February 16: Cantatas (BWV 206, 207, 214, 215); Berlin Chamber Orchestra; Peter Schreier, conductor
As I taste test my way through various performances of the Cantatas, I keep returning to Peter Schreier’s records with the Berlin Chamber Orchestra. As a singer, he communicates passion and intensity with his bell-like tenor. When he conducts, his output is more full and dramatic than many of his peers’ recordings — the interpretations feel informed by all the music that came after Bach. He may be cheating against other conductors who might limit the size of their groups, or who add less ornamentation in pursuit of historical accuracy. I’m just going to give him props for making more pleasurable albums.
I love this excerpt from a 1997 interview with Schreier:
Interviewer: Is there a secret to singing Bach?
Schreier: He is very hard to sing.
RIP, Peter.
Above: Schreier looking hale and hearty in his mid-thirties; great hair, everywhere.
Let’s jump into highlights from Cantatas recorded between 1979 and 1985. I’m pulling from two discs released on the Eterna and Kontor labels: BWV 207 & 214 (Youtube, Apple Music, Spotify) and BWV 206 & 215 (Youtube, Apple Music, Spotify).
The opening movement of BWV 214 (“Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!” Resound, ye drums! Ring out, ye trumpets!) is the first time I’ve heard timpani since starting this Bach listening party:
The timpanis get called back soon after to “resound” with a mini-solo:
Three minutes in, four lines begin to dance in an intricate counterpoint for harpsichord, mens voices, women’s voices, and strings. This is a small scale tour de force:
Amazing moments for the oboe and vocals in the minor keyed fifth movement, “Fromme Musen! meine Glieder!” First the oboe pedals against the soprano, then repeats her line, then they sing in thirds together:
The orchestra’s chords are aching in the following movement, “Unsre Königin im Lande”:
The opening of Part IX of BWV 206 features a beautiful pair of harmonizing and interweaving flute lines:
The orchestration the second recitative of BWV 215 features bass, harpsichord, and low string. The instrumentation is stripped down and fits just right for this music:
It’s hard not to love these orchestral sounds from the penultimate movement, “Laß doch, o teurer Landesvater, zu” (a plea and kiss-up session to a king):
BWV 207 opens with a thicket of contrapuntal lines:
Let’s close with some moments featuring the great Peter Schreier. Hear his power and grace in “Zieht euren Fuß nur nicht zurücke” (“Only do not draw your foot back” — a call on Christians to stay the course.)