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Ton Koopman & Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir

Complete Cantatas Vol. 6

Recording

C-6	Complete Cantatas Volume 6
CD-1: Cantatas BWV 76, BWV 75 CD-2: Cantatas BWV 190, BWV 179, BWV 59, BWV 69 CD-3: Cantatas BWV 50, BWV 186, BWV 104, BWV 69a, BWV 50 (Appendix)
Ton Koopman
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir
Soprano: Ruth Ziesak; Alto: Elisabeth von Magnus; Tenor: Paul Agnew; Bass: Klaus Mertens
Erato / Antoine Marchand		Apr, Sep 1997	3-CD / TT:
Recorded at Waalse Kerk, Amsterdam, Holland. Buy this album at: Amazon.com, Amazon.com

Koopman cantatas - Vol. 6

David Earls wrote (September 4, 1998):
Received this in the mail yesterday. I'm currently half way through the 3-disc set, so these notes are quick dashings.

I must say I find it a splendid production. With Vol.6, Koopman has entered the first annual cycle of sacred cantatas from the Leipzig period. We are presented with a new soprano (Ruth Ziesak) and a new tenor (Paul Agnew). Elizabeth Von Magnus (alto) and Klaus Mertens (bass) are back. I might prefer a slightly larger alto voice (Karen Clark, perhaps?). Liner notes again by Dr. Wolff.

More than anything, this recording achieves balance. The forces are clearly delineated yet nicely mixed, so that none overpowers. The tempi are moderate, and the entire recording has a very palatable lightness. There are, of course, those who prefer a little more of this or that, but to this woefully uneducated ear, this recording shines brightly. It recalls some of the superb chorales of Koopman's Vol 2 organ works - a personal favourite.

I must confess that I have enjoyed this entire series, even though the consensus of this group tends not to favor Koopman. Needless to say, acquiring several sets of cantatas for comparison is financially daunting, even if an amateur such as myself had the time to really compare and contrast (it takes a little longer to "get it"). I enjoy the comments of the group on better performances of individual cantatas, but this project serves perfectly the needs of someone such as myself.

Ehud Shiloni wrote (November 22, 1998):
< David Earls wrote: (Back on 4 Sep 1998) I must say I find it a splendid production. With Vol 6, Koopman has entered the first annual cycle of sacred cantatas from the Leipzig period. ...to this woefully uneducated ear, this recording shines brightly. I must confess that I have enjoyed this entire series, even though the consensus of this group tends not to favor Koopman. >
Well, David, you may count me out of the "concensus". I collect all Koopman's as they come out, and I am generally very pleased with what I hear. I may like some other performance of a specific cantata better than Koopman's, but the entire series is an overall delight.

I just got volume 6 which you've discussed, and I would like to add one comment. I listened to cantata BWV 75 which is the first cantata that Bach performed in Leipzig, just one week after arriving there with his family from Cothen. For me it was the "First Heard" experience with this cantata, and it made me think about the "First Heard" experience of the Leipzig congregation , and about the discussion we recently had about Bach's appreciation by his contemporaries. Christoph Wolff's liner notes say:

Quote
According to contemporary newspaper reports, "the new Cantor and Director of the Collegium Musicum, Herr Johann Sebastian Bach, who has come hither from the Prince's court at Cöthen, produced his first music here with great success".
Unquote

And I wonder: What did they mean by "Great Sucess"? We know that his music was accepted, respected, even liked, but not revered anyway near what we think about it today. As I finished listening to the opening chorus, and was half way through the majestic Bass recitative, I thought to myself: How on earth was it possible that the people present did not realize that this is something more than "A Great Success"? That what they are hearing is N O T Kuhnau, not the sought-after Teleman, not anyone else they ever heard? I am no scholar, but my inclination is to side with those who said that this misconception was mainly the result of poor performance. When I hear Koopman and the ABO+C I hear carefully selected, highly skilled, extensively trained performers, polished by as many rehearsals as were needed to produce such a splendid recording. Obviously Bach had very few of these "luxuries", and what his audience heard probably did'nt come close to what I've heard on my stereo. It is almost a statistical impossibility that his Bass singer came anywhere near Klaus Mertens' quality, given that Leipzig at the time had a population of maybe thirty
thousand people...

Anyway, I shared some thoughts with you, and I join David's recommendation: Koopman's Vol.6 is OK.

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Last update: ýJuly 24, 2005 ý13:44:43