Album

A persistent myth about Johann Sebastian Bach is that he recycled his music so often as a time saving measure. If one strikes a comparison to his contemporary Georg Philipp Telemann, however, it is clear that recycling music was not necessarily an easier way to go for a composer of the German Baroque, as Telemann seldom recycled much of anything, yet produced a veritable mountain of cantatas. Telemann, not Bach, was considered the major force in the German music of his day, and it was he who enjoyed most important commissions—cantatas and oratorios for the opening of grand new churches, the installation of priests, large civic functions, and other auspicious events. As the "second-greatest" German composer of his era, Johann Sebastian Bach often found himself in the unenviable position of composing workaday cantatas to honor the achievements of relatively minor local dignitaries, to celebrate their wives' birthdays, or for some other thoroughly forgettable occasion. In most instances, the musical scores written for such one-time-only usage was presented to the honoree, who would then promptly discard it—indeed, what would they need it for? The only person who would remember such pieces seemed to be Bach himself, who would save the orchestral parts and simply write new vocal parts to go with them for another work, with changes made and even replacing whole sections if needed.

Helmuth Rilling and the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart's Hänssler Classic release Congratulatory and Homage Cantatas is the 139th volume in its Edition Bachakademie series of Bach's cantatas, and is devoted to five survivors among Bach's vast, and now mostly lost, output in this genre. Of the five works included on Congratulatory and Homage Cantatas, Angenehmes Wiederau and Schwingt freudig euch empor have never been recorded before, and the other three haven't been recorded with any great frequency. The texts, mostly by Picander, are terrible, while Bach's music is terrific in equal measure. The solo singers on Congratulatory and Homage Cantatas are generally quite good, with soprano Christiane Oelze and tenor Marcus Ullmann being exceptionally so. Bass Andreas Schmidt is the weakest soloist, as he has a lot of trouble negotiating the vocally thankless welcome aria in Angenehmes Wiederau. But overall it doesn't make a lot of sense to single out the singers, as in Bach the music sounds most right when all of its elements are working together, and this is felt most strongly in Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht. Rilling keeps the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart moving and the music never drags. The Gächinger Kantorei sounds great; pristine and pure, throughout, but admittedly there isn't a lot for it to do in these cantatas, which are primarily written with the vocal soloists in mind.

Johann Sebastian Bach is like God when it comes to Western music, and those things that are an embarrassment to God we like to file in the bottom drawer. Bottom drawer Bach is still a good deal better than bottom drawer, and some middle drawer, Telemann. That is as good a reason as any to revive these otherwise marginal Bach cantatas.

