# Bach Cantata Recs please



## juliante (Jun 7, 2013)

There's too many - can someone get me started...!? Many thanks


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

bwv 82 is my favorite. I recommend Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's recording.


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## jenspen (Apr 25, 2015)

If you take this over to the Religious Music board you'd get more responses I think. But I second BWV 82. Here are some more of the most famous:

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott BWV 80
Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir BWV 131
Wachtet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 140
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV 147

Enjoy!


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Ich habe genug (82) is my fave as well. The jenspen recommendations are good to explore further.


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## juliante (Jun 7, 2013)

Thanks all, that's a starting point.


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

I don't know if I agree with these ratings, but it's an interesting list nevertheless:

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/bachjs/rateindx.php


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## Asterix77 (Oct 17, 2015)

I would try some of his early cantatas like 106, 131, 150. Or the ones he used to apply for the cantor position in Leipzig: 22 and 23. ... or try 21 or 78...or...or..too much to recommend


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## Tomas (Aug 23, 2014)

A few that I like are: 
BWV 226, 4, 8, 193, 140, 198, 105, 220, 202, 113


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## Bas (Jul 24, 2012)

No. 21 is one of my favourites for the duet (Du hasset mich, nein ach nein Ich liebe dich)
No. 132 is an absolute favourite for the most beautifull opening aria (listen to Sigiswald Kuijken's rendition)


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

A few good starting points:





































The three most solid conductors of the whole of Bach's cantatas are likely Philippe Hereweghe, Masaaki Suzuki, and John Eliot Gardiner... although there is also Helmuth Rilling and Karl Richter (among others).

Among the cantatas I most admire I would include BWV 140, 147, 80, 82, 35, 154, 169, 170, 21, 61, 8, 51, 202 & 210... but honestly there are gems throughout the whole of this oeuvre... and few (if any) real "duds".


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## Asterix77 (Oct 17, 2015)

These are 2 of my favorite recordings:














Although they are almost 25 years old, they are still one of the best recordings of cantatas today.
I love the way Herreweghe performs these cantatas, flawless yet intimate with one of the best sounding choirs around. I really love the warm tone of the Collegium Vocale.


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## robinreusch (Oct 21, 2015)

I like all of them but my favorite is Ich habe genug (82)


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> The three most solid conductors of the whole of Bach's cantatas are likely Philippe Hereweghe, Masaaki Suzuki, and John Eliot Gardiner... although there is also Helmuth Rilling and Karl Richter (among others).


What do you think about Ton Koopman's cycle?


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## Musicophile (May 29, 2015)

Azol said:


> What do you think about Ton Koopman's cycle?


My quick summary of my very subjective impression of the different Cantata cycles:

Suzuki - perfect, but sometimes just a bit too perfect
Gardiner - brilliant, sparkling
Herreweghe - insightful, but darker than Gardiner
Koopman - a lot of fun, never boring
Rilling - sometimes a bit "gemütlich" (a German word that really doesn't translate well), like your friendly uncle that you like to get a cup of coffee with.
Richter - this is more like coffee with your Grandmother. Outstanding singers though!

I usually go to Gardiner and Koopman, with the occasional Suzuki and Herreweghe thrown in.

Ah and one of my favorite cantatas is BWV 174 for all the recycling of the Brandenburg concertos.


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

Every single piece by JS Bach is my favorite, so I cannot recommend any individual piece out of the bulk. Just look for famous conductors like Ton Koopman, Suzuki Masaki, thomas hengelbrock.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Musicophile said:


> My quick summary of my very subjective impression of the different Cantata cycles:
> 
> Suzuki - perfect, but sometimes just a bit too perfect
> Gardiner - brilliant, sparkling
> ...


Several years ago, I did a blind listening test on excerpts of cantatas performed by Suzuki, Gardiner (the "pilgrimage" series), Koopman, and Rilling. I couldn't warm to Rilling, but I liked the others, with Suzuki edging it over Koopman, and Gardiner a close third. Both Suzuki and Koopman sounded closest to the Bach that exists in my head, and it was a combination of recorded sound and slightly preferable soloists that won it for Suzuki. Gardiner seemed the most "theatrical", which on some days might be what I want; I get what you're saying about Suzuki sometimes being "too perfect". Herreweghe unfortunately wasn't in that comparison, but I have enjoyed his Bach a lot.


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## Asterix77 (Oct 17, 2015)

I'm favouring Herreweghe over the others, unfortunately he's not doing a complete cycle. I like the intimacy and warmth of the Collegium Vocale.

Suzuki is impeccable, but somehow I cannot feel emotion there, it is perfect, polished, always taking the right tempi (to my liking at least) and yet it does not really touch me.

I like Koopman a lot, sometimes he chooses some odd tempi, but the performances are flawless, lots of fun.

The Gardiner recordings are the newest in my collection, so a lot of times I choose a Gardiner recording over the others nowadays, just because they are not as familiar to me as the others, yet. I notice that I really enjoy them, it is fun to listen to Gardiner. 

Rilling sounds a bit old fashioned to me, slow, damp..it misses the sparkling that can be found with Koopman or Gardiner. Or the intimacy of Herreweghe.

Then I have the Pieter-Jan Leusink recordings, which were a bargain on the Brilliant label 15 years ago. I had to have them for under 2 EUR per CD. His performances are inconsistant, there are real gems to be found there, but also some awfull renditions. His choir is not always up to the task, too short preparation time, too difficult. This can be heard at times, especially the demanding cantata's.
The same for the soloists, sometimes he used great soloists and sometimes they are mediocre, at best. Still, for the price, you should have them.


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

In Leusink's set, the bass and the soprano were usually quite reliable....it was the ones that weigh heavily on the alto and tenor that get a little dodgy. And yes, the choirs get insufficient rehearsal time. OTOH, Bach constantly complained about the quality of the boys he had to work with (and they probably had just as little rehearsal time or less), so it's more or less an accurate representation of what Bach got, if not what he intended. There is a liveliness and sparkle that's missing from Suzuki. I've heard people complain about the pronunciation in the Gardiner set, though I can't verify that for myself. Rilling is dull. I don't have enough of Herreweghe to make a judgment but I know he's very highly regarded. What I do have is good.

For enjoyment/nonserious listening I often opt for Leusink because of the spirit. For serious listening I go with Gardiner. The recent disc by Gardiner of the Bach motets is delightful and well worth picking up if you're interested in Bach's vocal work.


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## Asterix77 (Oct 17, 2015)

gardibolt said:


> In Leusink's set, the bass and the soprano were usually quite reliable....it was the ones that weigh heavily on the alto and tenor that get a little dodgy. And yes, the choirs get insufficient rehearsal time. OTOH, Bach constantly complained about the quality of the boys he had to work with (and they probably had just as little rehearsal time or less), so it's more or less an accurate representation of what Bach got, if not what he intended. There is a liveliness and sparkle that's missing from Suzuki. I've heard people complain about the pronunciation in the Gardiner set, though I can't verify that for myself. Rilling is dull. I don't have enough of Herreweghe to make a judgment but I know he's very highly regarded. What I do have is good.
> 
> For enjoyment/nonserious listening I often opt for Leusink because of the spirit. For serious listening I go with Gardiner. The recent disc by Gardiner of the Bach motets is delightful and well worth picking up if you're interested in Bach's vocal work.


You are right about the soprano and bass in the Leusink recordings, they were ok. I did not like the tenor Knut Schoch and unfortunetaly you could hear him on quite some recordings.
Anyway, like you said it was HIP to the max, maybe I should change my view on the whole set and should see it as the set that gets the closest to the original rendition in Bach's time.


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