Luogo e data di registrazione		Predikherenkerk, Leuven (Belgium) - September 2005
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Recording Staff		Tonstudio Teije van Geest, Sandhausen (Germany) | Tonstudio van Geest | E. Steiger
	Prima Edizione CD		ACCENT - ACC 25303 - (1 CD) - durata 65' 15" - (p) 2005 (c) 2006 - DDD
	Note		-

COMMENTARY on the cantatas presented here "Ich habe genug"- BWV82 (for Candlemas, February 2, 1727) This is one of the best known and most popular Bach cantatas; for practical reasons, it has been inserted at this point in our series of recordings, instead of in strict liturgical order. The cantata for the 9th Sunday after Trinity (BWV 168: "Tue Rechnung, Donnerwort") will be included in a later compilation. We beg your forbearance. The librettist of this cantata is again unknown; by way of exception, the texts are all new, containing neither chorales nor biblical passages. The Candlemas service includes a reading from the Gospel according to St Luke (2.22-23). Those words are the starting point of the cantata text. The scene is the temple in Jerusalem. After the prescribed time, Maria and her child are brought there, Maria to undergo the ritual cleansing after the birth of her first son, Jesus to be circumcised (for the sake of simplicity, Luke has both rituals take place on same day). The old man Simeon also comes to the temple; the Holy Spirit has revealed to him that he shall not die before he has seen the Lord's Anointed with his own eyes. And so it is; Simeon recognizes the Saviour in the child, takes it up into his arms and says: "Nun lassest Du, Herr, deinen Diener in Frieden gehen nach deinem Wort..." (Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word...). Those are the "facts" on which the librettist builds; he takes Simeon as a model for believers: just as Simeon can welcome death after his profound recognition of Christ, so shall the believer as well. Bach entrusted the entire text to a single singer - a bass. He undoubtedly begins by depicting the old Simeon, but it gradually comes to seem as if he is bringing the devout listener himself into the whole monologue. The cantata begins with an aria in 3/8 time; the string bass and viola playing in octaves produce a constantly rocking rhythm of three gently repeated quavers. At the same time, the violins produce a lightly swinging semiquaver motion in horizontal lines; then the oboe enters with the motif we later identify in the text as "Ich habe genug" (I have had enough) - a melodic drawing that recalls passages like "Erbarme dich" in the St Matthew Passion. Lyrical ornamental variations characterize the rest of the oboe part, into which the solo singer then creeps as it were. Bach elegantly steers the original (rather dynamic) dactylic metre (long, short short / etc.) into triple time, imparting peacefully moving impetus to the music; does one not almost see the old man cradle the child in his arms while he expresses his realization? The C minor key helps us to experience the serious "affection" of this aria, while the attractive melisma on the word "Freude" comes as a surprise both times. It is helpful to read the richly evocative text of this aria quietly to oneself before listening; that enables us to feel, for example, how very effectively the opening verse "Ich habe genug" returns in the middle of the aria and again at the end. (It should be noted that in our version we deliberately normalize the written form "genung" to "genug" - both forms were current at the time, but we have preferred the more familiar one.) The ensuing recitative once again begins and ends with the verse "Ich habe genug". The librettist now clearly speaks on behalf of the believer, of the "new" Simeon. Like Simeon in the gospel, he passionately longs for his departure from this world after the mystical union with God. As usual, Bach treats the text carefully; for example, the verse "Lasst uns mit diesem Manne ziehen" (let us go with this man) is set in a regularly striding andante and not in the free, secco style of the other verses, and "Freuden" (joy) is given a striking cliché; the summarizing, final "Ich habe genug" is also set in arioso style and is brought to a close by the basso continuo. The ensuing aria "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen, / Fallet sanft and selig zu" (fall asleep now, ye weary eyes, / close gently and in bliss) is a "slumber aria", a sommeil as the French called it. Such arias are found in countless secular cantatas and operas of the Baroque - always moments of pure aesthetic enjoyment. The librettist and Bach finally transcend that tradition in this slumber aria, for "falling asleep" here stands for leaving this world; the music (so it seems) arises directly from the mystical longing. The oboe da caccia and two first violins in unison sound bewitching; the constantly peaceful pulse of the bass line makes time palpable, is the course of time that flows under everything. The trochaic metre of the text (long-short) is retained throughout in the music and here brings calm and peace. Protracted notes, distributed among all four (sometimes five) voices, including the vocal part, illustrate sleep. At "Welt, ich bleibe nicht mehr hier" (world, I shall no longer stay here), the music takes on some passion and restlessness; the singer is here accompanied only by the striding basso continuo until he returns to his opening words "Schlummert ein...", when the other instruments again join in. The same treatment is given to the section "Hier muss ich das Elend bauen..." (here I must live in misery...), except for the final word "Ruh" (peace) on a long note, where the higher instruments twice alternate briefly with the basso continuo; the constant pulse is interrupted here, only to be taken up again and continued to the end. The frequent fermatas (sometimes at unresolved dissonances) further deepen the textual expression; the quiet after the fermatas perhaps "speaks" even more than the notes. In the short recitative "Mein Gott! Wenn kömmt das schöne: Nun!" (my God! when will that sweet "now!" come?), the impatience of the librettist for the hereafter makes itself felt for the last time. He resolutely ends with the words "Der Abschied ist gemacht / Welt, gute Nacht" (the parting is made / good night world). Bach's music closely follows the words and images; the voice sinks low at "Erde" (i.e. the grave) and soars upward at "dart bei dir im Schosse" (there in your bosom - i.e. heaven). "Welt, gute Nacht" is marked adagio and arioso; the melodic line of the basso continuo depicts the parting and the going; at "Nacht" (night) Bach sets a deceptive cadence, which colours the word wonderfully and evokes the unresolved mystery. The final cadence is then performed by the continuo instruments alone. After this plunge into profundity, the closing aria (Vivace) "Ich freue mich auf meinen Tod" (I look forward to my death) brings us a foretaste of the eternal joys in accordance with the Christian world view. The fast, dance-like music is of rousing energy and impetus, with abrupt accents and interruptions; it would have been just as appropriate and charming in unchanged form in a "secular" cantata - Bach's art clearly does not make the rather embarrassing distinction between "secular" and "sacred" to which we have become accustomed. "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält"- BWV 178 (8th Sunday after Trinity) This chorale cantata of 1724 (July 30) uses a poetic rendering of the text of Psalm 124 made by Justus Jonas in 1524 (see Dürr, p. 513); an anonymous librettist from Bach's time adopted six of the eight stanzas of the original chorale literally (sometimes with interjections of his own); he expressed the content of the other two in his own words (arias 3 and 6). The central theme is God's power over the enemies of Christians - and how Christians should therefore believe in God and love him. The work begins with the chorus "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält" (when the Lord God does not stand with us), throughout which the instruments combine a constantly dotted rhythm with a faster figure. Over that conflict-ridden fabric (enmity and dispute), the vocal ensemble then sings the simple chorale setting, initially in its basic form, in clearly separated "blocks"; but not all the blocks are in such a simple form: depending on the requirements of the text, the three lower parts sometimes take part in the fast and vigorous activity of the instruments - for example, at the words "wenn unsre Feinde toben" (when our foes are raging), when the soprano alone carries the original chorale tune, supported by a "corno". That powerful movement is followed by a recitative for alto with basso continuo, in which Bach follows the textual structure in a masterly way. Here the Baroque librettist inserted between the seven verses of the second stanza of Justus Jonas's original chorale four "blocks" of his own verse, and we perceive how Bach indeed set those new fragments in a clearly different manner. The old verses of 1524 are treated strictly in the old contrapuntal manner; while the alto sings each motif of the chorale verse, the bass line repeats the same motif at four times the speed and at various pitches. This proportional procedure is directly perceptible and sounds strangely disconcerting, archaic and a little "theoretical" to us. The "new verses", on the other hand, are set in the contemporary Baroque secco-recitative style, which starkly differentiates them from the older verses. Bach often applied this method of working at similarly structured places in other cantatas. Next comes a "free" aria. As has been mentioned, Bach's librettist freely adapted this third stanza of the chorale, and Bach's writing is here completely freed from the old material. The bass soloist, led, driven, framed by the unison violins on one hand and by the basso continuo on the other, graphically depicts the very Baroque text: "Gleichwie die wilden Meereswellen / mit Ungestüm ein Schiff zerschellen / so raset auch der Feinde Wut / und raubt das beste Seelengut..." (just as the wild ocean waves / impetuously a ship will shatter, / so too rages the foe's wrath / and ravages the best of souls...). The three parts (violins, bass soloist and basso continuo) depict the movement of the waves and the "Christi Schifflein" (little boat of Christ) in their endless alternation. Naive art? Essentially, yes - but how ably and in what a complex manner it is realized!! Two oboes d'amore and basso continuo weave the dense fabric over which the tenor now openly and quite without ornament performs the fourth chorale stanza in its original form: "Sie stellen uns wie Ketzern nach..." (they pursue us like heretics...). The three instrumental parts run after each other in constant imitation - like the motion of a hunt. On the other hand, Bach here conjures up a most complicated compositional process from a perhaps naive basic idea. The next movement (5) is formally analogous to the second movement - a recitative on two "levels", with the old chorale text (this time in simple homophonic, four-part form in various blocks) and "new" (mostly short) textual insertions set in solo recitative style. The special characteristic of this fragment, however, is the unceasing instrumental basso ostinato, which repeats a rising triadic motif 52 times in succession and is probably intended to illustrate "Auf sperren sie den Rachen welt" (they open their hungry maws wide) at the beginning of the text and to keep on reminding us of it. In the 6th verse of this chorale stanza, at the words "Und stürzen ihre falsche Lahr" (and bring to naught their false teachings), Bach ventures to harmonize the last three syllables in an absolutely unorthodox manner: the "false teachings" are set as a striking deception! The ensuing aria (6) uses the Baroque librettist's rendering of the sixth stanza of the old chorale, this time for tenor and strings: "Schweig, schweig nur, taumelnde Vernunft / Sprich nicht: die Frommen sind verloren..." (hush, hush then, reeling reason / say not: the pious are lost...). The soloist's imperious "Schweig" is impetuously repeated 32 times; Bach depicts the "taumeln" (reeling) in a long falling scale figure, while he almost always gives "Vernunft" (reason) a proudly rising interval. This decidedly "constructed" chorale cantata concludes with the last two stanzas (7 and 8) of the old chorale, set simply in four parts. "Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben" - BWV 102 (10th Sunday after Trinity) This is a large-scale cantata in two parts and complex in structure. It was performed for the first time on August 25, 1726 and was probably presented again under Bach's direction in about 1737. The first part begins with a fragment from the Old Testament (Jeremiah 5.3), which shows the people's stubbornness in reference to God's actions and council; it concludes (4) with a fragment from Paul's Epistle to the Romans (2.4-5), which in essence links up with it. These two fragments are thus prose texts, while all others are poetically constructed texts, as usual. The writer of the recitatives and arias is unknown, but the closing chorale consists of two stanzas of a chorale by Johann Heermann of 1630. The central theme of the cantata is (the lack of) penitence; the librettist uses Baroque contrasts to depict the causes and consequences of our indifference towards God's grace. The opening movement is impressively effective and of complex conception. To begin with, the instruments (oboes, strings, basso continuo) introduce the main motivic material in a magnificent dialogical introduction. Supported by an isolated collective exclamation of "Herr" (Lord), the alto and soprano then alternate with interventions by the complete vocal and