Cantata BWV 106
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (Actus Tragicus)
Discussions - Part 1
Gardiner cantatas
Benjamin Mullins wrote (February 28, 1999):
[19] For those of you who have heard it, what is your opinion of Gardiner's recording of cantatas BWV 106, BWV 118, & BWV 198? And is there any more news of his year 2000 cantatas project?
Ryan Michero wrote (March 2, 1999):
[19] < Simon Crouch wrote: For me, the BWV 106 is a letdown - it just comes over as dull and JEG seems not to know what to do with the quiet movement endings. Compare this with, for example, Leonhardt [16] (one of the highpoints of the Teldec complete set), and there's really no competition. >
I love Leonhardt's version of Cantata BWV 106 [16] --spiritually intense and quite moving. However, I have always thought something was missing from it, probably due to my inherent dissatisfaction with Harnoncourt and Leonhardt's performance practices. To the point, I want women to sing the high voices, especially the achingly beautiful cries of "Ja, Komm Herr Jesu", which never fail to move me when sung by the right voice. Recently, I found what is for me the perfect recording of the "Actus Tragicus", and it is by Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan [24]. I suppose the volume on which it is included is as good a place as any to begin my series of reviews of the Suzuki cantata cycle. I know at least one of you (are you listening, Ehud?) has been awaiting these, and, although I have been slacking on the writing end of it, I have been doing some careful listening lately. I'll begin posting soon!
Andrea Klassen wrote (March 5, 1999):
[19] I know this thread has come and gone but here's my two cents (canadian funds). I'm responding because I can't believe all the negative postings about this recording.
< Benjamin Mullins wrote: For those of you who have heard it, what is your opinion of Gardiner's recording of cantatas BWV 106, BWV 118b, & BWV 198? And is there any more news of his year 2000 cantatas project? >
This is the first Bach recording I ever purchased and it remains one of my favourites. I think the recording is extremely dramatic (especially the ending of the soprano solo in 106) and Gardiner's interpretation of Bach's symbolism can be heard. My only quam with this CD is that the altos sing a significant phrase of their cantus firmus melody very out of tune on the low side (Wie Gott DIR verheissen hat). Gardiner captures the depth of BWV 106. (Snip)
[19] < Simon Crouch wrote: For me, the BWV 106 is a letdown - it just comes over as dull and JEG seems not to know what to do with the quiet movement endings. Compare this with, for example, Leonhardt [16] (one of the highpoints of the Teldec complete set), and there's really no competition. >
I also find this unbelieveable. I have yet to find another soprano who can pull off the ending of the solo with the alte Bund fugue. Nancy Argenta fades away into nothing and leaves me hanging on this unresolved leading tone that waits for Jesus to come because the Law states that mankind will perish: I find tension unbearable. This cantata offers so much and I can't find another recording which is up to the challenge. Suzuki's [24] is good but too mathematical and I can't remember if Herreweghe has recorded it or not but I'm looking for it, he can do it if noone else can. I haven't heard the Leonardt recording but I have this block regarding that set which I'll get over some day. Anyway, There it is.
BWV 106 - Koopman
[23]/Gardiner [19]
Steven Langley Guy wrote (August 24, 1999):
< Someone wrote: I'm curious about the dynamics. I don't know if the choir would have echoed the band's dynamic markings, at least not the loud ones. A six member orchestra is not much of a match for a 16 to 20 voice choir, particularily since five of the six (all six depending on the keyboard being harpsicord or organ) aren't able to play very loud at the best of times. From my experience, recorders have essentially one dynamic because if you blow harder you'll sharp and if you blow too softly you'll flat. Gambas also don't have the most penetrating sound so the choir may not have taken their cue from the parts which they wouldn't have seen anyway. Talk to you later >
There is no solo or tutti marked in either the soprano or ATB parts. One could, perhaps have all parts, including the soprano, sung by the full choir. Not an ideal solution, admittedly, but plausible. I think that BWV 106 is a clear example of where the one-voice-to-a-part chorus would have advantages. I think that 16 to 20 singers here is absolutely out of the question. The French style recorders tuned a tone lower than the German instruments at Chorton pitch (oboes, bassoons, the redesigned flutes and recorders from France at this time were generally considered B flat instruments in Germany where the old high pitch was still common) would only hold against a small number of singers, even though the two recorders are in unison throughout in the movement in question.
Both the text and the musical material of the Alto, Tenor and Bass vocal parts suggest a stronger, if not louder, tone. Leaving solo voices to finish a tutti movement is not an innovation unique in Bach's music. Monteverdi lets two solo tenors gently finish the 'Laudate, pueri, Domine' psalm of the 'Vespro della Beata Vergine' 1610. Praetorius and Schütz also use a similar dramatic technique in various works.
Most of the current recordings of BWV 106 pit a solo soprano against the ATB tutti choir. I think this works fine as long as there is only a small choir, say, 4 to 10 singers.
As I said in an earlier comment, Bach must have had a pretty good say in how these cantatas were performed. We have to make educated guesses about what will and will not work in a given performing situation. BWV 106 has quite a lot of dynamics supplied by the composer but still needs some thinking about much of the score, as in any baroque work.
Ambroz Bajec-Lapajne wrote (August 26, 1999):
After a long time hello again!
I like Gardiner's version [19] best. It was the first CD I bought from him and was totally shocked. Rolfe-Johnson is wonderful and Nancy Argenta finishing the first part is sublime. I just met Nancy Argenta on Monday in Radovljica (near Ljubljana) where she had a recital. She is just as wonderful to talk to as when she sings! I can't wait to come to see her and have some lessons in London.
We in Ljubljana did this cantata with Slovenicum ensemble last season with 16 singers and it was great. It is more difficult to put together all the consonances in 'Es ist der alte Bund' than when one listens to it on the CD. Unfortunatelly the conductor decided that all the sopranos would sing the 'komm, Herr Jesu' part but only one of them finnishing the movement. Nevertheless in was a great experience, as were all the other cantatas we did (BWV 21 and BWV 208).
BWV 106 + BWV 198
Adam N. LaSpata wrote (October 14, 1999):
Can anyone recommend a recording of the Actus Tragicus and Trauer Ode? What are some opinions on the JEG recording? Thanks.
Donald Satz wrote (October 14, 1999):
Adam asked for recommendations for recordings of BWV 106 and BWV 198. The only recording I'm aware of that has both these cantatas is the Gardiner on Archiv. That's a fine recording, but I do have reservations about Nancy Argenta. BWV 106 is on Koopman's series, Vol.1, but that has Barbara Schlick and I consider her voice relatively unpleasant to listen to. That leaves me with the American Bach Soloists on Koch [21] and Suzuki on BIS [24] for BWV 106; either one should provide much pleasure.
Jacco Vink wrote (October 14, 1999):
I saw that Cantus Cölln have recorded BWV 106 for Harmonia Mundi French [33]. I am not if it is already available. So it might be worth waiting for. I have myself Suzuki in BWV 106 [24], which I like very much. It is coupled with Aus der Tiefen (BWV 131) and Gott ist mein König (BWV 71). In this discussion group the performance of BWV 106 by Leonhardt [16] was discussed favourably. I do not know it myself.
Ehud Shiloni wrote (October 14, 1999):
If you search the Archives you'll find lots stuff about these two. My own "rating" for BWV 106:
1. [18] Rifkin (One-voice-per-part. Not to everyone's liking).
2. [19] JEG
Others: Koopman [23], Suzuki [24], & Gönnenwein [9].
Leonhardt [16] (which I don’t have) was highly praised by most everybody.
D. D. Wickford wrote (October 15, 1999):
Please don't forget the WONDERFUL recording by Joshua Rifkin and the Bach Ensemble, coupled with BWV 131 (a much more appropriate coupling than the Trauer Ode) on L’Oiseau-Lyre [18].
If you don't mind modern instruments, and there are some of us who prefer them, the old Scherchen recording of BWV 106 [3] is the ne plus ultra.
