Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)
        Three Weimar Cantatas

Himmelskonig, sei willkommen BWV 182
Weinen, Klagen Sorgen, Zagen BWV 12
Erschallet, ibr Lieder, erklinget, ibr Saiten BWV 172

Dorian 93231 - Recorded 1995/96
The Bach Ensemble
Joshua Rifkin, Director
Susanne Ryden, Soprano
Steven Rickards, Countertenor
John Elwes, Tenor
Michael Schopper, Bass
TT 73:55

Summary for the Die-Hard Rifkin Fan: Not good enough for you

Joshua Rifkin is one of the first Bach conductors to use the one voice
per part approach.  His Bach Cantata recordings quite a few years ago for
Decca are a treasured part of my music library.  With the so-called major
companies dumping many recording contracts in recent years, it's good to
have Rifkin recording for Dorian.  However, as noted above, this recording
of Weimar Cantatas has been 'in the can' for some time.  Concerning
reviews, I'm only familiar with one from the Classics Today website; the
reviewer, who seems to have high regard for Rifkin's Bach, was not pleased
at all with the vocal soloists whom he felt had trouble with tonal beauty
and intonation; Steven Rickards was particularly taken to task.  In his
opinion, the disc could not be recommended except for die-hard Rifkin
enthusiasts.

The three Cantatas on this Dorian CD are the first three composed by Bach
after he was appointed "Concertmaster" at the Weimar court.  Prior to the
appointment, Bach composed little vocal music, but as a Concertmaster he
was obligated to come up with sacred vocal works on a monthly basis.  These
three Cantatas are wonderful compositions highlighted by an absolutely
gorgeous aria for countertenor in BWV 182.

Those who have loved Rifkin's Bach cantata recordings on Decca will likely
expect more of the same from this new Dorian release - that expectation
will not be realized.  From my perspective, the singing, although not
sterling, isn't where the basic problem resides.  That honor goes to the
sound engineering which is all wrong for Rifkin and his strengths as a
conductor of Bach.  Rifkin's Decca recordings are excellent and distinctive
because of his great capacity for incisive, angular, and crisp performances
with outstanding rhythmic vitality and pacing.  The Decca sound engineers
gave Rifkin just the right soundstage for his approach.  However, Dorian
gives Rifkin a relatively rich and homogenized sound which might work well
for Suzuki who is so elegant and stately; it's a killer for Rifkin.

And there are additional sound issues as well.  The recorder plays an
important role in BWV 182 and sounds quite piercing for Rifkin at normal
balance levels.  In response, I turned on my trusty equalizer and upped
the frequency levels of the left channel; that move eliminated the piercing
sound.  The funny thing is that I naturally expected everything else to be
way out of whack, but that didn't happen.

The sound also greatly impacts the voice of Steven Rickards whom the
Classics Today reviewer disliked so much.  At normal balance levels,
Rickards sounds terrible, but at the increased frequency levels from the
left channel, he sounds fairly good.  In fact, his aria in BWV 182 becomes
an excellent one.  I'd wager that the Classics Today reviewer did not give
Rickards a tryout after some creative audio adjusting.  Of course, most
listeners just have the regular audio controls, and even I had to spend
quite a bit of time getting Rickards to sound presentable.

Of the other three vocal soloists, Michael Schopper is the gem.  His
voice is very manly, strong, and tonally alluring.  Elwes is just passable,
regardless of what's done with the audio controls.  I have no problem with
Susanne Ryden, but she's only around for the choruses and one duet with
Rickards.

Don's Bottom Line:  Each of the three cantatas is more rewarding from
sources other than Rifkin; the combination of Gardiner, Junghanel, and
Suzuki does the trick.  Essentially, Rifkin is done in by the sound and, to
some degree, his singers.  The bottom line is that not one movement on the
disc stands out with distinction.  The performances are enjoyable, nothing
more.  With better alternatives readily available, I recommend a pass on
this one.

Don Satz
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