Favorite recordings of Bach's Cantata bwv 21

[DavidW]

I listened to this last night and I loved it.  Melodic, passionate sinfonia, followed by lyrical, enchanting polyphonic arias... even the recitatives are beautiful.  The entire work... this must be one of Bach's finest cantatas I'm telling you!   And it took me from feeling ill at ease due to the stress of well... today... and it put me at such ease.  The greatest Bach works both move me and make me feel a tranquil joy. 0:)

So does anyone else like this work?

Also what are your favorite recordings (the topic of the thread)?

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I'm with you, Dave. Such a passionate work, with a sort of "pastoral" bent to it. It's almost as if the "good will" had been cut loose like a freely flowing stream and all we gotta do is lap it up!

I only have Herreweghe's recording of the piece but it'll do for a high chill-inducing factor! 

[kishnevi]

I dug through my CDs and realized I have only one performance of this work, by the Purcell Quartet.  So now I need to go out and buy more, and it's your fault! 

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I dug through my CDs and realized I have only one performance of this work, by the Purcell Quartet.  So now I need to go out and buy more, and it's your fault! 

But listening to the piece will squash any animosity you might feel for buying it!

[DavidW]

I'm with you, Dave. Such a passionate work, with a sort of "pastoral" bent to it. It's almost as if the "good will" had been cut loose like a freely flowing stream and all we gotta do is lap it up!

Well said!

I dug through my CDs and realized I have only one performance of this work, by the Purcell Quartet.  So now I need to go out and buy more, and it's your fault! 

You can never have too many Bach recordings!

I only have Herreweghe's recording of the piece but it'll do for a high chill-inducing factor! 

Herreweghe is one of my favorite conductors, especially for Bach.  Sounds very tempting, but I'll wait and see what Antonio, Que, Jens, Marc and Premont think.  And of course any others out there, I'm not trying to say this is Bach-ian exclusive!  I'm sure there are many fans of this work.

[chasmaniac]

Seems I have this done by the Purcell Q and Leusink. And I don't remember it.

Oh, the shame! 

I'll throw them on the discometric soundatron when I get home, promise.

[kishnevi]

Seems I have this done by the Purcell Q and Leusink. And I don't remember it.

Oh, the shame! 

I'll throw them on the discometric soundatron when I get home, promise.

And I don't remember anything special about it either, from my recording by the Purcell Q.  Perhaps that's an indicator that the Purcell Q recording is not that great?

[Mandryka]

This is one of my favourite Bach cantatas. I like Karl Richter's recording

[Sergeant Rock]

I don't have BWV 21 but the enthusiasm for it here made me listen to clips.  I like what I heard. I thought about ordering Rotzsch on Berlin Classics because I love Auger and Schreier but it's coupled with 137 which I already have (same performance, different edition). Ordered Herreweghe instead. I don't expect to be disappointed (and it was 3 Euro cheaper).

Sarge

[The new erato]

It's my favorite Bach cantata, and though I have many recordings of it,  it is the tender naivety of the Harnoncourt version (with boy soprano) that get to me every time.

[71 dB]

So does anyone else like this work?

Yes!  One of the best cantatas by Bach and that says a lot.

Also what are your favorite recordings (the topic of the thread)?

BCJ/Suzuki is what I have (Hamburg D minor and Leipzig C minor versions).

[Mandryka]

This rmcr discussion may be of interest -- I missed it, though I contribute there.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.classical.recordings/browse_thread/thread/baaa213024e5e33d/c25643ed93f4f326?lnk=gst&q=bach+cantata+21#

The Lehman recording is here, by the way, with Cantata 1, which is also one of my favourites.

http://rapidshare.com/files/85881745/F._Lehmann_Bach_Cantatas_V._1__Nos._1___21_.rar

I have the Schreier/Auger recording that sarge mentioned -- I need to listen again. I bought all their cantatas when they first came out -- it's nice to find someone who appreciates Schreier and Auger.

BCJ/Suzuki is what I have (Hamburg D minor and Leipzig C minor versions).

Is there much of a difference? I don't know which ones I have! I don't suppose Yoshikazu Mera is in any of those Suzuki records -- that would make it interesting.

[ccar]

For me, one of the most beautiful recordings of this great Cantata is the Bach Guild edition, with Jonathan Sternberg conducting the Vienna Symphony and Chamber Choir and with Rosi Schwaiger, Hugues Cuenod, Lorna Sydney and Alois Pernerstofer. 

           

Why am I so impressed by this interpretation? Because I feel Sternberg portrays the intense spiritual climate of this Cantata in a very unique way. Right from the beginning there is a rare meditative intimacy in the sinfonia introduction. In the first Choir part it's impressive how he builds the dramatic contrast between the obsessive repetition of Sorrow – Ich hatte viel Bekummernis in meinem Herzen – and the arresting moment of Hope - aber deine Trosttungen.  Then follows the profound serenity of the soprano aria where the oboe solo beautifully accompanies the lament of a searching Soul. 
With the tenor recitative and aria we can see the regret and the doubt of the suffering man portrayed by the magnificent Hugues Cuenod. The recitative comes alive by the pureness and expression he puts in each word. And the aria is by itself a masterpiece of interpretation – just an example of his art is the way Cuenod uses a different voice color whenever he repeats the crying first two lines of this aria - Bache von gesalznen Zahren, Fluten rauschen stets einher.
Also impressive are the solos of the various singers in the praying last lines of the next Choir part – dass er meines Angesichtes Hilfe und mein Gott ist. And in the following famous dialogue between the Soul and Jesus I am fascinated, not only by the fusion of the two voices but particularly by the way Sternberg sustains the growing tension of the continuo, propelling the aria to the spiritual climax - Komm, mein Jesus, und erquicke -  in a glorious exaltation, just before the more appeasing final ritornello. 
As the praying dialogue between Jesus and the Soul brings Comfort and Hope, the Choir jubilates. Now, in his last aria, a luminous Cuenod refuses to be consumed by regret and sorrow and sings his regained Faith with full confidence and joy. And in the last Choir part a powerful Alleluia is the concluding exhortation to the Redemption and Gloria in God.     

[Antoine Marchand]

It's a large and beautiful cantata indeed; a favorite of mine too. Over the years I have purchased several versions of this work: Herreweghe, Koopman, Suzuki, Gardiner, Harnoncourt, Fasolis, Leusink, Rilling II, Rotzsch & Kuijken, but my preferred version is still the one performed by Koopman and his gang, which is included in the first volume of his integral recording of the Bach cantatas. Anyway, it's not the usual version, but an early one with a lot of work for the soprano what is important to point out because Barbara Schlick (who also sings with Herreweghe) is not a singer for every taste. I love the inner tension and Lutheran seriousness of this version, noticeable from the very beginning of the Sinfonia with a subtle interplay among the oboe and the other instruments, especially the strings. BTW, I don't know if I can share the opinion given by Premont about Koopman's 3-CD set Sinfonia because I always enjoyed the instrumental parts of his cycle, although admittedly I have never listened to those pieces like music separated from the cantatas themselves .

http://www.youtube.com/v/qowLfgVViDk

[val]

My favorite version: Karl Richter with decent soloists and a good Choir. A very intense version, with great moments, in special the initial Sinfonia, the first Choir and the Choir "Sei nun wieder zufrieden".

Herreweghe seems too pale compared to Richter. I never heard Gardiner's version.

[chasmaniac]

Haven't got to Leusink yet, but the Purcell is worthy of note. It is a VERY smallscale performance, OVPP, that demands close listening. Heard cursorily, it slides away without impact. Up close, it sounds subtle and sensitive. Charles Daniels is particularly effective, his tenor duet with the cello in, IIRC, Be joyful, my soul, is splendid. High marks from me.

[Marc]

[....] my preferred version is still the one performed by Koopman and his gang, which is included in the first volume of his integral recording of the Bach cantatas. Anyway, it's not the usual version, but an early one with a lot of work for the soprano what is important to point out because Barbara Schlick (who also sings with Herreweghe) is not a singer for every taste. [....]

I am too lazy to check it out , but I think that the high pitch chosen by Koopman (Chorton: a'=465Hz) is a problem for Schlick. She really had to stretch her voice too much.

AFAIK, Herreweghe opted for the 'standard' a'=415Hz baroque pitch (Kammerton), which suited her much better.
My preferred versions are by Kuijken and Herreweghe.
I think there are 4 or 5 different versions of the piece, but I couldn't tell if every one of them have been recorded by .... anyone.

I don't know the BWV 21 recording by the Purcell Quartet, but I have listened to their first two Volumes of Early Bach Cantatas and found them utterly shallow and dull, I'm sorry to say.

[Antoine Marchand]

I am too lazy to check it out , but I think that the high pitch chosen by Koopman (Chorton: a'=465Hz) is a problem for Schlick. She really had to stretch her voice too much.

I think that's part of my preference for this version. This risky approach -this tension - suggests the troubled soul of the man; it's like those boy sopranos fighting to reach the right note... But maybe all of this it's just my imagination. 

I am too lazy to check it out ...

AFAIK, Herreweghe opted for the 'standard' a'=415Hz baroque pitch (Kammerton), which suited her much better.
My preferred versions are by Kuijken and Herreweghe.

When I listen to Herreweghe it's evident to me that his approach is more bland than Koopman (without the urgency of the prayers); just compare the Sinfonia or any aria sung by Schlick.

[Marc]

I think that's part of my preference for this version. This risky approach -this tension - suggests the troubled soul of the man; it's like those boy sopranos fighting to reach the right note... But maybe all of this it's just my imagination.

Promoting your own stuff again, Ton?

Seriously now: even if it were 'just' your imagination, what would be wrong with that? Just imagine what it would be like for you to deal with mr. Bach's music with my imagination!

When I listen to Herreweghe it's evident to me that his approach is more bland than Koopman (without the urgency of the prayers); just compare the Sinfonia or any aria sung by Schlick.

Must be your imagination again.

Seriously again: I might listen to these recordings again in the nearby future to check what my imagination tells me this time.
And concerning Schlick: could it be that aging was also part of the problem .... ? Anyway, I didn't feel comfortable listening to her in the first few Koopman boxes. I had heard her in better shape and circumstances before (and enjoying it!), both on record and live on stage. My guess is that both Koopman and Schlick drew the same conclusion, because after Volume 3 he continued with other soprano soloists, like Lisa Larsson and Sibylla Rubens.

[Bulldog]

I think that's part of my preference for this version. This risky approach -this tension - suggests the troubled soul of the man; it's like those boy sopranos fighting to reach the right note... But maybe all of this it's just my imagination. 

I think you're on target.  I've always felt that Schlick's voice is perfect for expressing tension and misery.