More on the Actus Tragicus
Steven Langley Guy wrote (October 15, 1999):
Actus Tragicus is certainly one of Bach's finest cantatas. Bach left quite a few piano & forte marks through the work or at least more than normally occur in cantatas. One may deduce that Bach must have had a fairly precise interpretation in mind - or he felt that the singers and musicians needed more printed directions than was usual? As for the tempi in the work, we must make educated guesses - like in Baroque music in general. I think that in the recent past some conductors have tended to play some Baroque music a little too fast (Musica Antiqua's Brandenburgs come to mind) to compensate for the nearly funereal pace of earlier non-HIP performances. Many of us have heard some of the exceedingly slow old-fashioned performances of the Passions and although these recordings may be very moving they do not give the works a decent sense of pace and drama.
On the other hand, recent recordings of Bach seem to reflect a more reasonable approach to tempo and are not so extreme. I've heard faster recordings of BWV 106 and slow recordings too. I honestly cannot say anymore which approach I prefer! I think that if one listen to enough recordings or performances of a work one will eventually have a mental 'picture' of the work that stands outside of the recordings one has heard. Does this make sense? The beauty of the work seems to transcend even recordings of the work and takes on a life of its own.
Back to BWV 106, one must consider the phrasing of the work along with its tempi. Too long and too slow phrases are going to leave the recorder players gasping for breath, also the bows of the two gambas were shorter than modern 'cello bows and this also affects the phrasing. Shorter phrases and quick tempi probably would help out the boys singing the soprano parts in Bach's day and Bach must have considered this when writing the music.
I'd love to see a recording that featured BWV 106 with the motet movement BWV 118, BWV 53 and BWV 131.
Carl Burmeister wrote (October 16, 2000):
I am new to the list so please forgive me if I break some rules of etiquette (such as inserting these comments in an existing thread?).
< Steven Langley Guy wrote: smguy wrote: On the other hand, recent recordings of Bach seem to reflect a more reasonable approach to tempo and are not so extreme. I've heard faster recordings of BWV 106 and slow recordings too. I honestly cannot say anymore which approach I prefer! I think that if one listens to enough recordings or performances of a work one will eventually have a mental 'picture' of the work that stands outside of the recordings one has heard. Does this make sense? The beauty of the work seems to transcend even recordings of the work and takes on a life of its own. >
I have some fairly strong opinions myself on tempi used in the cantatas and Passions. I grew up on a recording of SMP by Hermann Scherchen and the VPO (I believe). In my memory, it remains the most sublime recording that I have ever heard. Of Course, Huges Ceunod as the Evangelist didn't hurt a bit. The tempi in this recording are all much slower than any recording I have heard since. And in fact I am almost unable to appreciate any other interpretation of Recitative and Chor "Nun ist der Herr zu Ruh gebtacht".
As to our understanding or "at one"-ness with a piece of music, especially Bach, eventually transcending any individual performance, I can personally vouch for having had this experience.
And as to religion, I too am non-religious, even anti-religious at times. I credit Bach for my remaining in the Lutheran church as long as I did. However, I believe passionately in 1. That Music transcends religion, 3. That music is our pipeline to God and 4. That Bach gave us the biggest pipeline of all time.
Donald Satz wrote (October 16, 1999):
[18] Thanks. I had forgotten about them in my previous posting. I like Rifkin's Bach very much as I think he's very expressive and emphasises those aspects of the cantatas I appreciate most. The one-voice-per-part approach not only doesn't bother me, I find it an enjoyable alternative.
Ambroz Bajec-Lapajne wrote (October 15, 1999):
[19] This (BWV 106) is the first CD of Gardiner that I've bought (though I have had the Magnificat on tape already) and I was totally enraptured by the interpretation. It was for me a revelation of Bach. I don't consider his tempo fast at all. We have to consider that in Bach's time (especially for him as a very religious person) death was something he considered from a very different perspective as we do today. Hence the faster tempo has an entirely other meaning than a slow one. I always have a feeling listening to Gardiner recordings (and not Bach only!) that this man does the incredible amount of research before he undertakes the studies of scores and later recordings. Therefore I can not accept a fact or notion that the tempi he uses are fast only (or partly) because his singers in Monteverdi Choir can sing like crazy and instrumentalist play respectively. I think JEG is far too clever for such an enterprise.
And I absolutely adore Nancy Argenta and what she does in the end of a choir (Ja, komm, Herr Jesu). Her voice just evaporates into that desperate cry - do come Jesus already!
Wim Huisjes wrote (October 15, 1999):
I don't see your point. These are religious works and should be performed and listened to as such. From which perspective should we listen to it today, whether you are religious or not? Why should it be faster from "today's perspective of death"? Please, elaborate.
As has been mentioned on this list quite a while back: Gardiner makes Argenta sound like an angel. She shouldn't be one in BWV 106. Gardiner has his Reformation theology up side down in this one and therefore, IMO, it is a bad performance, no matter the tempi and regardless of how beautiful it sounds.
[19] If you mean to say it should NOT be performed from Bach's perspective, why should Gardiner bother with HIP? Others do/have done a lot of research also and come up with different tempi. Why should he be the only one who's right?
Of course he doesn't choose fast tempi just because his choir and orchestcan do it. If that were the case, we'd have a SMP performance that would take maybe 40 minutes. Advantage would be that it would fit on one CD... Besides, others can do that also.
Donald Satz wrote (October 15, 1999):
Wim Huisjes wrote concerning Bach sacred cantatas: “These are religious works and should be performed and listened to as such.”
Being totally non-religious, I can't possibly listen on a religious level. I listen on a dramatic and/or theatrical level. That does it for me. And, I don't deny that the level upon which a person listens can significantly impact the judgement of a particular performance.
I've heard some folks say that Gardiner is not for them, because his interpretations slight the religious aspects of a sacred work. I understand that, but it is not applicable to my listening, and as a result, I can and do greatly enjoy Gardiner's recordings of Bach sacred works. Works performed in a highly "pious" manner are not likely to get my seal of approval.
Jan Hanford wrote (October 15, 1999):
Nicely said, I completely agree.
Wim Huisjes wrote (October 15, 1999):
OK, you'll have no problems with me. Let me re-phrase the line you quoted: "These are religious works and should be performed as such". Everyone is entitled to listen the way they want.
Luis Villalba wrote (October 15, 1999):
I, being also non-religious, add myself to your views. I don't remember who was the extremely wise man who said God should have existed, just to listen to what Bach composed for him.
Wim Huisjes wrote (October 15, 1999):
A similar (or maybe the same quote is intended), precise quote comes from Klemperer: "If God did not exist, Bach invented him".
To make my view clearer: Bach was making a point, and in understanding his music I think the listener should at least try to have some idea on what that point was, whether you believe it or not. If one considers his cantatas etc. as drama, theatre or whatever: one should at least know what it's about. The same goes for the performer. Judging Klemperer's performance of SMP (BWV 244): I think he got it right, though he didn't necessarily believe it.
Ambroz Bajec-Lapajne wrote (October 17, 1999):
Firstly I have to explain and warn that I have no intentions and it would be utterly improper to start another 'tempi-discussion' so I will really shortly explain what I meant with my previous post.
< I don't see your point. These are religious works and should be performed and listened to as such. From which perspective should we listen to it today, whether you are religious or not? Why should it be faster from "today's perspective of death"? Please elaborate. >
The conception of death in the Bach times (as indeed before and later) was a different one that we have nowadays. Today death is perceived as something that people fear and a death experience is for those close to the deceased something extremely sad. In those days death was a salvation from this (unperfect, sinful) world and the beginning of an eternal life in heaven - under a condition of course that you reached it. I do not mean people died gladly, or that they didn't mourn over the deceased. This is what I meant by the saying that since Bach was a very religious person he felt this perhaps even stronger than others (bearing in mind that he was an artist too) did. His funeral music is therefore written in somewhat different motion as we are used today. And if we consider this hypothesis of mine, perhaps we see that the funeral music needs not to be as dark and sad in order to translate it to the cultural language of today. Listen to Purcell Funeral sentences and you will notice the very similar feeling. I hope I haven't been too philosophical, and I might add that I have not been raised in any religion and am an agnostic.
< As has been mentioned on this list quite a while back : Gardiner makes Argenta sound like an angel. She shouldn't be one in BWV 106. Gardiner has his Reformation theology up side down in this one and therefore, IMO, it is a bad performance, no matter the tempi and regardless of how beautiful it sounds. >
I'm not saying that she sings as an angel - for me she is the desperate cry (in the night, if you will) for God.
< If you mean to say it should NOT be performed from Bach's perspective, why should Gardiner bother with HIP? >
Quite 'au contraire' my friend - his interpretation absolutely fits my hypothesis on Bach perception of death.
< Others do/have done a lot of research also and come up with different tempi. Why should he be the only one who's right? >
My, my, you are a militant chap. I never claimed his is the only right one. I personally believe that music is a matter of taste. However, Early Music is a subject to heavy disputes simply because we have so little knowledge of the performance practice. There is enough of so called HIP, so that you have the ability to choose the one you like most. JEG just has that something for me that he persuades me with his interpretation as well as answers my questions rather sufficiently.
Wim Huisjes wrote (October 17, 1999):
Thanks for the clarification. I understand what you mean now, though I don't necessarily agree. I'm still having trouble with the concept of "today's perception of death". IMO today there is no such generally accepted concept. At most, any perception of death is more individually determined than in Bach's time and the society he was part of. One extreme: for some, little has changed. Another extreme: for others Bach's perception may seem as coming from another planet. So, on your conclusion we agree: what we prefer in performances is determined very much individually.
As others do: I also hope Gardiner will record more cantatas. My comment was focused on his performance of BWV 106 [19].
Luc Oldhoff wrote (November 25, 1999):
I am new to this forum, but not new to Bach! So far I have quite enjoyed the reading the discussions going back and forth.
I have a few of Bach's cantatas and one of my very favourite movements is the short but very moving Sonatina in cantata BWV 106. The recording I have is from Das Kantatenwerk by Leonhardt/Harnoncourt [16]. There is a haunting quality to the recording that I find absolutely irresistible. Does anyone agree?
Are there any worthwhile Bach - mp3's to be had out there? Before investing in a new CD, listening to a mp3 sample can be a worthwhile exercise.
Jane Newble wrote (November 26, 1999):
It sounds as if I shall now have to get this one as well! I love that Sonatina, but I only have Suzuki [24] and Koopman [23]. Not that I should complain about them, they are wonderful. And to me these recordings sound haunting too. Sometimes I think I love a particular recording, and then hear it performed by someone else and love it just as much in a different way. So I have come to the conclusion that Bach can be interpreted in many ways, and that it is Bach behind the recording that speaks to me.
I have been thinking that I ought to at least get all the cantatas by Leonhardt/Harnoncourt [16]. And I wonder what the Rilling BWV 106 [14] is like?
Suzuki - Vol. 2
Ryan Michero wrote (December 20, 1999):
[24] If Vol.1 was a bit tentative, Vol. 2 is where Suzuki and the BCJ really hit their stride. It includes great performances of two "favourite" cantatas (BWV 106 and BWV 131, the latter a particular favourite of Suzuki) and one lesser-known piece (BWV 71). This is an essential volume!
BWV 106 - "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit"
Another inspired performance! The opening Sonatina is taken slower than normal, but I find it incredibly moving. This is as fine an evocation of heavenly peace as I have ever heard. The recorders and violas da gamba sound simply beautiful together (this is the early Weimar version, sans oboes). Suzuki brings drama to the following multi-sectioned movement, making perfect sense of the changes text and music. There is lovely singing and playing throughout, and the trailing off of the soprano at the end is handled beautifully. Aki Yanagisawa's young, boyish voice is perfect for the final cries of "Ja, komm, Herr Jesu". The ending nearly stops my heart whenever I hear it. The third movement is hardly less involving. Mera deserves special mention for his wonderful singing in the section beginning "In deine Hände". The final chorus begins peacefully with a beautiful Bachian melody on the recorders. The choir, in open harmony, sounds delectably serene. A happily sung fugue brings the work to a bright, hopeful end.
Cantus Cölln
Johan van Veen wrote (February 29, 2000):
[33] Some time ago there was a discussion on the performance practice of Bach's cantatas in which every part is sung by only one singer. A new recording has just been released with four cantatas performed this way, by the German ensemble Cantus Cölln. I would like to give my impressions. First the details.
Four cantatas are performed (in this order):
1) Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 4)
2) Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106)
3) Der Herr denket an uns (BWV 196)
4) Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (BWV 12)
The ensemble Cantus Cölln consists of:
Johanna Koslowsky (Soprano), Elisabeth Popien (Contralto), Gerd Türk, Wilfried Jochens (tenor), Stephan Schreckenberger (bass), Karin van Heerden, Beate Knobloch (recorder), Uwe Hartwich (trumpet), Katharina Arfken (oboe), Andrea Keller, Werner Ehrhardt (violin), Antje Sabinski, Claudia Steeb (viola), Werner Matzke (cello), Jean-Michel Forest (violin), Lorenzo Alpert (bassoon), Carsten Lohff (organ)
Director is Konrad Junghänel.
The performances are excellent from a technical point of view. All players belong to the very best on the early music scenes. The string players for example are all members of Concerto Koln, one of the best orchestras in baroque and classical music.
One of the preconditions for a successful on-to-a-part performance is that the voices blend. You just can't put some solo singers together and hope they will do their best to sound like an ensemble. But although these singers all have solo careers, they work together very closely in this ensemble, and have done so for years. That definitely pays off. The Choruses and chorales as well as the duets sound great. They all use hardly any vibrato, and in particular in some Choruses where the harmonies are very important, that has a very striking (positive) effect on the emotional impact of the performance.
The program contains four early cantatas, all composed around or before 1714. I don't know what view Konrad Junghänel holds on the point of one-to-a-part performances (the booklet doesn't give any information about that), but in general the performance of early cantatas in this manner doesn't meet as much opposition as does such a performance practice in the Leipzig cantatas.
What about the interpretation? My feelings about that are somewhat mixed. I feel that the emotional content of some of the cantatas isn't fully exploited.
Cantata BWV 106, also known as 'Actus Tragicus' and one of the most brilliant cantatas Bach has ever composed, is also done quite well. The contrast in the Chorus 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit' comes across well. On the whole the tempo in this cantata is a little too fast, but otherwise the singers and players are convincing in their expression of the character of this piece. The pitch used isn't mentioned, but I assume it must be the high pitch, which is thought to be used by Bach in the early cantatas. The consequence is that in the duet 'Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein' the bass part is sung by a tenor (Wilfried Jochens). I can't quite figure out how the Alto part is sung: it sounds like Soprano and Alto are singing in unison.
As far as the instrumental aspect of this CD is concerned, the players may be technically better than for example those on the Teldec recording. But they are far less colourful. What I am missing is the characterisation of the content of the text by the instruments. They are too often just accompanying the singers.
On the whole, an interesting recording, and - with all the reservations I have - one of the best of its kind.
M. Saramago wrote (February 29, 2000):
[33] Hi Johan. Thanks for your impressions on that cantata CD. Could you tell us the label and if possible the catalogue number?
Johan van Veen wrote (March 1, 2000):
[33] Sorry I forgot that. It is on Harmonia Mundi France - HMC 901694; playing time: 70'23".
Frank Fogliati wrote (March 19, 2000):
[33] Just heard a HIP BWV 106 on the radio. Got absolutely lost in that exquisite viol sound - warm yet dark, and beautifully mellow and sweet. I was after some opinions as to the other pieces on this CD. There is so much great music available, but it's always a financial reason that stops me buying everything I like. Is the entire CD this enjoyable?
Matthew Westphal wrote (March 19, 2000):
[33] Oh God YES YES YES!!! The entire CD is a marvel! Buy it at once!
I just finished writing a review of it for Amazon.com; I also prepared a longer one I'll post here shortly.
Peter Bright wrote (March 21, 2000):
[33] I also have just picked it up - the performances really are very beautiful indeed.
Matthew Westphal wrote (March 19, 2000):
[33] Here are some more impressions. (This is the long version of what I whittled down to make a review for Amazon.com: Amazon.co.uk
The one-singer-per-part theory seems to have made the most headway in the early cantatas -- probably because the arguments over the interpretation of the Entwurff don't apply.
"Actus Tragicus" has always seemed a misnomer to me for BWV 106. Yes, it's a funeral piece -- but I think the word "tragic" in the context of classical music inevitably brings to mind a Tchaikovsky-"Pathetique"-like quality that just doesn't fit with this cantata. Bach's writing is too lively, too much in a major key, too lightly scored. Some conductors (even HIP ones like Gardiner [19]) seem to impose this "tragic" feeling on the music. Junghänel doesn't - this performance is much the most fleet and lively I've heard - and frankly, matches the Lutheran text (which doesn't view death with dread at all) quite well.
