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 [log in to unmask]