Johann Sebastian Bach ≈ Complete Cantatas ≈ Selections {Ton Koopman Set}

≈History≈
Based on materials from the Grove Dictionary & Bach-Cantatas.com
Cantatas apply to Bach the same way Lieder apply to Schubert: there was scarcely a period in the maestro's professional life that was not connected with the form, and cantatas reflect well the circumstances of his life. The earliest surviving cantatas date from the Mühlhausen and even the Arnstadt period. With his nomination as Konzertmeister in Weimar in 1714, Bach started to produce cantatas regularly, in accordance with an agreement "to perform a piece… on every fourth Sunday at all seasons". In Kothen, corresponding to Bach’s official responsibilities, only secular cantatas were composed, mostly for New Year celebrations. At Leipzig, the performance of sacred cantatas on Sundays and feast days (some 60 a year) was one of Bach’s chief tasks. It is here that the massive annual cycles of cantatas were formed. Besides the cantatas for the church year, Bach also wrote sacred cantatas for other occasions, like changes of town council, weddings and funerals. What is most striking, the considerable range of cantatas available (about 200) is a fraction of what Bach actually wrote: due to the fact that these were occasional works, about two-fifths of Bach’s sacred cantatas are considered lost; of the secular cantatas, more are lost than survive!

≈Music≈
Though still eyeing the prospect of approaching Wagner's Ring Cycle, I doubt that there is any greater yet more rewarding challenge for a music lover than to go through the entire corpus of the cantatas. On the surface, we are presented with standard Baroque musical vocabulary and clear, straightforward structures of recitatives/arias/choruses, not at all alien to Handel or Vivaldi. It is how Bach uses and elaborates this seeming simplicity that truly defies expectations. While both of his noted contemporaries produced wonderful music (I've spent a great part of the past year going through all of their operas and sacred music), Bach seems to be operating on a different, three-dimensional plain, not often encountered even in "more complex" Romantic works. The extraordinarily instrumentation is especially characteristic, the individual instruments not simply reinforcing the vocal parts but acting with stunning independence and constantly forming elaborate tapestries of sound. The vocal parts are extremely taxing and are treated instrumentally by Bach, calling for extreme precision and clarity from the performers. Yet the writing is never simple display, constantly serving the needs of the text. I have included my own personal favorites here but they are by no means exclusive. The body of cantatas, for all its variety, has an unusually self-contained character, maintained by its consistently high musical quality and its unfailing expressive profundity. The virtues of the opening air from BWV.82 notwithstanding {16:15, still one of the highpoints of the cantatas for me}, some of the gems from the other cantatas include a colorful alto call to all to awaken to the Savoir {3:32}, a serene yet troubled preparation by the soprano for Death {7:43}, a hushed exchange between the tenor and the chorus on the time of the Lord's coming {19:03}, a soprano/oboe lament of the utmost clarity {43:34}, a dignified reflection from the bass on Christ's work {46:09} and a literally fiery, explosive opening chorale {48:25}. A full list of excerpts with timings is included in the comment section.

≈Scores & Reading materials≈
All sheet music for the cantatas is available on IMSLP:
goo.gl/N4X09D
Excellent notes on individual movements by Julian Mincham can be found here:
http://www.jsbachcantatas.com/index.htm
English texts for the cantatas can be found here:
goo.gl/ZkOPks

≈Recordings≈
Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir recorded a complete set of the cantatas that boasts fine orchestral playing, a handsome choral sound and a diverse but uniformly engaged lineup of soloists. I am well aware of the at times fierce discussion on the merits of the different cantata sets but for me the highlighted collection remains a towering achievement and a wonderful introduction to Bach.
Sopranos: Sibylla Rubens – Barbara Schlick – Johannette Zomer – Lisa Larsson – Sandrine Piau
Altos: Bogna Bartosz – Annette Markert – Kai Wessel
Tenors: Christoph Prégardien – Guy de Mey – James Gilchrist – Paul Agnew
Bass: Klaus Mertens

Hope you'll enjoy!