I haven't yet praised Wilfried Jochens' singing, at once vigorous and sensitive, or that of the ladies, who are outstanding. Soprano Johanna Koslowsky can float an ethereal chorale melody, toss off virtuoso runs and take your breath away with a descending figure trailing off into silence (the end of "Es ist der alte Bund" from the Actus Tragicus). All done with equal skill, and all in a tone so pure she could almost pass for a boy Soprano. Alto Elisabeth Popien is every bit as good.
With Herreweghe and Jacobs already on Harmonia Mundi's roster and with some expressed reluctance on Junghänel's part to bring the one-on-a-part approach to some of the larger Leipzig works), I don't know how many more cantata recordings we'll get from Cantus Cölln. But I hope they at least do some more early works like Aus der Tiefe and Gott ist mein König.
Harry Steinman wrote (March 20, 2000):
[33] Matthew and Frank F: Well, Matthew’s ecstatic rave of a previous email (his exact words, he may recall, were, "Oh God YES YES YES!!!") and review and Frank's comments pushed me over the edge: I just ordered the HM Actus Tragicus, and now I can't wait. Frank, hanks for a good tip, and Matthew, thanks for an excellent review (and for your unrestrained passion).
Frank Fogliati wrote (March 21, 2000):
[33] Harry, I listened to my radio recording of this on the way to work this morning.
The Soprano and viols sent shivers down my spine! I hope you love it as much as it I do. It's truly sublime (and probably dangerous to get 'lost in' when driving in slippery conditions as I was!) Enjoy.
Harry Steinman wrote (March 22, 2000):
[33] Hey, a quick note to Matthew and Frank and All. Thanks for the recommendation of the Cantus Cölln recording that included the Actus Tragicus (Harmonia Mundi 901694) as well as BWV 4, 12, and 196. This is WONDERFUL singing and instrumentation. Everything is so crisp and clean...the soprano is wonderful (as are the other singers). This ensemble has quite a distinctive and pleasing sound. I HIGHLY recommend this recording to any and everyone.
Discussions in the Week of March 19, 2000
Aryeh Oron wrote (March 19, 2000):
Background
This is the week of cantata BWV 106 – Actus Tragicus (according to Jane Newble's suggestion). I am a little bit saturated and exhausted after extensive listening to 15 recordings of this cantata during last week. Therefore I will not go into too much details this time. In any case, this cantata is very well known among Bach lovers and outside of that circle. For those who need some background on BWV 106, there are some sources on the Web.
Original German text: http://uofapsy.psych.ualberta.ca/cantatas/106.html
A good English translation by Z. Philip Ambrose: http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/
Simon Crouch Cantata pages: http://www.classical.net/~music/comp.lst/works/bachjs/cantatas/106.html
Jan Koster Cantatas Project: http://odur.let.rug.nl/Linguistics/diversen/bach/cantatas/bwv106.html
Review of the Recordings
Hereinafter is the list of the recordings I have listened to. See: Cantata BWV 106 – Recordings.
With such big number, it is unrealistic to cover them all in this space. Realising that, I even have not written to myself notes during listening to the above recordings. I have listened to them during last week, couple of recordings per sitting, and the whole picture has been built gradually during listening. One conclusion is the feeling that the recordings are being transformed during a process of fine-tuning. Ramin’s recording [4] is very far away from contemporary practice. After all, he did not have any model of performance before him. Each recording afterwards seems to strive to an ideal goal. They are coming closer and closer to that goal and consequently they are becoming more and more similar to each other. Another clear conclusion is that the recordings of this cantata can be divided roughly into two groups – the traditional performances and the more modern (or HIP) ones. In each group there is one recording, which is for me head and shoulders above the others. The first group includes recordings Nos. 1-8 and the second one recordings Nos. 9-15. In the first group my contender to the first place is Öhrwall [13] and in the second group – Leonhardt [16]. I will not try to justify my picks. Everyone may choose by himself his own favourites.
I found out that every performance of this cantata could satisfy. The deep feelings transformed through the music of this cantata are so strong, that they conquer even lazy or sloppy conducting, singing and playing. But hearing Leonhardt’s recording after so many others is like finding a spring of cold and clear water after long journey. I think that I am gonna listening to it once again. But not this week, because I have to take a break!
And as always, I would like to hear other opinions, regarding the above mentioned performances, or other recordings.
Frank Fogliati wrote (March 21, 2000):
I've been doing some research into this magnificent work and discovered that the score is available in 2 different key signatures! You can take your choice of Eb or F. But there are pitfalls! It could also explain why this piece is sometimes heard with celli at A=440 (or so) instead of the gambas. That is, musicians opt for an incorrect but apparently 'simpler' solution.
Below is a message I have 'lifted' from the 'viols list', authored by Roland Hutchinson. It is in response to another gambist's plea as to how to play the gamba part.
The problem is that the alto recorder parts for cantata BWV 106 ("Gottes Zeit is die allerbeste Zeit," a/k/a the Actus Tragicus) were originally written in F at chamber pitch (around a'=410 Hz), while the remainder of the score was written in E-flat at choir pitch (around a'=460 Hz).
In effect (to use slightly anachronistic but nowadays standard terminology), Bach treated the recorders as transposing instruments (with a B-flat transposition). However, as the overall pitch was choir pitch, about a whole step higher than we normally use for Baroque instruments nowadays.
If, however, we regard A-410-ish (i.e. our A-415, approximately) as the "concert" pitch for this score, the recorders become the concert pitch instruments, and everyone else (including the singers) reads in a D transposition.
What a mess! It hurts to think about (unless you're an 18th-century German church musician, in which case dealing with the different flavours of choir- and chamber pitch is just another part of the daily hassle of getting the job done and the music ready for next Sunday).
The Bach-Gesellschaft decided to make the score easier to read by printing everything in E-flat; the NBA decided to put it all in F.
What's a viol player to do? Obviously, finds out what pitch the recorders are going to be playing at, and accommodate them. They OUGHT to be reading in F major, as they will run out of notes otherwise, since when their parts are transposed to E-flat the low F, the lowest note on the instrument, becomes an E-flat which can't be played.
Since E-flat is the original key of the viol parts, you've no right to whine if that's where you end up playing it. This would, however require either oddball-size recorders, or fudging by using more than one size of recorder, or else substituting flutes.
Due to the notated range of the voice parts, which runs on the low side (bass voice down to E-flat below the staff, if memory serves), in addition to the aforementioned practical necessity of giving recorder players parts consisting entirely of notes that they can play on their instruments, The usual thing nowadays is to have everyone tuned to A-415, i.e. with the viol parts transposed up a step from Bach's original notation, as you find them in the Barenreiter edition. This gives the first viol player a few more gymnastics above the frets to deal with, but nothing really unmanageable.
If you want to resort to re-tuning, the historically correct thing is (as you will now understand) not to tune down a whole step, but rather up a whole step (to A-465 if you're going to mix it up with A-415 recorders)--after which you play in E-flat. A shortish string length, light-gauge strings, and a trip to the shop to have the soundpost adjusted, or even to have instrument's entire setup monkeyed with at great expense (lowering the bridge and changing the fingerboard wedge and/or the set of the neck correspondingly) are helpful if you're going that route--more trouble than it's worth for one performance, surely!
P.S. Cantata BWV 106 is almost certainly for solo voices rather than for chorus with soloists, as a careful study of the score will reveal. (And the continuo should be organ alone). However, as one is usually engaged to perform it with church or chamber choirs, I have found it fiscally expedient to maintain a tactful silence on this point, and I would advise other violists to do likewise.
P.P.S. For a brief glimpse of how convoluted the pitcproblem in piece becomes for gigging recorder players, see the short entry on David Bellugi's MIDI page at: http://www.dada.it/musicbox/midi.html
Hope you found this as interesting as I did.
