BBC Music Magazine
SDG 153 - Bach Cantatas vol. 20 (27 May 2009)
**** [4 stars] Performance
**** [4 stars] Recording
"There is an expressive rigour underpining the music Bach prepared for
the Sundays approachingthe penitential and contemplative Lenten season;
yet these works never fail, ultimately, to yield a joyful optimism.
BWV144 has not always fared well in the hands of many rival conductors.
Its alla breve
fugal opening chorus under Helmuth Rilling and Masaaki Suzuki, for
instance, lacks the expressive fervour and eloquent phrasing with which
the excellent singers of the Monteverdi Choir infuse their performance.
There is an airiness here, as also in the supple singing of the complex
fugal chorus of BWV181 which both illuminates the text and uplifts the
spirit.
There is also some splendid solo contributions, notably from tenors
James Oxley and James Gilchrist and basses Jonathan Brown and Stephen
Loges, who rise to Bach's declamatory and virtuosic idiom with a real
sense of panache. Althogether, this is a rewarding instalment."
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