorus’ (SAT). In it the bass assumes the role of VOX CHRISTI, repeating at intervals Christ’s blessing, while the other voices represent mankind. In this profoundly symbolic section of the work Bach effectively highlights the contrasting elements by adopting a scheme of alternating time signatures, dynamic markings, and instrumental groupings. The vox Christi, for instance, in all but the last of the solo sections, where it is supported by woodwind and strings, is accompanied by woodwind alone (flute and 2 oboes d’amore) in 3/ 4 time. The three interjecting choral episodes, on the other hand, are in 4/4 time and accompanied by strings. In the last of these episodes Christ’s blessing (vox Christi) is united with the remaining vocal strands. It is perhaps hardly surprising to find a movement so affecting and so skilfully constructed as this appearing in another context. Bach, in fact, later parodied it in the Gloria of his Lutheran Missa in A major (BWV 234).”
(3) Ramin saved the energy for this movement, as he indeed should. Johannes Oettel is impressive and authoritative, although his voice is not as warm and merciful, as Mertens for example. His vibrato is too much felt to modern ears. But the tension between the bass and the choir is enormous. They want anxiously to know what is going on and he answers them slowly and patiently.
(4) Kieth Engen (with Richter 1) is as authoritative as Oettel, but his voice is more interesting, his dramatic range is bigger, and the relation between him and the choir sounds truer. They are fearful and troubled. He is comforting and calming.
[6] There is kind of grief to Werner’s rendition of this special movement, which put it apart from most of the others. It is as if all the participants, Jesus himself included, know that although Jesus blesses the worried people with his words ‘Peace be unto you!’, that his blessing cannot cause them to forget the sorrowful circumstances.
[7] The insensitive playing of the accompaniment in Ansermet’s recording continues into this movement. Therefore, their presence is more a source for indifference (in the good case, and embarrassment in the bad case), rather than a partner for the singers, which enlighten inner feelings and describe the background. As a consequence most of the heavy task is laid on the singers’ shoulders and for such a complicated and challenging aria as this one, this is simply not enough.
[8] Fischer-Dieskau (Richter 2) is more sensitive that Engen (Richter 1) was. Every syllable is getting special attention, where Engen was more authoritative. Somehow I feel that Engen’s approach and timbre of voice are more suitable to the circumstances.
[9] The accompaniment supplies a magical atmosphere for van Egmond’s blessing, and there is special empathy and unique chemistry in the relation between him and the people.
[10] Heldwein (with Rilling) is less dramatic and convincing here than some of the other singers in his role are. There are balancing problems in this recording, because the choir and the accompaniment sound closer than the bass singer. Maybe it was done deliberately to convey a certain message (Jesus is giving his blessing from distance?).
[11] Koopman’s rendering is so transparent and delightful, yet most of the dramatic aspect of this movement is not revealed, despite the participation of the incomparable Mertens. Leusink’s rendition [14] is similar to Koopman’s, but contains more drama. Ramselaar is warm and human Jesus.
Conclusion
The older were better, at least in this cantata. Their renderings were more interesting, substantial and dramatic. They were not afraid to be original. The two most recent record(Koopman & Leusink) sound almost lightweight in comparison.
And as always, I would like to hear other opinions, regarding the above mentioned performances, or other recordings.
|
|
Marie Jensen wrote (April 23, 2001):
Strange! I just found out, that I had four different versions of BWV 67 on CD's I bought for other reasons. And I have never considered the cantata something special, before Richter (version 75) [8] woke me up!
The purpose of this cantata must be to remove every doubt, that Jesus has risen from the dead. John 20: 24-29 tells the story of the disciple Thomas who did not believe, because he had not seen and touched.
So there are many Thomas Churches and Thomas Schools around the world, places where doubt is removed and changed into faith, and a Thomas Kantor must have faith, and this one has!
I wonder why Richter IMO simply is the best this time. And the answer is: the special enthusiasm he plants in his performers and that he takes the text about faith and doubt very serious.
The other three versions I have are Rilling [10], Koopman [11] and Leusink [14]. The Non-HIPS: Rilling is almost as good as Richter. The HIP’s: Leusink might do, but Koopman is bad. So let me take him first
[11] Koopman is too swift in the opening and in the tenor aria (Türk). Even if Jesus has triumphated, doubt is still there. It has to be heard. Later in the bass/ chorus movement divided in peaceful slow Jesus sections and vivid chorus sections. Jesus (Mertens) seems to fall asleep. Listen to the first time he sings "Friede sei mit euch", not convincing at all. The peace of God has to be given with authority.