Marie Jensen wrote (March 19, 2000):
For the first time I have 3 different CD-versions of the same work. It has been hard to make a review. I really admire those list mates, which can come up with well-structured and clear reviews, though they own many versions. Now I understand why categorisations A, B, C or sticking to one Aria might be necessary. Listening to Rotzsch, Suzuki [24] and Richter [10] in four sessions, I found out that mood and sensitivity change my impression from day to day. Saturday I was very sensitive and did even enjoy Rotzsch, which I certainly didn't Friday night, where I was tired and just loved good old Richter. And Sunday the first spring arrived to Denmark, so after going to the triple Bach funeral concerto for the last time, I simply had to listen to BWV 202 "Weichet nur betrubte Schatten" too.
My recordings are:
[15] The Sonatina is very important to me; the recorders are eternal light over the dark violoncello grave. The Rotzsch recorders do not have the right rich and at the same time gentle sound. And later when the Thomaner boys enter, it is little like in BWV 198 which we recently discussed, are there too many Sopranos or is it the DDR recording technique, which cause too much descant? If it is the technique, it could explain the unsatisfying recorder sound too. I have to be very much in the "Bach mood" to listen to the end, when it's Rotzsch. It feels so uninspired.
[24] Has a beautiful Sonatina and the following is clear and full of light and life, not really Tragicus, but good enough as a whole. When the bass sings "Bestelle dein Haus" the instruments fail with a too gay dancing approach. Those words are a serious matter, a warning or an advice. Here Richter makes an allegro too but in a much more controlled way.
[10] Richter's recorders sound divine. When I listened to them and the vibrating deep cellos just after I bought the CD last summer spine was shivering. What a Sonatina! It is so intense. After that Richter enters with his enormous Bach Chor singing with intense emotion. It is in fact a wonder that such a change succeeds. Though the Richter style not is "a la mode" it is great art. But he is lucky too, that the recorders very often alternate with the choir, so that they don't drown. But if you listen carefully they can be heard when the choir is on too. The recording is intensity and expressivity all the way. Bach singers have to, if not believe the words, then at least act like they do. And with Richter it is that way. "Bestelle dein Haus" sung by Theo Adam strikes deeply.
If I should look upon the cantata as a whole I prefer Richter. Suzuki [24] will do a day where I don't want the extreme, but he will never shake me like Richter.
Ryan Michero wrote (March 19, 2000):
I know how you feel, Aryeh! I had this feeling after listening to all of my recordings of BWV 198. I hadn't taken any notes and no recording really stood out above the rest, so when it came time to write something I couldn't. I think I eventually gathered my thoughts and wrote something, but I was a week late!
Luckily, I took notes this time, so hopefully I have something coherent to say. But maybe I would feel over-saturated again if I had FIFTEEN recordings to listen to! My goodness, Aryeh, you have a lot of cantata recordings!
I have only EIGHT recordings of BWV 106--most of them HIP. I'll give some short (hopefully!) reactions to each of them:
[5] (Prohaska) This one sticks out from my collection a bit, as it was recorded in 1954. However, it seems to be kind of a pioneering effort as recorders are used instead of flutes and violas da gamba (though modernised, I'm sure) are used instead of celli. Yes, it sounds old-fashioned, with copious vibrato in the choir and instruments, slow tempi, trills starting on the low note, etc. BUT it is still an effective performance. The soloists sound interesting--I was surprised by how much I liked the singing of Teresa Stich-Randall and Dagmar Herman. Operatic Bach for sure, but impressive for 1954.
[16] (Leonhardt) This is a great one, definitely one of my favourites. The Sonatina is very, very lovely and moving (as one would expect when the likes of Jaap ter Linden and Franz Brüggen are in the ensemble). Indeed, the instrumental sound (rich, wooden-sounding recorders; pungent, reedy violas da gamba) is one of the chief attractions of this recording. The choirs are on fine form, with each line delineated clearly, and Leonhardt handles the changes in pacing expertly (although I can hear some splices between sections). Marius van Altena sings his part well, and Max van Egmond is wonderful as usual, coping nicely with the high tessitura in the "Heute, heute" section (I noticed some conductors use a tenor here as the high bass part lies in their range). The singing of the boy soloists is also a highlight of Leonhardt's recording. Marcus Klein sings the cries of "Ja, Komm!" movingly, and Raphael Harten is especially touching in the solo Alto section ("In deine Hande"). If this were the only recording of BWV 106 I had heard, I would be happy (but, as it is not, it's nice to explore the riches in the other recordings too).
[18] (Rifkin) This is a very good recording and the first BWV 106 sung one-to-a-part. Rifkin's intimate ensemble sounds gorgeous, and the voices of the four solo singers blend nicely. While tenor Edmund Brownless is merely acceptable, Jan Opalach sounds great here. Ann Monoyios also sings beautifully, but she may sound a bit too adult to really move me in the cries of "Ja Komm"--I prefer a boy or a young-sounding, boyish female soprano. Unfortunately, countertenor Steven Rickards sounds pretty bad in his solo section. His intonation is insecure and he sings with little feeling. Opalach sounds better in the following section, but he is obviously uncomfortable in the high range. The final movement is a highlight due to the lovely ensemble and Rifkin's alert conducting.
[19] (Gardiner) This is a very good recording but not quite one of my favourites. The best thing about this one is the Monteverdi Choir--WOW! This is quite a virtuoso group, and no other choir delineates the counterpoint quite as well as the Monteverdi. Gardiner is an alert leader, and he handles the changes in tempo with customary panache (Gardiner's style is very distinctive--I can tell in a moment it's him behind the baton). I like Nancy Argenta, but she doesn't quite do it for me here--too adult sounding again, and the she's so under-powered that the choir swallows her up when her voice should be flying aloft. Michael Chance doesn't sound really comfortable in his solo (although he sings very musically). Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Stephen Varcoe sound very nice though, singing lyrically but with authority. The last movement seems a bit too quick to me, but it's very well sung. Altogether, this is a nicely performed and satisfying (if not really moving) recording.
[21] (Jeffery Thomas) Surprisingly, I think this is my favourite version. The Sonatina is really ravishing here, with gorgeous-sounding instruments and lovely phrasing. Thomas' full ensemble (like Rifkin, with one singer to a part) sounds very beautiful. One thing I like about this one is the very expressive, madrigalesque singing. Thomas himself makes a nice Tenor soloist. However, it is Christine Brandes that steals the show here with her cries of "Ja, Komm Herr Jesu". Her voice, pure yet full with very little vib, is powerful enough to soar above the ensemble yet light and subtle enough to fade away when the ensemble stops. Her account of this part is the only one that really sent chills up my spine. Drew Minter is also quite moving in the next section even if his intonation is a bit insecure. William Sharp is also very good. The lovely full ensemble returns for the last section to give a great account of the "Amen" fugue.
[23] Koopman's version is also very fine. The choir seems to be singing very softly in this cantata, perhaps to match with the light instrumental scoring, giving this performance a contemplative, quiet feeling that works well. Guy de Mey and especially Kai Wessel and Klaus Mertens sing their parts wonderfully. Barbara Schlick mars this performance, though, not only sounding too adult again for my taste but also insecure in her intonation. The last choral section is soft and tender until it culminates in a sprightly fugue. A good if flawed recording.
[24] Suzuki's was my favourite until I heard Thomas' version, and I still love it (this might be my favourite next week). The solo singing is perhaps the strongest overall of any version. Gerd Türk and Peter Kooy are, as always, superb. A nice surprise here is soprano Aki Yanagisawa, who usually sings in the BCJ choir but has only been used as a soloist for this one cantata. Too bad, because she is an excellent singer with exemplary technique and a pure, boyish tone (she sounds a bit like Judith Nelson to me). Her account of the cries of “Ja Komm” is very moving. Let us hear her more, Masaaki! But in my opinion, the best solo vocal performance comes from Yoshikazu Mera, who sings with incredible feeling and fine technique. His singing of the Alto part is so distinctive that I cannot listen to any other version without thinking of how Mera sings it. Overall, Suzuki again shows his talent for natural yet dramatically effective pacing. His Sonatina is, however, very slow for HIP versions, which some may not like (I find it very affecting, personally). Fine, fresh choral singing crowns an excellent recording.
Aryeh didn't mention this very new one:
[33] (Junghänel) Here's another one-singer-per-part recording, and it is in many ways the most impressive. There's not a weak link in the bunch--each singer is superb. I have to single out the incredible, nearly vibrato-free voice of Johanna Koslowsky who is marvellous in her cries of "Ja, Komm Herr Jesu", and the equally miraculous Elisabeth Popien, who nearly makes me forget Mera. Junghänel generally picks the quickest tempi, but they work within the context of his performance. The ensemble is gorgeous, and the contrapuntal lines come through very clearly. Overall, this reading is reverential, austere, beautiful, and antique, yet delightfully fresh and immediate. I highly recommend it.
