Track Listing

1. "O holder Tag, erwunschte Zeit", Recitative for soprano
2. "Spielet, ihr beseelten Lieder", Aria for soprano
3. "Doch haltet ein, ihr muntern Saiten", Recitative for soprano
4. "Ruhet hie, matte Tone", Aria for soprano
5. "So glaubt man denn, dass die Musik", Recitative for soprano
6. "Schweigt, ihr Floten, schweigt, ihr Tone", Aria for soprano
7. "Was Luft? was Grab? Soll die Musik verderben", Recitative for soprano
8. "Grosser Gronner, dein Vergnugen muss auch unsern klang beseigen", Aria for soprano
9. "Hochteurer Mann, so fahre fenen fort", Recitative for soprano
10. "Seid begluckt, edle Beide", Aria for soprano
11. "Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten", Aria for soprano
12. "Die Welt wird wieder neu", Recitative for soprano
13. "Phoebus eilt mit schnellen Pferden", Aria for soprano
14. "Drum sucht auch Amor sein Vergnugen", Recitative for soprano
15. "Wenn die Fruhlingslufte streichen", Aria for soprano
16. "Und dieses ist das Glucke", Recitative for soprano
17. "Sich uben im Lieben, in Scherzen sich herzen", Aria for soprano
18. "So wei das Band der keuschen Liebe", Recitative for soprano
19. "Sehet in Zufriedenheit tausend helle Wohlfahrstage", Gavotte for soprano
20. "Zauchzet Gott in allen Landen", Aria for soprano
21. "Wir beten zu dem Tempel an", Recitative for soprano
22. "Hochster, mache deine Gute", Aria for soprano
23. "Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren", Chorus for soprano
24. "Alleluja, Alleluja", for soprano

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #256985 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-12
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Christine Schäfer's bright, silvery soprano is a perfect vehicle for these solo cantatas. The adventurous Musica Antiqua Köln supports her in lively readings, full of spirit and animation. Schäfer sails through the technical demands with ease, but she also brings a welcome warmth and sensitivity to the texts. Some of the movements are taken at a clip that may surprise, but the performers bring it off with aplomb. The familiar Cantata No. 51 actually isn't a wedding cantata, but its joyous spirit fits the mood, so it's welcome all the same, especially in a performance of such agility and precision. The cutesy packaging is unnecessary (the disc's sleeve has a heart-shaped centerpiece)--but who cares when everything else is so good? --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Bach is alive and well in this lively recording!
What a delight it has been to listen to this recording after fortuitously seeing part of its contents cleverly and imaginatively made into a short video shown in the Classic Arts Showcase cable network. The clip is only the aria Sich üben im Lieben, from the Kantata BWV202. Bach was German, the lyrics are in German, and Musica Antiqua Köln plays in original instruments from the epoque. The result is a perfect diction of the work, both, lyrically speaking by Christine Schäfer, and musically speaking by Musica Antiqua Köln. I was first introduced to BWV202 by Karl Richter and Maria Stader, which was the standard for this work in my mind. At first I thought Reinhard Goebel had accelerated the tempo a little bit, but this is Bach, a man so busy that it would take a full time transcriber to hand write his known musical work 78 years by today's standards! So, yes, perhaps his tempo deserves to be a little fast. Music lovers end up with several versions of the same works, it helps us to keep out of frames, to be open, and, what worth would it be if new works were only copies of a previous one? So, if you are new to these works, or to Bach Kantaten at all, go and buy this recording. It's a great introduction, and this will be your standard to measure all other versions. I happily foresee a continued collaboration between Christine Schäfer and Reinhard Goebel, I am only hoping they will put out more Bach Kantaten soon. Also, I found nothing wrong with the package, it's very informative, and the lyrics are printed in French, German and English, so you can sing along with your mind's voice. Its lime color made it very easy to find at the record store, as well as in my CD library, though it has not spent much time there... Thanks.

Music for the soul
A friend of mine recently performed this cantata. In the run-up the actual performance I listened to this recording and found it to be the best I have ever heard. The interpretation as a whole may not be to many people's liking, but I found to be spontaneous and lively, especially with the use of timpani. Schafer acquits herself with distinction , especially in Cantata 51

Sorry Schäfer...
This is how it is. Christine Schäfer should not sing early music. Bach is not her thing (neither is Mozart by the way). There is a huge contrast between the oustanding ensemble and the actual solo artist of the record. Her constant and sometimes hysteric vibrato is not really appropriate and she has no sense of phrasing. Christine Schäfer is a great singer but she should focus more on romantic music and leave the earlier works to those who understands how to perform it.