Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Bach, J.S.: Secular Cantatas, Vol. 5 ‘Birthday Cantatas’ (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Bach, J.S.: Secular Cantatas, Vol. 5 ‘Birthday Cantatas’ (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:13:16 minutes | 1,35 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © BIS

Continuing their exploration of Bach’s vocal music, Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki have now reached the fifth volume of secular cantatas, with the previous instalment being ‘urgently recommended’ by the reviewer in Fanfare, and its contents described as ‘unusually colourful and vivid performances, even by the standards so far set by Suzuki’s Collegium Japan’ (International Record Review). Both cantatas on the present disc were first performed in 1733 by Bach and his Collegium Musicum at public concerts in Leipzig. They were also part of what almost appears to have been a campaign by Bach to be appointed Court Composer by the Saxon Prince-Elector Friedrich August II, something which took place three years later. Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213, also known as Hercules at the crossroads, was composed for the 11th birthday of the Prince-Elector’s oldest son, and Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214 in a similar manner celebrated the birthday two months later of his wife, Maria Josepha of Saxony. Both works are so-called ’dramma per musica’, in which the vocal soloists are embodying dramatic characters – in the present cantatas these are taken from Greek mythology. Needless to say, Bach rose to the festive occasions, deploying trumpets and timpani (as implied in the title of BWV 214) and horns (in BWV 213) to great effect. A year later, he would reuse much of the music from the two cantatas in a similarly jubilant but otherwise quite different context – admirers of the Christmas Oratorio will for instance recognize the opening chorus of that work (Jauchzet, frohlocket) in the first movement of BWV 214 as well as the celebrated alto aria Bereite dich, Zion as an artfully transformed version of Hercules brusque rejection of Wohlust (Lust) in the ninth movement of BWV 213.

Tracklist:

01. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: I. Chorus. Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen … (06:00)
02. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: II. Recitativo (Alto). Und wo? Wo ist die rechte Bahn … (00:43)
03. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: III. Aria (Soprano). Schlafe, mein Liebster, und pflege der Ruh … (10:58)
04. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: IV. Recitativo (Soprano, Tenore). Auf! folge meiner Bahn … (01:15)
05. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: V. Aria (Alto). Treues Echo dieser Orten … (05:58)
06. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: VI. Recitativo (Tenore). Mein hoffnungsvoller Held! … (00:52)
07. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: VII. Aria (Tenore). Auf meinen Flügeln sollst du schweben … (04:21)
08. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: VIII. Recitativo (Tenore). Die weiche Wollust locket zwar … (00:39)
09. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: IX. Aria (Alto). Ich will dich nicht hören … (04:02)
10. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: X. Recitativo (Alto, Tenore). Geliebte Tugend, du allein … (00:45)
11. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: XI. Aria Duetto (Alto, Tenore). Ich bin deine … (07:36)
12. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: XII. Recitativo accompagnato (Basso). Schaut, Götter … (01:17)
13. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213: XIII. Chorus [e Arioso (Basso)]. Lust der Völker, Lust der Deinen … (02:56)
14. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: I. Chorus. Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! … (07:57)
15. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: II. Recitativo (Tenore). Heut ist der Tag … (00:57)
16. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: III. Aria (Soprano). Blast die wohlgegriffnen Flöten … (03:16)
17. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: IV. Recitativo (Soprano). Mein knallendes Metall … (00:56)
18. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: V. Aria (Alto). Fromme Musen! meine Glieder! … (03:39)
19. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: VI. Recitativo (Alto). Unsre Königin im Lande … (00:57)
20. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: VII. Aria (Basso). Kron und Preis gekrönter Damen … (04:21)
21. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: VIII. Recitativo (Basso). So dringe in das weite Erdenrund … (01:15)
22. Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki – Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214: IX. Chorus. Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern! … (02:28)

Download: