Review: Cantatas BWV 62, 45, 192, & 140
from Early Music America, Vol.14, No. 2 (Summer 2008)
by Kerry McCarthy
This is the second Bach release from the Rochester-based group Publick Musick. The first was devoted to Bach’s Lutheran masses; this one contains four of his Leipzig cantatas. Some of the CD is well-covered ground: the gorgeous old chestnut Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140), as well as Nun komm, der heiden Heiland (BWV 62), equally familiar to the most recent generation of music students since it took the place of BWV 140 in the ubiquitous Norton Anthology of Western Music. Also included are two less familiar works: Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist (BWV 45) and the hidden gem of this recording, the joyous three-part cantata Nun danket alle Gott (BWV 192).
These are compelling performances by a young, eager, exciting ensemble. The sound is rich and transparent, though the violins are occasionally a little raw, and the sopranos, perhaps trying too hard for a boyish sound, a little strident. (Musica Omnia’s publicity materials proudly describe this CD as an heir to the tradition of Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt). Each movement is carefully crafted, with close attention to the give-and-take between voices and instruments. It is easy to hear that these musicians have worked together as a single team for the past decade, unlike some otherwise excellent Baroque ensembles that acquire their singers at the last minute on a pick-up basis. All the soloists, vocal as well as instrumental, are drawn from the regular ranks of the group. The most experienced and famous of their solo line-up, Max van Egmond is given star billing alongside the director on the CD cover. Some of the other soloists would be just as worthy, most of all the alto Deborah Rentz-Moore, who brings a deep, radiant, clear tone to her brief recitatives and her single aria (“Wer Gott bekennet,” from BWV 45, also featuring a lovely flute obbligato from Colin St. Martin). It is a shame she is not given more to do on this disc.
A final note: this is an exceptionally long CD, just 17 seconds short of the 80-minute maximum, which (at least for this reviewer) caused skips and difficulties in playback. Let the listener beware, or at least be ready to transfer it promptly to a different format.