The bass voice (basso, encompassing both baritone and bass in our modern terminology) occupies a special place in Bach’s sacred vocal music. As the two great Passion settings testify, it was the solo bass that represented the vox Christi or ‘voice of Christ’, following an established tradition in church music. Matthias Goerne is here at his most persuasive and beguiling in three of the Cantatas with superb orchestral and choral support and the recording includes two orchestral gems from the cantatas as well. Distinguished orchestral soloists include the oboist, Albrecht Mayer.
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Cantata BWV 82 ‘lch habe genug’
Cantata BWV 35 ‘Geist und Seele wird verwirret’: Sinfonia
Cantata BWV 158 ‘Der Friede sei mit dir’
Cantata BWV 35 ‘Geist und Seele wird verwirret’: Sinfonia
Cantata BWV 56 ‘lch will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen’
Matthias Goerne, baritone
Salzburger Bachchor
Camerata Academica Salzburg
Roger Norrington
Recording Producer: Michael Haas
Balance Engineer: Philip Siney
Recording Locations: Kapuzinerkloster, Salzburg, Austria, 16–18 June 1999
‘Profoundly beautiful singing from one of the finest baritones of his generation. A version of ‘Ich habe genug’ to speak of alongside the greats. … How this wonderful musician fills all Bachians with hope! This is the sort of mature, sophisticated, assured and boundless Bach singing which one hears so rarely these days … beguiling and cultivated oboe playing from Albrecht Mayer … the famous lullaby ‘Sclummert ein’ is fragrant, even and soft-spoken. Norrington’s hold on the modern-instrument Salzburg Camerata Academica provides an almost ideal palette for the Lieder-inspired communicative range of Goerne. … A great Bach recording.’ Gramophone