Maria Keohane – Soli Deo Gloria (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Bach’s cantatas form an inexhaustibly rich corpus of the highest musical inspiration, embracing all the compositional tendencies of his time and thus of his own music. The two masterpieces coupled here invite us to measure his evolution over a decade. In Weimar, with the Cantata BWV 21, we see him in a period of experimentation, turning to the model of Buxtehude to express a vivid pietism. In Leipzig, with the Cantata BWV 76, we sense the mastery of a composer using all his resources in a vertiginous synthesis to the glory of God.

There is no shortage of performances of the two Bach cantatas on this release by the Ricercar Consort and the Collegium Vocale Gent, under the direction of gambist Philippe Perlot. They are two of the most imposing among Bach’s examples of the form, with two large sections, a variety of movement types and elaborate orchestration, and Bach strove to impress with both. Good readings are available in cycles by conductors John Eliot Gardiner, Masaaki Suzuki, and others, but there’s a lot to be said for Perlot’s approach, which has been developed over a deliberate set of recordings of cantatas that have something to say to each other. Here, he chooses cantatas that show Bach wrestling with the contrast of music that embodies the public side of worship with the private, pietistic side so common in earlier cantatas like the Cantata No. 21 (“Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis”), BWV 21. In that 1713 work, Bach gives the chorus a lot to do, setting it in contrast with emotionally intense arias to which the singers here, especially countertenor Carlos Mena, do full justice. The Cantata No. 76 (“Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes”), BWV 76, from ten years later, the choruses are returned to their usual place at the beginning and end of each section, but the range of moods for the soloists is expanded. It adds up to an unusually detailed and musically skilled exploration of these cantatas and to an album to which listeners will return repeatedly. The rich instrumental work is ideally backed by Mirare engineers working in Belgium’s Eglise de Beaufays.

Tracklist:
1-1. Philippe Pierlot – Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Sinfonia (02:44)
1-2. Philippe Pierlot – Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Chorus “Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis in meinem Herzen” (03:58)
1-3. Philippe Pierlot – Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Aria “Seufzer, Tränen, Kummer, Not” (Soprano) (04:15)
1-4. Philippe Pierlot – Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Recitativo “Wie hast du dich, mein Gott” (Tenor) (01:39)
1-5. Philippe Pierlot – Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Aria “Bäche von gesalznen Zähren” (Tenor) (05:20)
1-6. Philippe Pierlot – Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Chorus “Was betrübst du dich, meine Seele” (03:41)
1-7. Bernard Foccroulle – Ich ruf zu dir Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639 (02:43)
1-8. Philippe Pierlot – Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Recitativo “Ach Jesu, meine Ruh” (Soprano, Bass) (01:20)
1-9. Philippe Pierlot – Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Aria “Komm, mein Jesu, und erquicke; Ja, ich komme und erquicke” (Duet, Soprano, Bass) (03:54)
1-10. Philippe Pierlot – Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Chorus “Sei nun wieder zufrieden, meine Seele” (Chorale) (04:47)
1-11. Philippe Pierlot – Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Aria “Erfreue dich, Seele, erfreue dich, Herze” (Tenor) (02:45)
1-12. Philippe Pierlot – Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Chorus “Das Lamm, das erwürget ist” (03:18)
1-13. Bernard Foccroulle – Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV 663 (06:42)
1-14. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Chorus “Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes” (04:09)
1-15. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Recitativo “So läßt sich Gott nicht unbezueget!” (tenor) (01:34)
1-16. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Aria “Hört, ihr Völker, Gottes Stimme” (soprano) (05:00)
1-17. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Recitativo “Wer aber hört” (bass) (00:38)
1-18. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Aria “Fahr hin, abgöttische Zunft!” (bass) (03:17)
1-19. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Recitativo “Du hast uns, Herr, von allen Straßen” (alto) (01:34)
1-20. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Choral “Es woll uns Gott genädig sein” (02:03)
1-21. Bernard Foccroulle – Herr Gott, nun schleuß den Himmel auf, BWV 617 (02:35)
1-22. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Sinfonia (02:29)
1-23. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Recitativo “Gott segne noch die treue Schar” (bass) (00:57)
1-24. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Aria “Hasse nur, hasse mich recht” (tenor) (02:47)
1-25. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Recitativo “Ich fühle schon im Geist” (alto) (00:55)
1-26. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Aria “Liebt, ihr Christen, in der Tat!” (alto) (03:14)
1-27. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Recitativo “So soll die Christenheit” (tenor) (00:43)
1-28. Philippe Pierlot – Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76: Choral “Es danke, Gott, und lobe dich” (02:02)
1-29. Bernard Foccroulle – Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV 715 (01:44)