So, I have four favourites: Leonhardt, Suzuki, Thomas, and Junghänel. Thomas' version has a slight edge right now, but I suspect my affections will switch around between these four in the future depending on my mood. Aryeh's comments interest me in Ohrwall's recording, and Marie makes me consider buying Richter. All in all, BWV 106 is quite well served on disc, isn't it?
Karl Otsuki wrote (March 20, 2000):
Actually it's a known fact that Bach's early cantatas (from Mühlhausen/Weimar period) had been published in two different pitches, because their pitches are based on Chorton (choir pitch: approx. A=465 or even higher), while his Leipzig cantatas are based on Kammerton (chamber pitch: approx. A=415). BG used Chorton to publish those cantatas while NBA was standardised using Kammerton. It is confusing, I know... But I just wanted to point out that in the case of Gettes Zeit, recorder parts were transposed to F to adjust the pitches to other instruments in Chorton.
The interesting part is that the original key is in Eb. But of course, HIP performers would want to use the key of F, otherwise it will sound like D on A=415 tuning, and that was not Bach's intention (the original key is again Eb, in A=465 tuning). But do they really want to use the key of F? The answer is no, because the key of F might transmit a wrong kind of 'Affekt'. Johann Mattheson wrote that there is a certain character or an appropriate 'Affekt' to transmit in each key (Das neu-eroffnete Orchestre, 1713)... Probably Bach used the key of Eb intentionally to transmit Eb-suited Affekt. So what's the best way to perform this cantata?
I'm not sure about other group, but Bach Collegium Japan / Suzuki [24] used the key of Eb in Chorton... that's right, they tuned the organ and strings (+choir) to A=465 pitch (of course, recorders were tuned to A=415 pitch) so that we can hear the sonority of original key of Eb! Isn't this interesting?
Johan van Veen wrote (March 21, 2000):
It is a very interesting and intriguing subject. In fact, you have opened Pandora's box here, because nobody seems to know what Mattheson (and others, like Kirnberger) have based their associations on. Were their theories based on Chorton or on Kammerton?
As far as this cantata is concerned, only the first two sections (Sinfonia and Chorus 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit') and the closing chorale 'Glorie, Lob, Ehr und Herrlichkeit' are in E flat. According to Mattheson E flat can only be associated with grave and sad feelings. That is well reflected in the Chorus. The chorale is different: it is a eulogy on the Trinity. But one should remember that Bach loves symbolism: E flat is also associated with the Trinity. The key of F major gives some problems: Mattheson associates it with everything that is positive, nice and beautiful. He compares it with a person who has 'bonne grace'. Maybe it is not impossible to connect that with the chorus: 'Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit'. It certainly can be connected with the chorale.
The main problems come in the other sections, in particular the core of this cantata (the hinge point between the first and second half): 'Es ist der alte Bund'. Originally the key is f minor - Mattheson associates it with a deep anxiety, a black melancholy - and that matches the content: 'Es ist der alte Bund - Mensch, du mußt sterben!' In Kammerton this would be g minor, which expresses seriousness and buoyancy, and can be used for moderate complaining and moderate cheerfulness. I think f minor reflects the content of this section better. The recordings I know are mostly in Chorton: Cantus Cölln [33] and the Brilliant Classics recording directed by Pieter Jan Leusink [28] Leonhardt (Teldec) [16] uses Kammerton, as all cantatas in that series.
Another question is of course to what extent we can develop a sensitivity to experience the 'Affekt' associated with the different keys. I wonder what yours and other people's experiences are in that regard.
More Messages
Rasmus Storjohann wrote (March 22, 2000):
At the Bach festival in Nantes, France this January, I went to a talk on the cantata "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit" (Actus Tragicus, BWV 106), and I have been looking for a recording of it. Now, I don't really want to have to buy ALL the cantatas, so I'm looking for ideally a single disk with a decent recording of this cantata. Thanks for any pointers!
Kirk McElhearn wrote (April 9, 2000):
[26] For the past two Sundays, the French satellite music channel has been playing Ton Koopman videos at 9 AM. Each film is one hour long, and presents some biographical info about Bach, and then Koopman and his band play a cantata. The first was BWV 106, and today was BWV 131. The films are not very interesting except for the cantata performances. The biographical stuff is pretty hokey, with characters in powdered wigs and horse-drawn carriages, and unfortunately Koopman does not talk much about the cantatas that he plays. In addition, the filis peppered with bits and pieces of Bach's music, all very short and out of context.
The cantata performances, however, make it worthwhile. They are interesting, and provide a nice way to learn more about the works, through watching performers play. These films were made for Dutch TV in 1997, and apparently there are 4 of them. I don't know if they are available on video, and Cor Knops, Koopman's webmaster, had not ever heard of them when I queried him...
Sybrand Bakker wrote (April 9, 2000):
[26] Videos have been recently broadcasted by NCRV so it is a bit strange Mr. Knops doesn't know about them. AFAIK, there are 6 of them, with one very funny performance of the Kaffee Kantate, with Klaus Mertens as Herr Schlendrian and Anne Grimm as Liesgen. Perfect casting, performance in costumes, in an 18th century coffeehouse. You may want to get in touch with the NCRV (www.ncrv.nl), though I don't know whether they sell them.
Aryeh Oron wrote (May 24, 2000):
[33] I have not had the Junghänel's CD while we were discussing BWV 106, 196 & 4 in previous weeks. I still have not had it, while I sent to the group my review of the recordings of BWV 12 last week. But, at last I have it, I manages to listen to it couple of times, and my initial conclusion is that this record is well deserved almost every praise it got in the Bach Cantatas Mailing List. However, I do not find it wholly convincing from every aspect. Indeed, its intimate atmosphere is the best visit card of the OVPP approach, the voices are very well balanced and blend charmingly together, the instruments are beautifully played, and the emphasis on the words rather than on the music is well justified. The pronunciation of the words is so clear, that you could almost write them on paper according to what you hear (BTW, it is not mentioned in the booklet, when each tenor is singing. I believe that Türk is singing the Solo parts and Jochens the Chorale parts). The balance between the instrumental and the vocal parts is perfect. They are on equal level. I mean that you do not have the feeling that the instruments accompany the voices or that they overshadow them, but that they play together or one against the other, as needed. The fugal parts obtain the best clarity from this approach. What I miss is a little bit more drama and emotion, and a little bit more softness and tenderness. Don't understand me wrongly. I like this CD very much, because it illuminates special sides of the cantatas, which are rarely revealed in other performances. And the aspects that I miss here, I find in other recordings. The cantatas sound so different in this rendering than any other recording, almost like new works of art, and this approach is performed so convincingly, that this record becomes a 'must have' for every cantatas collection. But, I also believe that this record should not be the only version one should hold of each cantata included in it. Since all the cantatas in this record has been discussed in our group in the last couple of months, one can easily come to conclusion that there are other recordings for each cantata with different approaches indeed, but not less valid. Regarding BWV 12 in particular, I love Wöldike, Suzuki, and Junghänel almost on the same level, different as they are, and maybe exactly for this reason.
Matthew Westphal wrote (May 24, 2000):
[33] I'm glad you finally got the Cantus Cölln CD and I thank you for your comments on it.
One tiny point: you said you think Türk is singing the solos and Jochens the chorale parts. I can't remember where I heard or saw this (Junghänel may have mentioned it when I interviewed him for Amazon.com), but I believe that Jochens is singing all of it and Türk wasn't involved in this recording at all. (He was probably in Japan singing for Suzuki!)
The article for Amazon.com has five performers -- conductors Paul McCreesh, Konrad Junghänel and Philippe Herreweghe and singers Drew Minter and Julianne Baird -- talking about performing Bach one-singer-per-part. I will let the list know when the article is up on the site.
