During the period from which these three cantatas come, Bach no longer presented a new cantata of his own every Sunday. Instead he made extensive use of compositions by others, including his own second cousin Johann Ludwig Bach, court composer at Meiningen. In several instances, Bach also reused texts set by Johann Ludwig for his own compositions, including two of the cantatas here, Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot and Es wartet alles auf dich. Both of these follow a pattern which falls into two parts, with the opening text of each section being taken from the Old and the New Testament respectively. The third cantata, Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott, is also unusual in its structure, in that it utilizes five strophes of a single hymn, word for word. The hymn strophes are respectively used for an opening chorus, three arias and a closing chorale, with the first and fifth movement - resplendently scored with trumpets and timpani - utilizing the same hymn melody, although in very different ways. The three arias (for bass, soprano and alto) are more intimate in size, but also highly varied, addressing in turn Christ, the Holy Spirit and the full Trinity. The disc closes with a movement for solo violin and orchestra, thought to be an opening sinfonia for an unknown cantata. It is possibly a late arrangement of an early work, as the highly virtuosic solo part seems to suggest influences from the Italian violin concertos that were making such an impact in Germany during the first decades of the 18th century. With this disc the cantata series of Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki reaches its 45th instalment, to ever-growing acclaim, as exemplified by a recent review regarding Volume 42: 'a recording which shows Suzuki maturing along with Bach ... another fine instalment in this most consistent of series' (International Record Review).

REVIEWS:

Masaaki Suzuki’s Bach cantata edition is by all accounts one of the best ways, if not the best, to experience this unparalleled body of music short of singing (or playing) it yourself. It stands to reason that a disc of well-chosen excerpts from the series should be a desirable acquisition, and so it is. But there is perhaps an even better reason to do so. The Bach Collegium Japan—matched by BIS Records—is donating all royalties from its sale to Tohoku Help, the Sendai Christian Alliance Disaster Relief Network for the support of victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, 2011.

As for the disc itself, there’s little to say other than it is self-recommending. Suzuki has not assembled a showcase of Bach’s Greatest Hits, although there’s no good reason why these particular selections could not be included if he did. The Air from the Third Orchestral Suite is one, of course. Three organ chorale preludes, played by Suzuki, and two instrumental excerpts add variety. The motet Komm, Jesu, komm sums up the program, which was thoughtfully designed to offer hope and consolation to weary souls. Bach can do that. Suzuki and friends can, too. Buy this disc.

-- Fanfare (George Chien)

This new release is the second volume in Federico Colli’s series of piano sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. Federico first came to prominence after winning the Salzburg Mozart Competition in 2011 and the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2012. Since then, he has been performing with orchestras including the Mariinsky Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI National Symphony, Royal Scottish National, RTÉ National Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Wiener Kammerorchester, Philharmonia Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic; at venues such as the Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Munich Herkulessaal, Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan, Hamburg Laeiszhalle, Beethovenhalle in Bonn, Elbphilharmonie, Barbican Hall, Kumho Art Centre in Seoul, Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, Dublin National Concert Hall, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, Royal Festival Hall and the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St Petersburg.

The Goldberg Variations of J.S. Bach are without doubt one of the greatest of all keyboard masterpieces. Charlotte Mattax Moersch gives us an informed and gripping performance of this unquestioned masterpiece. Harpsichordist Charlotte Mattax Moersch has performed worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician. Since capturing First and Third Prizes in basso continuo and solo playing in the International Harpsichord Competitions in Paris, France and Bruges, Belgium, she has appeared in solo recitals in New York, London, Edinburgh, Rome, Geneva, Paris, and Amsterdam, and at historic venues, among them Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Mozarteum, and the Palazzo della Cancelleria. Called a “nonpareil harpsichordist” by Early Music America, she has received critical acclaim for her playing, at once “dashing yet intelligent” (Classical Times, London), and “fluent and expressive” (Fanfare Magazine). As a guest artist, she has performed at the Festival of the Associazione Musicale Romana, Festival Estival de Paris, Tage alter musik Regensburg, and the Bethlehem and Boulder Bach Festivals, and has toured Europe with San Francisco’s American Baroque and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.