instrumental ensemble, until at the words "Du schlägest sie, du plagest sie" (thou hast stricken them, thou hast tormented them) a new motif announces itself (the "striking" is depicted in staccato notes). It is later developed in a transparent fugato passage in which the strings are silent for the first time. Then comes the section "Sie haben ein härter Angesicht wie ein Fels, und wollen sich nicht bekehren" (they have faces harder than rock and do not want to convert). Bach sets it fugally, using a new theme which lends the word "Fels" (rock) almost visual emphasis by repeatedly presenting it on a rising tritone (augmented fourth) - the diabolus in musica! This fragment returns without a break to the beginning of the text and the corresponding motivic material. The opening chorus then closes with this quasi da capo - but not without a number of heightened additional effects (for example, the uniquely dissonant and syncopal exclamation at "Herr" in bar 112). An impassioned recitative secco for the bass questions our position vis-à-vis God - no wonder that He "gives in to the heart's conceit" of the obdurate sinner. There follows a kind of lamento aria for alto, oboe and basso continuo. The key (F minor) was even then (1726) the usual one to depict the underworld, the damned, the eternal lament. The text begins with the words "Weh der Seele, die den Schaden nicht mehr kennt / und, die Straf auf sich zu laden, störrig rennt" (woe to the spirit which its disadvantage no longer knows, / and, calling judgement down upon itself, / stubbornly runs). The voice begins its lament with a long and dissonant "Weh", which finally descends into a lower dissonance before resolving briefly. The piece is a pure trio movement, in which the two upper parts (oboe and alto) perpetually float over an almost sadly striding, calm bass line. At the point where another recitative might be expected, Bach surprisingly continues with a section headed "Arioso" (4) in 3/8 time that is introduced by the strings. This string introduction anticipates the impatience and vehemence of the words "Verachtest du den Reichtum seiner Gnaden..." (despisest thou the riches of his goodness...) from the Epistle to the Romans, which are soon taken up by the bass. A rising seventh characterizes the beginning of each section of this prose fragment at "Verachtest du", "Weissest du nicht" and "Du aber...". It repeats in triple time equally stressed identical figures in the sentence "Du aber nach deinem verstockten und unbussfertigen Herzen häufest dir selbst den Zorn auf den Tag des Zorns" (but after thy hardened and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath) and conveys the idea of "impenitence" in a rhythmically palpable manner (the underlined syllables are of double length). The composer further reinforces this effect by repeating the section a full tone higher! Bach has here therefore selected a rhythmic cell in a prose fragment and "exploited" it (rather like a repeating metrical foot in poetry) by treating it "metrically" - and this solely to make the section still more suggestive. The second part of the cantata opens with a tenor aria with basso continuo and obbligato violino piccolo: "Erschrecke doch, du allzu sichre Seele" (take fright yet, thou all too trusting soul) - a renewed reminder to bear God's wrath in mind if we go on sinning. The instrumental upper part called for a traverse flute at the first performance and was later rewritten for the violino piccolo (a somewhat smaller violin, tuned in this case a minor third higher than the standard violin), which is the version we have decided to perform. It is striking that the instrumental upper voice uses material which is completely independent of the two other voices (tenor and basso continuo) - God's supreme voice over the mortal world? The key is G minor, the key of inner agitation. The ensuing recitativo accompagnato (6) calls for reflection and penitence: "Beim Warten ist Gefahr / Willst du die Zeit verlieren?..." (danger lurks in waiting / wilt thou lose time?...). The solo alto (with two oboes and basso continuo) declaims this last piece of advice in a dignified, striding tempo. During the 13-bar fragment, the oboes keep on repeating the same rhythmic figure of three notes, each of them separated by an identical rest; the main idea of "waiting" could not be expressed more clearly in music. The cantata ends with a simple chorale setting. The two stanzas of 1630 are uplifting in nature. The congregation is to contemplate life and death and pray to God for help and wisdom. Sigiswald Kuijken Translation: J & M Berridge