Johan van Veen wrote (May 24, 2000):
[33] I have just looked at this recording and this is who is singing what:
- BWV 4: Aria 'Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn' - Jochens; Duet 'So feiern wir das hohe Fest' – Jochens
- BWV 106: Aria 'Ach Herr, lehre uns bedenken' - Türk; Aria 'Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein' – Jochens
- BWV 196: Duet 'Der Herr segne euch' – Türk
- BWV 12: Aria 'Sei getreu, alle Pein' – Jochens
Ryan Michero wrote (May 24, 2000):
[33] I think Johan is right. Türk's voice is pretty recognisable, and I know I heard him in a few places on the recording. I also remember that Jochens sings for sure in BWV 12.
BWV 4 + BWV 106 - Rafi' Lavi's Discussion
Aryeh Oron wrote (July 1, 2000):
Rafi Lavi is a famous Israeli painter, as well as classical music critic, who writes regularly a column for the local weekly newspaper 'Ha'ir'. Every Tuesday evening a group of dedicated classical music fans is gathered at Lavi's home. He chooses for them a certain work of classical music and they listen together to all the recordings of that work without prior notice what they are going to hear, or who the performers are. Then they compare the various recordings of the work to each other and give them marks. The results are published in the newspaper couple of weeks afterwards. I have never participated in those weekly musical meetings. However, I read the weekly column with curiosity to see if the work under discussion interests me. Last week's comparison was dedicated to cantatas BWV 4 & BWV 106. Before quoting from that article, I have to say that the opinions expressed there do not reflect in any way my personal opinion. But because the matter of our group is discussing Bach cantatas and especially recordings of them, it is interesting to read a review about the same subject from another source. Here is my translation to English of the original Hebrew text:
"The CD in which Junghänel conducts Bach cantatas [33] has raised a lot of attention lately, because it sounds so marvellous and also because it includes two of the most known and beloved cantatas - BWV 4 'Christ lag in Todesbanden' and BWV 106 'Actus Tragicus'.
We compared both of them. We did not choose arias for soloists, but choral movements, which generally characterise the performances. Also, we included only recordings from the last 30 years. It means that Harnoncourt-Leonhardt production [16] was the most veteran of them. All of them were HIP.
According to the participants' statements, all of us were looking for the same thing: beautiful voices, transparent weave of them, fluent flow, not heavy, not didactic, but also not superficial. And at the end, a performance that will 'touch the heart', as the listeners said.
[16] As has been expected, the renderings of Harnoncourt to BWV 4 and Leonhardt to BWV 106 arrived to the last place. Their performances, which once sounded to us innovative, fresh and bold, sound today old-fashioned, heavy, steady and ordinary.
[24] In BWV 4 Suzuki [24] arrived first. He is flexible, plays beautifully with the voices and very expressive. In BWV 106 he was placed at the bottom. He was called stiff and clumsy.
[18] Rifkin, the performance that uses one voice per part instead of choir, has not recorded BWV 4. In BWV 106 he arrived to the first place far ahead before the others. Jeffery Thomas performance [21], whose approach is similar to Rifkin, got a lot of sympathy. In BWV he was second by a narrow margin, and in BWV 106 he was second together with two others.
[33] Junghänel, the cause for celebration, arrived third, after Suzuki [24] and Thomas [21] in BWV 4, and second, together with Gardiner [19] and Thomas [21], in BWV 106. By the way, Gardiner was laid at the bottom in BWV 4.
Parrott, who recorded only BWV 4 in Rifkin's method, was put in the middle, in exact distance from the 'good' and the 'bad' recordings.
[23] Koopman, who records the complete cantatas and is considered by many to be the ultimate, was not appreciated in our group - in both cantatas. 'Ordinary', 'smeared', 'tedious', were some of the compliments he got.
Conclusion? Rifkin [18], Thomas [21], and Junghänel [33]. Suzuki [24] and Gardiner [19] should be checked according to each cantata and the soloists must not be forgotten, because in these renderings they change from one CD to the other. Koopman is out. Leonhardt and Harnoncourt are passé. And all the above said is valid until the next comparison."
BBC survey of BWV 106
David Harbin wrote (November 18, 2001):
BBC Radio 3 is doing a survey of the recordings of BWV 106 next Saturday at 9:30 GMT. You can access this via the internet.
Any predictions on which will be the Library choice? I have the Herreweghe.
Saygilarimla Can Danizci wrote (November 18, 2001):
[To David Harbin] I want to learn which interpretation of general Bach cantatas is more considered like Klemperer's Beethoven symphonies?
Philip Peters wrote (November 19, 2001):
[To Can Denizci] Richter's.
Saygilarimla Can Danizci wrote (November 19, 2001):
[To Philip Peters] I meant the best Bach cantatas interpretation approved by musical authorities.Is it really Richter's? Not Herreweghe, Leonhardt or Gardiner?Surprising...
Aryeh Oron wrote (November 19, 2001):
[To Can Denizci] Who are those musical authorities?
Anyhow, there are at least 24 complete recordings of this cantata to choose from. See the following page of the Bach Cantatas Website: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV106.htm
You can also look at the discussions about this cantata in the following page: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV106-D.htm
Peter Tanzer wrote (November 19, 2001):
[To Can Denizci] Well, it's a complicated story, as you might imagine. Bach interpretation is a contentious business, one animated by great passions. Like all rich music, there is no one way to play it, but the Bach situation is particularly interesting: there have been two more or less contending schools since the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt recordings of the cantatas, which are done on "original" instruments. The original instruments have won the day since - any trip to a record store ought to convince you of that, but neither the orginal instrument interpreters nor the "traditional" instrument interpreters form a monolithic group. Far from it.
As to the traditional performers, I would really hesitate to say that Richter is the best: his contemporaries such as Fritz Werner, and perhaps Wolfgang Gönnewein and Helmut Winschermann as well, I believe, get closer to the heart of Bach's music, and those such as Rilling who have continued to use traditional instruments may also be superior. Richter's sound and general conception is "bigger" and more "noble", but is that the way one is to enter the world of Bach? Rilling however, whom I admire and who has taken in the lessons to be learned by the modern Bach interpreters – his conception is very HIP-like, does not always have recourse to satisfying singers, whilst the four I have mentioned above almost invariably have wonderful singers - usually superior not only to Rilling's but to those of the HIP ensembles as well. Furthermore, some of the predecessors to Werner and Gönnewein, such as Fritz Lehmann, Hermann Scherchen and Karl Ristenpart, Scherchen's son-in-law, are even better: unfortunately there do not exist many recordings of cantata works featuring them. Ristenpart in particular was a great Bach conductor. I'll repeat though what I said earlier: as far as singing goes, these recordings are pretty much unmatched, but that is not the only merit of these recordings: these guys were very close to the music and knew what they, and it, were about!
My collection is divided in half between these old masters and the new. Usually, I try to get at least one old style recording and one new of each cantata, but of course it's harder to find the old ones! Of the so-called HIP interpreters, I really do find that Suzuki surpasses the others, in depth of understanding, and I find that his singers don't often disappoint, even if they do not usually rise to the level of the the singers of the 50's and 60's. If you desire, I'll air some impressions I have of the other HIPs, but, if you want - as you should - to hear Bach played at 415 instead of 440 (which, by the way, makes life much easier for the singer!) - then you can't go wrong with Suzuki.
Obviously, my comments are quite inadequate, and are meant to be the reflection of a slow and unfinished process of discovery. There is a lot more to say, but one has to start somewhere!
Philip Peters wrote (November 19, 2001):
< Can Denizci wrote: I meant the best Bach cantatas interpretation approved by musical authorities.Is it really Richter's?Not Herreweghe, Leonhardt or Gardiner?Surprising... >
I don't know about authorities but talking about Klemperer's Beethoven is talking about the Grand Romantic Style and Richter is closer to that than other conductors. There are only three complete recordings: Harnoncourt/Leonhardt, Rilling and Leusink.
H/L is the HIP-pioneering recording, Rilling uses modern instruments but has often thrilling soloists (like Auger), Leusink's is a cycle which was recorded much too fast and, various good moments notwithstanding, is only to be recommended because of its low price.
For separate cantatas many other conductors (Herreweghe prominently among them) do better. There are also earlier non-HIP recordings (Werner, Ehmann and many others) who made wonderful recordings. You can find a lot of them reviewed on Aryeh's fantastic website.
Saygilarimla Can Denizci wrote (November 19, 2001):
[To Aryeh Oron] Thank you very much Aryeh for your information.