© Uncle Dave Lewis , All Music Guide

CD 1 of 2
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.30a: Angenehmes Wiederau, freue dich in deinen Auen, BWV30a (BC G31) Work 34:20 Boris Kleiner Cembalo, Francis Gouton Cello, Andreas Schmidt Bass, Ingeborg Danz Alto, Stuttgart Bach Collegium Orchestra, Helmuth Rilling Conductor, Harro Bertz Double Bass, Christiane Oelze Soprano, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart Chorus/Choir, Marcus Ullmann Tenor
1	1.Chorus: Angenehmes Wiederau	3:30			$0.99
2	2.Recitative (Bass, with Soprano, Alto, and Tenor): So ziehen wir in diesem Hause hier	0:58			$0.99
3	3.Aria (Bass): Willkommen im Heil	4:44			$0.99
4	4.Recitative (Alto): Da heute dir, gepriesner Hennicke	0:42			$0.99
5	5.Aria (Alto): Was die Seele kann ergötzen	5:19			$0.99
6	6.Recitative (Bass): Und wie ich jederzeit bedacht	0:40			$0.99
7	7.Aria (Bass): Ich will dich halten	5:32			$0.99
8	8.Recitative (Soprano): Und obwohl sonst der Unbestand	0:50			$0.99
9	9.Aria (Soprano): Eilt, ihr Stunden, wir ihr wollt	4:23			$0.99
10	10.Recitative (Tenor): So recht! ihr seid mir werte Gäste	0:41			$0.99
11	11.Aria (Tenor): So wie ich die Tropfen zolle	2:33			$0.99
12	12.Recitative (Soprano, Bass, Alto): Drum, angenehmes Wiederau	1:06			$0.99
13	13.Chorus. Angenehmes Wiederau	3:22			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.36c: Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV36c Work 24:37 Ingo Goritzki Oboe d'amore, Johannes Vogt Lute, Florian Mohr Viola d'amore, Boris Kleiner Cembalo, Francis Gouton Cello, Andreas Schmidt Bass, Eva Oltiványi Soprano, Stuttgart Bach Collegium Orchestra, Ekkehard Weber Viola da Gamba, Helmuth Rilling Conductor, Ralph Sabow Bassoon, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart Chorus/Choir, Marcus Ullmann Tenor
14	1.Chorus. Schwingt freudig euch empor	3:31			$0.99
15	2.Recitative (Tenor): Ein Herz, in zärtlichem Empfinden	0:57			$0.99
16	3.Aria (Tenor): Die Liebe führt mit sanften Schritten	5:08			$0.99
17	4.Recitative (Bass): Du bist es ja, o hochverdienter Mann	0:52			$0.99
18	5.Aria (Bass): Der Tag, der dich vordem gebar	2:52			$0.99
19	6.Recitative (Soprano): Nur dieses Einzge sorgen wir	0:38			$0.99
20	7.Aria (Soprano): Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen	6:47			$0.99
21	8.Recitative (Tenor): Bei solchen freudenvollen Stunden	0:22			$0.99
22	9.Chorus and Recitative (Tenor, Bass, Soprano): Wie die Jahre sich verneuen	3:30			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.36b: Die Freude reget sich, BWV36b (incomplete) Work 6:57 Ingeborg Danz Alto, Helmuth Rilling Conductor, Francis Gouton Cello, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart Chorus/Choir, Stuttgart Bach Collegium Orchestra, Boris Kleiner Cembalo, Christiane Oelze Soprano, Marcus Ullmann Tenor
23	2.Recitative (Tenor): Ihr seht, wie sich das Glücke	0:56			$0.99
24	4.Recitative (Alto): Die Freunde sind vergnügt	1:26			$0.99
25	6.Recitative (Soprano): Wenn sich die Welt mit deinem Ruhme trägt	1:02			$0.99
26	8.Chorus and Recitative (Tenor, Alto, Soprano): Was wir dir vor Glücke gönnen	3:33			$0.99
CD 2 of 2
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.134a: Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, serenata, BWV134a (New Year's Day) Work 36:08 Ingeborg Danz Alto, Helmuth Rilling Conductor, Francis Gouton Cello, Stuttgart Bach Collegium Orchestra, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart Chorus/Choir, Boris Kleiner Cembalo, Harro Bertz Double Bass, Marcus Ullmann Tenor
1	1.Recitative (Tenor, Alto): Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht	0:36			$0.99
2	2.Aria (Tenor): Auf, Sterbliche, lasset ein Jauchzen ertönen	5:29			$0.99
3	3.Recitative (Tenor, Alto): So bald, als dir die Sternen hold	2:27			$0.99
4	4.Duet (Alto, Tenor): Es streiten, es siegen die künftigen Zeiten	8:44			$1.49
5	5.Recitative. Bedenke nur, beglücktes Land	3:16			$0.99
6	6.Aria (Alto): Der Zeiten Herr hat viel vergnügte Stunden	6:46			$0.99
7	7.Recitative (Tenor, Alto): Hilf, Höchster, hilf	1:59			$0.99
8	8.Chorus: Ergetzet auf Erden, erfreuet von oben	6:51			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Cantata No.173a: Durchlauchtster Leopold, BWV173a (serenata) Work 19:12 Marlis Petersen Soprano, Helmuth Rilling Conductor, Francis Gouton Cello, Klaus Hager Bass, Stuttgart Bach Collegium Orchestra, Boris Kleiner Cembalo, Harro Bertz Double Bass, Ralph Sabow Bassoon
9	1.Recitative (Soprano): Durchlauchtster Leopold	0:36			$0.99
10	2.Aria (Soprano): Güldner Sonnen frohe Stunden	3:37			$0.99
11	3.Aria (Bass): Leopolds Vortrefflichkeiten	1:37			$0.99
12	4.Duet (Bass, Soprano): Unter seinem Purpursaum	3:33			$0.99
13	5.Recitative (Soprano, Bass): Durchlauchtigster, den Anhalt Vater nennt	1:07			$0.99
14	6.Aria (Soprano): So schau dies holden Tages Licht	3:52			$0.99
15	7.Aria (Bass): Dein Name gleichder Sonnen geh	2:23			$0.99
16	8.Chorus: Nimm auch, großer Fürst, uns auf	2:27			$0.99