[14] Leusink’s tempo is better (more slow) in the opening, but the brass is hoarse compared with Koopman’s. In Schoch’s tenor aria the struggle of faith is heard but perhaps too heavy. The chorale "Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag" is sung swift in a very indifferent and uninspired way. Ramselaar’s Jesus is OK.
[8] Richter: From the very first moment: enthusiasm ...When the choir enters the stage "Halt halt halt” every doubt is swept away. The music shines! The orchestral playing in the tenor aria could be more light and elegant but pay attention to tenor Schreier’s "Erscheine doch". The text is important to Richter. It is clearly heard in the alto recitativos (Reynolds) and in the chorale "Erschienen ist.” What a Halleluja! Fischer-Dieskau is great too in the bass/chorus aria.
[10] Rilling is more restrained in his opening, but the OVPP makes the voices sound clearly.
The best tenor aria of the four is sung by Kraus, who also cares about the text. The conflict doubt/faith can be heard and Rilling’s orchestra does not play with the Richter heaviness. Like Ramselaar and Dieskau, Heldwein sings out God’s peace with authority.
Richter’s approach is not á la mode. But he cares for the message. He goes for the music. So halt in Gedaechtnis Richter! (and Rilling too! ) |
|
Thomas Braatz wrote (April 24, 2001):
Aryeh wonders in regard to BWV 67, " this is the first of Bach Cantatas to be recorded in its completeness (by Straube), back in 1931! Why was this special cantata so (relatively) popular in those old days, I do not have a clue."
See: Cantata BWV 67 - Commentary
Comments on recordings that I have:
Mvt. 1 Coro
Richter [8] has the most energetic performance with a feeling of strength and dignity befitting a serious concern for the momentous battle being fought against doubt, fear, despair, etc. Rilling's performance [10] seems more lyrical. The soli instead of chorus, sung by the listed soloists sounded forced and overbearing, as if they were trying to make up for the missing choral voices. The only good thing that can be said about Leonhardt's performance [9] is that it was the only one to actually use the tromba da tirarsi, all the other performances used a trumpet. The choir lacked any sort of conviction and the sound was muffled. Sometimes the tenors and basses could not be heard at all (Sorry, Mr. Herreweghe, who is listed as Chorus Master.) Koopman's version [11] of this movement sounds very 'Gardineresque.' All the precision is there, but it does not suit the content of the text. Actually, it is so fast that it sounds rushed. Leusink [14] is somewhat slower, but I have to contend with those Buwalda-type voices for which I have found another characteristic to define them: they are very nasal, the opposite of open and projecting outward.
Mvt. 2 Aria (Tenor)
For the best performance it is a toss-up between Richter (Schreier) [8] and Rilling (Kraus) [10]. Both express what is needed in this aria, which demands quite a bit of differentiation. What really amazed me, was that Richter with his 'immense' musical forces, observed Bach's dynamics more carefully than any other recording I have. Rilling, who often overemphasizes the bass line, forgets to 'cut back' the volume when the voice enters. Both Richter and Rilling use the higher pitch (E as we know it today), whereas all the others are at Eb. Leonhardt [9] does not restrain the volume in his instrumental accompaniment, as a result Equiluz has a greater battle on his hands than the words he is singing about describe. He still does an admirable job despite these difficulties. Leusink [14] has a happy dance going on here, but his thick bass is so loud that the tenor does not have much of a chance to do anything but dance along with the rest. Koopman's version [11] is much too fast and sounds very rushed. There is absolutely nothing serious to be felt in this performance because there simply is no time to develop any kind of expression except "let's get this over with as soon as possible."
Mvts. 3, 4, 5 Recitatives (Alto) with Chorale in the middle
Under Richter's direction [8] Reynolds exhibits a very good expressive quality throughout. Richter even abandons his usual long fermati to give us an exhilirating chorale with a distinctive trumpet sound audible above the chorus. Although Rilling [10] also gives a very good rendition of the chorale, the recitatives were very difficult for me to listen to. Murray's operatic rendition and voice are an example of what kept me from seriously listening to Bach cantatas for many years. Koopman with Elisabeth von Magnus [11] was a relief to hear after Murray's attempt to sing Bach. Even the tempo was fine here (a moment of repose in a very much rushed performance of this cantata.) Leonhardt [9] is the next lower choice, particularly because the chorale is much too fast. In doing this, he throws any semblance of dignity that this chorale might have "out the window." Leusink's version [14] is even faster yet, and Buwalda simply is 'not my cup of tea.'
Mvts. 6, 7 Aria (Bass + Chorus), Chorale
The two top contenders among my recordings were Richter [8] and Rilling [10]. Both basses are simply excellent. Rilling was able to conjure up some rather effective dramatic moments in the choral sections and followed that with a chorale pushed forward incessantly to its conclusion. Richter used the long fermati, but this time the pauses made more sense in terms of the entire cantata and that which immediately preceded it. One thing worth listening for in the "Friede sei mit euch" sections is the blend and balance between the woodwinds and the voice (Vox Christi). Richter uses normal ordioboes instead of the oboi d'amore indicated by Bach. These oboes together with a metal flute produce a higher, more penetrating sound. Rilling uses the oboi d'amore, one of them played by Manfred Clement. The sound here is more nasal and hardly has the sweeter sound that we have come to expect from these instruments. Leonhardt [9] uses the baroque woodwinds (wooden flute, oboi d'amore that sound like oboi d'amore) but the ensemble is too loud for poor Egmond to sing over. And to add insult to injury, the strong accents are also introduced, canceling out the sweetness that the woodwinds should have here. The choral sections suffer under Leonhardt with some notes not even audible (when you are watching the score). Leonhardt almost transforms the final chorale into a slow waltz. Leusink [14] has almost no body in his instrumental sections, everything being played extremely lightly (the violins sound anemic) with only the thumping bass that can be heard as if a timpani were playing along. In the low range the voices in the choir almost disappear (perhaps that is a good thing), but when they sing "kämpfen" ("fight") it sounds like a group of yodlers. However, the woodwinds are just wonderful. If you have this recording, listen just to that unique sound and then imagine a bass like Fischer-Dieskau singing those marvellous words, that he can project so well. Ramselaar's voice is too small, too self-contained, as if meditating within himself the final note decays and loses itself among the instrumentalists, whereas Fischer-Dieskau has the gift to project and send that final note out into the atmosphere where it can reverberate in your memory long after he has stopped singing the note. Koopman [11] uses OVPP where the singing becomes more difficult, and when these single voices come upon "in dein Ehrenreich" ('into your kingdom of honor") with upward moving notes, the voices are unable to uplift me the same way that Richter's or Rilling's chorus did. Koopman's and Leusink's versions of the final chorale were very good. I was really looking forward to hearing Koopman's interpretation of mvt. 6 (I know that he usually does the chorales very well). The woodwinds were excellent. This was the sound I was looking for and one of my favorite Bach bass singers was given this wonderful aria to sing! Unfortunately Mertens did not have a big enough voice to fill out what is necessary here (Those oboi d'amore coupled with a wooden flute must be louder than we think!) He had the 'peace' that I was looking for, desiring to have, but it was self-contained within Mertens. I could hear it, sometimes just barely, but it did not reverberate and fill my soul after he stopped singing. This was, after all, what Spitta was talking about in the quote I gave above. Let that final phrase reecho in your memory. |
|
Roy Reed wrote (April 26, 2001):
Hello All! Been gone; been ill. This cantata is one of the very first Bach choral works to become familiar to me. I picked up a 10 inch LP of BWV 67 in the early 1950’s. the LP is long gone, but I still have the little Eulenburg score I bought to study the piece. I have no recollection of who those performers were but I recall being particularly impressed with the strangely successful musical/textual literalism of the first movement...holding the word "hold." "How can he get away with that," I thought. But he does. I also was terribly impressed with the bass/choir dialogue at the end. What a wonderful benediction from the gospel lesson. This was my first glimpse of the connection Bach makes between scripture and music. I was fascinated.....and it went on from there.