Saygilarimla Can Denizci wrote (November 19, 2001):
[To Peter Tanzer] Thank you very much for your advices.What about Herreweghe, for example his g minor mess?
Peter Tanzer wrote (November 20, 2001):
[To Can Denizci] You mean the B-minor mass (BWV 232). Hmmm: generally, Herreweghe's Bach is quite good. In particular, his winds are about the best on record, and he understands better than most acoustic space. His Bach "breathes" beautifully, and this is true too of his B-minor mass recording(s). He did, I believe, two of them; I have only the older one which appears on Virgin Veritas, and I have not heard his more recent version. I have listened only two times to the old version: at first listening I was very satisfied, particularly by its tender intimacy and clarity. On re-listening to it recently (and I admit that I was half asleep already), a complaint that a musician once voiced to me about Herreweghe's Bach began to seem relevant: Herreweghe rounds off almost every phrase so delicately and so sweetly that its cumulative effect starts to become truly annoying.
Although I don't know the Mass (nor any recordings of it) well enough to offer you alternatives, and although I do have this far from minor quibble with this one, I still think it is a fine recording - though there must be better!
Richard Grant wrote (November 20, 2001):
[To Can Denizci] Hermann Scherchenfor those who know the relatively limited Bach of both conductors is probably the closest to Klemperer, though there is really no exact parallel to be found without knowing exactly what you mean when you say "Klemperer's Beethoven". Do you refer to the compact intensity of Klemperer? Or are you thinking of his lightly romantic approach with particular emphasis on a high degree of technical polish from the players, or do you mean some variation of this or something altogether different?
Richard Grant wrote (November 20, 2001):
[To Can Denizci] "Musical authorities" in this, as in everything, differ. Different tastes will result in different degrees of appreciation of approaches contrary to or outside a particular taste. And should you find at some point that you have most of the best informed people of a given era agreeing on something you will only have to examine the consensus of a previous or subsequent era to find that agreement very effectively criticized and dismissed.
Dick Wursten wrote (November 29, 2001):
[To David Harbin] Just curious: Which recording of BWV 106 was the Library's choice ? Can I be proud of my fellow-countryman and his Collegium vocale?
Peter Bright wrote (November 29, 2001):
[To Dick Wursten] I believe the favoured recording was Joshua Rifkin's [18], followed by Suzuki [24]. He spent some time discussing the much admired Junghänel recording [33] but found some of the tempos rather fast and uninvolving. The reviewer was clearly a one to a part man. I'm afraid I can't remember whether the Herreweghe was discussed.
Joost wrote (November 29, 2001):
[To Peter Bright] Is it possible that you are mistaken about the Herreweghe BWV 106? I cannot trace it anywhere, I even tried Aryeh's listing on the Bach Cantatas site. Maybe you mean the Leonhardt recording [16], where the male part of the choir is Herreweghe's Collegium Vocale?
Peter Bright wrote (November 29, 2001):
[To Joost] I have never heard the Herreweghe BWV 106 (whether or not it exists) - I was simply replying to David Harbin's earlier email who specified that he owned the Herreweghe and wondered whether it was chosen by the reviewer as a good choice.
David Harbin wrote (December 2, 2001)
< Dick Wursten wrote: Just curious: Which recording of BWV 106 was the Library's choice ? Can I be proud of my fellow-countryman and his Collegium vocale? >
OOps! There is no recording of Herreweghe conducting BWV 106. The winners were Joshua Rifkin (Decca) [18] and Suzuki (BIS) [24]. From memory, Gardiner's [19] speeds were too fast, Rilling [14] had some truly dire orchestral playing, Junghänel [33] was way too fast in the final movement (exciting but not what the music is about). The reviewer expressed a strong preference for a 1 voice per part approach and felt the earlier Rifkin [18] was the best but it seemed apparant that it could be bettered.
Holiday Wishes / Actus Tragicus
Ersamus Harland wrote (December 23, 2001):
As you'r an obvious expert on Bach- can you enlighten me as to Actus Tragicus - is it a cantata.
Marten Breuer wrote (December 23, 2001):
[To Ersamus Harland] Yes, the so-called Actus Tragicus is thought to be one of Bach's earliest cantatas BWV 106 ('Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit').
Aryeh Oron wrote
[To Ersamus Harland] Cantata BWV 106 has already been discussed in the Bach Cantatas Mailing List (BCML).
A list of its recordings appears in the following page of the Bach Cantatas Website: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV106.htm
The discussions are compiled in the following page: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV106-D.htm
Commnetary on Cantata BWV 106<Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit> ---quote from Händel???
Ludwig wrote (January 3, 2002):
First of all allow me to state that there are not enough superlatives to describe this cantata which is one of the most famous of the famous Cantatas. It is perhaps the shortest of all cantatas that Bach wrote and is very concise and to the point with very simple orchestration: 2 gambas, 2 Blockflöte (please English speakers let us end the confusing banality of calling this instrument "recorder"--it records nothing) with Organ and Cello (or Gamba) as continuo in addition to the usual SATB chorus of 16. The classical orchestration is nothing short of a Masterpiece.
The Blockflotes are used very descirptively to represent God in the symbolic form of Doves and throughout the Sonatina we hear sounds that resemble the calls and cooings of Doves.
It was written for apparently for someone's funeral probally around 1707 and I am wondering if anyone knows whose funeral it was first done for.
In the first Alto aria <In deine Hände befehl ich meinen Geist> the words are sung to a melody which I think I have heard before but unable to trace down--perhaps in Händel's Messiah or would it be in another Bach Cantata. I would like to know if anyone can identify where this melody comes from as it is not unique to this Cantata.
Thomas Braatz wrote (January 3, 2001):
< Ludwig asked: It was written for apparently for someone's funeral probably around 1707 and I am wondering if anyone knows whose funeral it was first done for. >
Read David Schulberg's article in Boyd's "Composer Companions:J.S.Bach." Nothing has been turned up to provide proof for the numerous speculative theories that have been put forth.
< In the first Alto aria <In deine Hände befehl ich meinen Geist> the words are sung to a melody which I think I have heard before but unable to trace down--perhaps in Händel's Messiah or would it be in another Bach Cantata. I would like to know if anyone can identify where this melody comes from as it is not unique to this Cantata. >
Alfred Dürr (1971) recognizes the type of melodic figure in the vocal line as originating in the "Geistliche Konzerte" ["The sacred concerted music"] of the 17th century (I assume that the German terminology that Dürr uses implies a German tradition.) This seems to mean that Dürr also hears something familiar in the type of melody used and that he was unable to track it down specifically. It also means that Händel as well may have derived something from this tradition in Germany before his exposure to and complete absorption of the Italian sacred cantata for solo voice (primarily soprano). Most of his compositions (and there are not many among them that are truly sacred cantatas) in this category are of a secular nature and were composed after the beginning of the 18th century. It appears then that both Bach and Händel looked back to the 17th century for good examples to follow and absorbed these into their compositions.
Ludwig wrote (January 4, 2001):
[To Thomas Braatz] Thanks ---it just seems that although the libretti are different---the tunes are either the same or similar in both Bach and Händel or is it that you are stating that both Bach and Händel borrowed this melody from the source you state.
Actus Tragicus
Francine Renee Hall wrote (April 19, 2003):
Is the jpg below the best Actus Tragicus to get? If not, any other recommendations?
thanks so much
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004R7PX.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Kirk McElhearn wrote (April 19, 2003):
[To Francine Renee Hall] Definitely!
Francine Renee Hall wrote (April 19, 2003):
[To Kirk McElhearn] That was fast! Nothing like instant internet! Hopefully a friend of mine (who orders from amazon when I ask) will place the order asap!
Thanks!
BWV 106 - Leonhardt tuning
Jason Marmaras wrote (August 27, 2004):
I was reading Mr. Fogliati's contribution about tuning the Actus Tragicus, BWV 106, found on <http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV106-D.htm>, and wondered how Leonhardt had chosen to tune.
Comparing it first with my long untuned pianoforte and then with my Herreweghe recording of the XO, BWV 248 (in D-Dur but sounding half a tone lower, due to Herreweghe's HIP practice), I concluded that it sounded in [modern] Ees-Dur (or, for A =415 Hz., E-Dur).
Can someone prove deny, or explain, this? I would recommend a look at the above page, for Frank's enlightening <essay>.
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