Kuijken / Bach: Cantatas Vol. 6

Tuesday, March 11th 2008

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):
Cantatas through the Liturgical Year Vol. 6 - Kuijken

The Cantatas BWV 18 and BWV 23 were intended for the two last Sundays before Lent, the “Sexagesima” and “Estomihi” Sundays. In the following weeks, during actual Lent, no cantatas were performed in the Leipzig churches, apart from the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary on the 25th of March - even if this Feast fell within the period of Lent according to the calendar. The Cantata BWV 1 was written for this Lady Day Feast on the 25th March, 1725. Thus, in a way, these three cantatas belong to the same period in the liturgical year. In his interpretation Sigiswald Kuijken follows the thesis that the cantatas were written for solo singers, because Bach very often had no choir at his disposal. What seemed rather odd and questionable in the beginning has meanwhile proved to be a stroke of luck for modern Bach interpretation, and was highly praised by the press and music lovers around the world.

Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (BWV 1)
Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt (BWV 18)
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn (BWV 23)

Siri Thornhill, soprano
Petra Noskaiová, alto
Marcus Ullmann, tenor
Jan van der Crabben, bass
La Petite Bande
Sigiswald Kuijken (conductor)

SACD Hybrid
CD STEREO/ SACD STEREO/ SACD SURROUND