[11] The only performance I now have is the reading from Koopman. Wonderful, but not exactly satisfying. He takes quicker tempos than I would like. One should point out that the score calls for the opening chorus to be taken in 2, not in 4. Even so, the idea of "hold" only goes so well as a really brisk tempo. He pulls it off, but seems a bit schnell. So does the "believing/doubting tenor aria. Again, it does come off. What does not come off, I think, is the peace benediction before the final chorale. Klaus Mertens (a favorite of mine) wimps out. Rather than a blessing of "peace," it is something diffident, weak, unconvincing. I guess it is an attempt to be truly peaceful. Pretty much misses the point of the Gospel from Jn. 20. The concluding chorale is one of my very favourite tunes. |
|
Enrico Bortolazzi wrote (April 26, 2001):
(1) < Aryeh Oron wrote, regarding Karl Straube recording of BWV 67: I do not have this recording. I believe that at least one member in BCML has this CD, which can be purchased only from Bach Museum in Leipzig (they have not answered my messages so far). I would like to hear his (or her) opinion about this pioneering recording. >
Here's my opinion on this performance. But first some details from booklet:
'BWV 67 is the second cantata that was broadcast in 1931 (the first is BWV 4, ndr); at the same time and is the oldest existing cantata recording of the Thomaner choir and one of the few surviving complete recordings from the first years (of broadcast)'.
Soloists are:
Dorothea Schröder, Alt
Hans Lissman, Tenor
Günter Ramin, Orgel
Friedbert Sammler, Cembalo
Thomanerchor Leipzig / Stadt und Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig
Date: 12, April 1931 - Leipzig Grassimuseum. TT: 17:31
No other soloists are reported but in the other cantatas of the same period we have Heinrich Tuebig (trumpet) and Rudolf Kempe (oboe d'amore). So I suppose we have them also in this recording. In the booklet we read also that the Thomaner choir consisted of 55-60 boys
The tempi are very slow (my comparision is with Richter - 1974) [8]:
1. 3:56
2. 3:11
3. 0:37
4. 0:47
5. 1:06
6. 6:50
7. 1:04
In particular the first choir is very very slow. Instead mvt. 6 starts with a good rhythm but the tempo change from orchestra and bass (here the choir section, not a soloist) is impressive: at the first it seems as if there's a stop, because the bass start so slow, with the first note so long, that you hardly recognize a tempo. After the first bass phrase the choir enters with the same tempo and after the orchestra entrance they change the tempo. In Richter instead the choir starts changing the tempo. I haven't the score of this cantata so I cannot say nothing about this fact but I'm very curious about it (I hope you can understand what I'm saying). Another particularity of this recording are the 'ritardandi': in the tenor aria, mvt. 2, they are at the end of each phrase. Also in the recitativi and in mvt. 6 they are in well in evidence. This is an exceptional document of the first Bach cantatas performances.
Being a Richter's fan probably my opinion about his recordings is biased. Also in this cantata I find a great performance, with a great control over a big choir and orchestra. Before this week I listened few times to it, because in the CD it follows BWV 4, BWV 6 and BWV 158 and usually the greatness of BWV 4 and BWV 6 obscures a little this one. Listening to it more times make me discover a great work: I think the first and sixth movements are of the best quality. I like very much the contrast in mvt. 6, as well pointed out by Aryeh, and in Richter I find it very moving with the Bass singing very dramatic.
The only thing I find a little disturbing in Richter is the use of a great organ, in particular in the first choir. Instead the trumpet in the 1st mvt. gives a festive note to the whole cantata. I don't want to compare Straube and Richter, I think the differences are too great above all in the environments and forces. But I have the Richter's 1974 recording: now I want to find the first recording (4). Someone chelp?
Well, excuse for my poor English and enjoy this cantata. |
|
Aryeh Oron wrote (April 26, 2001):
[To Enrico Bortolazzi] Thank you so much for the information about Straube's recording of BWV 67.
The details of the first recording of this cantata by Karl Richter appear in the Bach Cantatas Website, in the page that lists his recordings of Bach's vocal works: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Performers/Richter.htm (E-2). This CD is easily available from most of the Internet stores.
Can anybody in the list help me in getting the Straube CD? |
|
Philip Peters wrote (April 26, 2001):
[To Enrico Bortolazzi] If so, I would want to know too... |
|
Enrico Bortolazzi wrote (April 26, 2001):
[To Aryeh Oron, regarding Karl Richter’s first recording] Great page. I visited the site a lot of time but never saw it (I thought to know all the recordings by Richter). I also saw an early BWV 4. These will be my next CD’s.
< Can anybody in the list help me in getting the Straube CD? >
I got mine from the NBG as a gift for the subscription. Probably you can ask them. I have the mail address but if you search in internet they have also a site and probably an e-mail...I searche d and found the site: www.nbg.org. If your search is vain or in the meantime, I can give you a copy. This is legal in this terms: I make a backup copy for myself and borrow it to you; as soon you don't more need the copy you will return it to me or throw it away. |
| |
|
Continue on Part 2 |
|
|
