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The Solo Cantata BWV 132 Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn! (Prepare the ways, prepare the path!) was composed by J.S. Bach in Weimar for the 4th Sunday in Advent and was performed there on December 22, 1715. The cantata is scored for soprano, alto, tenor & bass soloists; 4-part chorus; and orchestra of oboe, 2 violins, viola, continuo.
BWV 132 is J.S. Bach's only cantata for the 4th Sunday in Advent. At Leipzig cantatas were performed only on the 1st Sunday in Advent. Therefore, unlike many other cantatas which J.S. Bach originally composed and performed in Weimar, this cantata was not performed by him again in Leipzig. This fact should not in any way testify the value of this cantata. I wrote many years ago in the first round of cantata discussions:
I think that almost every cantata would have blessed to have one of the three marvelous arias included in BWV 132. Each one of the arias is dominated by the presence of a solo instrument, which plays the counterpart to the solo voice. In the first aria it is the oboe with the soprano, in the second - the cello with the bass, and in the third - the violin with the alto. A whole world of combinations, completions and contrasts is opened. Bach achieves the utmost results from these possibilities and still leaves us under the impression that he still has a lot up his sleeve. And this cantata has all three of them in the same package.
The discography of Cantata BWV 132 on the BCW has been revised and updated. See:
Complete Recordings (29): https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV132.htm
Recordings of Individual Movements (14): https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV132-2.htm
The revised discography includes new recordings, much more details and many listening/watching options as part of the recording details. When you click a link to video/audio, a new window will open above the discography page and the video/audio will start to play.
I believe this is the most comprehensive discography of this cantata. If you are aware of a recording of BWV 132 missing from these pages, or want to correct/add details of a recording already presented on the BCW, please inform me.
You can also read on the BCW 3 discussion pages of the cantata in the BML, starting at: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV132-D.htm
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