Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
(Awake, calls the voice to us)
Ton Koopman’s version, with lovely trills and such expressive faces on the video. Koopman is a Dutch conductor, organist and harpsichordist. Like John Eliot Gardner, he completed a project to perform all the sacred cantatas, I can’t remember how many there are. I have them on 56 CDs from Gardner’s tour of European venues in 2000.
I like this comment on YouTube from David Stuart:
Mijn vroew says to me it’s time to get a life. But you know what? When you hear this,life stops for a moment and you realize there is some small redemption for humankind. Thanks to Bach and great choir of the Netherlands. If you are deaf I am so sorry. Maybe in the next life. Because this is a small part of what heaven might be. Danke schoene, Bach.
A brisker version from John Eliot Gardner:
Recorded in March 1990 in St Andrew’s Church, Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, Dorset; issued on CD21 of Bach: Sacred Masterpieces & Cantatas
Of the first movement, he says
From this a rising syncopated figure emerges, taken up later on by the altos as they lead off with their funky ‘alleluia’ figure and adopted by all the other singers. If anyone in the posh world of classical music ever doubted that JS Bach could also be considered the father of jazz, here is the proof.
And here is a majestic version from Raymond Leppard with London Voices and the English Chamber Orchestra (Feb. 1981)
Thanks to the Internet, one doesn’t have to choose a favourite version.
OK, so if this is blogging, I haven’t given it up. But the writings are something else, they don’t belong here any more. Adios!
a wayfarer’s notes 