Bach - Secular Cantatas VIII: Celebratory Cantatas

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J. S. BACH
Bach - Secular Cantatas VIII: Celebratory Cantatas
Hana Blažíková (soprano), Hiroya Aoki (alto), Charles Daniels (tenor) & Roderick Williams (bass) / Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki

[ BIS SACD / Hybrid SACD ]

Release Date: Wednesday 24 May 2017

Besides the fact that they both celebrate Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, there is a close connection between the two works included on the eighth volume of Bach's secular cantatas. On October 2nd, 1734, the King and his family made a surprise visit to Leipzig, and in all haste a festive event was planned for three days later, in celebration of the anniversary of Augustus's ascension to the Polish throne. Bach was asked to provide the musical entertainment, and consequently had to put aside the work he was busy composing...namly BWV 206 ''Schleicht, spielende Wellen'', intended for a celebration of the King's birthday on October 7th! The new cantata, Preise dein Glucke, gesegnetes Sachsen, BWV 215, is a substantial work, and it is not surprising that Bach, with only a few days to produce it, had recourse to earlier compositions: the only parts that were written completely from scratch were the recitatives, the soprano aria and the final chorus. In the meantime, BWV 206 - the birthday cantata that Bach had to put on hold - came to good use two years later, when the King's birthday was celebrated with a concert at Zimmermann's coffee house in Leipzig. Both works are richly scored with trumpets and timpani, and here receive suitably festive performances form Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki.

"The SACD sound is near ideal for such music, needing as it does to balance the intimate with a sense of public rejoicing. It catches the colours of the distinctive solo voices on display, and has plenty of impact when all the forces are rejoicing away at the opening and close of each cantata. The booklet explains very clearly the slightly complicated genesis of each piece, and as always has full texts and translations. This is a superb issue in a superb series." MusicWeb December 2017

"Both the gentleness and ecstatic immediacy of Bach's rich imagery become apparent at the outset and each movement is performed at a compellingly high level. The liquid and brilliantly projected bass-singing of Roderick Williams is simply majestic...After 22 years of intensive Bach recording, Suzuki and his forces just seem to get better." Gramophone Editor's Choice August 2017

Tracks:

Cantata BWV206 'Schleigt,spielende Wellen, und murmelt gelinde'
Cantata BWV215 'Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen'