J.S. Bach: A Life in Music, Vol. 1 ¿ Early Cantatas

by Paul Agnew, Benjamin Alard, Les Arts Florissants

Overview

This 2024 release, which made classical best-seller lists in the spring of that year, marks the first in a chronological series devoted to Bach's church cantatas. It is not going to be a complete series; rather, it will examine Bach's output in this genre according to style and to the circumstances under which the works were composed. (A second volume, devoted to the Weimar years, has already been announced.) This hasn't been a common practice with Bach, partly because it is difficult to date some of the works, and for this reason alone, the album is welcome. There are other attractions as well, including the well-coordinated, chamber-like quality of the performances by Les Arts Florissants and the group's director, Paul Agnew. His tempos are generally quick, but he can broaden out when necessary, and his interpretations, as he indicates, are carefully rooted in the text. Another draw is the presence of a cantata by Johann Kuhnau, setting the same text as Bach's famous Cantata No. 4, BWV 4 ("Christ lag in Todes Banden"), that does a very nice job of showing just how original the young Bach's style was. All three of the cantatas here have bold masterstrokes of rough-hewn expression, devoid of the smoothing out that would come later as Bach discovered the clean, bright Italian style. The program is broken up by organ works related to the cantatas here, and organist Benjamin Alard takes care to fit his readings to Agnew's overall expressive mode. Agnew's forces are modest; he adds just a single voice per line to the four soloists in the choruses. This is generally undesirable, blurring the solo/chorus distinction that is essential to Bach's music and, indeed, to his ideological world. Here, however, Agnew is able to argue that these were the forces available to Bach in the small churches where he began his career; whether or not he would have preferred a larger group, he doubtless often heard these works done just like this. The Paris Philharmonie is a bit oversized for this repertory, but the clarity of Bach's contrapuntal lines comes through well. A promising beginning to a distinctive new Bach cantata series. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	04/05/2024
Label:	Harmonia Mundi
UPC:	3149020949214
Rank:	36494

Tracks

1. Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4~Sinfonia
2. Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4~Coro: Christ lag in Todes Banden
3. Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4~Duetto: Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt
4. Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4~Aria: Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn
5. Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4~Coro: Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg
6. Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4~Aria: Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm
7. Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4~Duetto: So feiern wir das hohe Fest
8. Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4~Corale: Wir essen und wir leben wohl
9. Christ lag in Todesbanden BWV 718
10. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Sonata
11. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Corale: Christ lag in Todesbanden
12. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Coro: Alleluja es ist Victoria
13. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Aria: Wir leben nun mit Jesus Christ
14. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Ritornello
15. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Aria: Er ist das rechte Osterlamm
16. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Ritornello
17. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Aria: Den hat schon Christus vor der Welt
18. Christ lag in Todesbanden~Ritornello
19. Christ lag in Todesbanden~V. Coro: So feiern wir das hohe Fest
20. Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder BWV 742
21. Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150~Sinfonia
22. Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150~Coro: Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich
23. Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150~Aria: Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnüg
24. Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150~Coro: Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit
25. Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150~Aria: Zedern müssen von den Winden
26. Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150~VCoro: Meine Augen sehen sets
27. Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150~Corale: Meine Tage in dem Leide
28. Jesu, meines Lebens Leben BWV 1107
29. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106~Sonatina
30. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106~Coro: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit
31. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106~Arioso: Ach, Herr, lehre uns bedenken
32. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106~Aria: Bestelle dein Haus
33. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106~Coro: Es ist der alte Bund
34. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106~Aria: In deine Hände
35. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106~Arioso e Corale: Heute wirst du mit mir
36. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106~Coro: Glorie, Lob, Ehr und Herrlichkeit

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Paul Agnew   Primary Artist,Conductor
Benjamin Alard   Primary Artist,Organ
Les Arts Florissants   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Miriam Allan   Soprano (Vocal)
Thomas Hobbs   Tenor (Vocal)
Maarten Engeltjes   Counter Tenor (Vocal)
Edward Grint   Bass (Vocal)

Technical Credits

Charles Johnston   Liner Note Translation
Peter Wollny   Liner Notes
Bertrand Vacher   Liner Note Translation
Arnaud Moral   Editing,Artistic Director
Paul Agnew   Liner Notes
Johann Ernst Rentsch   Cover Art
Susan McClary   Liner Notes
Daniel Burki   Tuning
Laurent Cantagrel   Liner Note Translation
Florent Ollivier   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering
Jeremy Chevillard   Assistant Engineer
Johann Sebastian Bach   Composer
Johann Kuhnau   Composer
Stephanie Wollny   Liner Note Translation