Reviewed by DAVID HALL • BERNAR D JACOBSO N • GEORGE JELLINEK • IGOR KIPNIS PAUL KRESH • ERIC SALZ MA N • LESTER TRIMBLE RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT 121, and 171); Theo Adam (bass, in Nos. 65, cal Heritage Society, 1991 Broadway, New 81, 111, 124, and 132); Munich Bach Choir York, N.Y. 10023). BACH, J.S.: Cantatas: No. 12, "Weinen, Kla- (in all except Nos. 58 and 82); Munich Bach Performance Worthy gen, Sorgen, Zagen"; No. 13, "Meine Seufzer, Orchestra, Karl Richter cond. DEUTSCHE Recording: Very good meine Triinen"; No.- 14, "War Gott nicht mit GRAMMOPHON ARCHIVE ARC 2722 005 six uns diese Zeit"; No. 16, "Herr Gott, dich loben discs $27.00. Bach wrote cantatas almost throughout his wir." Walter Gampert (boy soprano, in 13); Performance: Richly individual career, his Cothen period excepted, and be- Peter Hinterreiter (boy soprano, in 14); Paul Recording: Excellent tween 1704 and 1744 or so he managed to Esswood (countertenor); Kurt Equiluz (tenor, turn out some three hundred. Not all of these in 12 and 13); Marius van Altena (tenor, in 14 have survived. Of the five yearly cycles he is and 16); Max van Egmond (bass); Tolzer BACH, J.S.: Cantata No. 13, "Meine Seufzer, supposed to have written in Leipzig (it works Boys' Choir; King's College Choir, Cam- wine Triinen"; Cantata No. 166, 'Wo gehest out to approximately one a month for twenty- bridge; augmented Leonhardt Consort, Gus- one years, or five sets of cantatas for every tav Leonhardt dir. TELEFUNKEN SKW 4/1-2 Sunday and holy day of the church year), two discs $11.96. some two-thirds of the total have come down Performance: Fresh, historical approach to us. There are also the relatively few surviv- Recording: Superior ing early cantatas, many of which were re- vised and used later in Leipzig, and there are the purely secular works in that form, making RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT a grand total of about two hundred and twen- BACH, J.S.: Cantatas: No. 13, "Meine Seuf- ty-five cantatas that remain today. It is a stag- zer, meine Tranen"; No. 28, "Goftlob! Nun gering list, and one that even makes the above geht dasJahr zu Ende"; No: 58, "AchGott,wie total of ten newly released Bach cantata rec- manches Herzeleid"; No. 61, "Nun komm, der ords seem like mere drops in the bucket. Heiden Heiland"; No. 63, "Christen iitzet die- What with the activities of several Europe- sen Tag"; No. 64, "Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat an record companies, however, the drops are uns der Vales' erzeiget!"; No. 65, "Sie werden part of a fairly steady stream. The first listed aus Saba aUe kommen"; No. 81, "Jesus schliift, item-the Telefunken - represents the fourth was sollich holm"; No. 82,"kh habe genug"; volume (each a two-record set) of what in ten No. 111, "Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh' years will take in the complete cantatas. allzeit"; No. 121, "Christum wir sollen loben DGG's Archive division has periodically is- schon"; No. 124, "Meinen Jesum lass ich sued cantatas over the last twenty years, the nicht"; No. 132, "Bereitet die Wege, bereitet more recent ones under the direction of Karl die Bahn"; No. 171, "Gott, wie dein Name, so Richter. The present six-disc album (Nos. 65, 1st auch dein Ruhm." Sheila Armstrong 82, and 124 were previously released in dif- (soprano, in Nos. 58 and 64); Edith Mathis ferent couplings) is the largest single package (soprano, in Nos. 13, 28, 61, 63, 111, 121, to come thus far from this source. Finally, 132, and 171); Lotta Schiidle (soprano, in No. Musical Heritage Society has been releasing 124); Anna Reynolds (alto, in Nos. 13, 63, 64, GUSTAV LEONHARDT cantatas from two sources: the French-based 81, 111, 121, and 132); Hertha Topper (alto, Direct and unsentimental Bach leadership Erato series conducted by Fritz Werner and, in Nos. 28, 124,` and 171); Ernst Haefliger as is the case of MHS's two new records, the (tenor, in Nos. 65 and 124); Peter Schreier du hin." Hanni Wendlandt (soprano, in No. German Cantate-label discs featuring a vari- (tenor, in Nos. 13, 28, 61, 63, 81, 111, 121, 13); Lotte Wolf-Matthiius (alto); Helmut ety of conductors and German ensembles and 132, and 171); Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Krebs (tenor); Roland Kunz (bass); Kantorei taking advantage of the latest publications of (baritone, in Nos. 13, 28, 58, 61, 63, 64, 82, St. Nikolai Berlin-Spandau; Bach Orchestra, the new Barenreiter Bach edition. Berlin, Helmut Barbe cond. M USICAL HERIT- The prospective purchaser of any of these AGE SOCIETY MHS 1316 $2.99 (plus 65e sets or discs will be pleased to know that there Explanation of symbols: mailing and handling charge, available from is not one weak cantata among the nineteen the Musical Heritage Society, 1991 Broad- offered here. With the exception, possibly, of ® = reel-to-reel stereo tape way, New York, N.Y. 10023). = eight-track stereo cartridge No. 13, the title of which translates "My = stereo cassette sighs, my tears," and No. 82-the well-known BACH, J.S.: Cantata No. /27, "Herr jesu EJ = quadraphonic disc "Ich habe genug"- this group does not repre- Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott"; Cantata No. sent Bach's best-known works in this form, = reel-to-reel quadraphonic tape 171, "Gott, wie dein Name, so 1st auch dein and, in fact, No. 14 "If God were not with us = eight-track quadraphonic tape Ruhm." Herrad Wehrung (soprano); Emmy = quadraphonic cassette at this time"), No. 16 ("Lord God, we praise Lisken (alto, in No. 171); Georg Jelden you"), and No. 121 ("Now must we praise Monophonic recordings are indicated (tenor); Jakob Stiimpfli (bass); South German Christ") seem to be first recordings. The dedi- by the symbol Madrigal Choir, Stuttgart; South West Ger- cated Bach-cantata collector will want them man Chamber Orchestra, Pforzheim, Wolf- all, even with a couple of duplications (Nos. The first listing is the one reviewed; gang Gonnenwein cond. M USICAL HERITAGE 13 and 171), but what of others with less de- other formats, if available, follow it. SOCIETY MHS 1352 $2.99 (plus 65e mailing votion to completeness and less money? and handling charge, available from the Musi- (Continued on next page) FEBRUARY 1973 111 .