These recordings form a remarkable part of the immediate post-war
musical legacy in what was then West Germany. The background,
which is related more fully in the booklet notes, is worth summarising.
At the end of the Second World War, when Berlin was occupied,
the Soviet forces annexed all the musical recordings that had
belonged to the former Reichs-rundfunk. The authorities in the
sector of Berlin controlled by the Americans sought to establish
a new broadcasting entity, which within a short time became
known as RIAS (Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor). However,
the new radio station had to start from scratch; for one thing,
it had no recorded musical material at its disposal. The conductor
Karl Ristenpart (1900-1967) was amongst those entrusted with
building up the musical resources of the fledgling radio station.
Amongst other things, Ristenpart decided to record all the cantatas
of J S Bach and to perform some of them publicly. Sadly, the
project was never completed, for reasons explained in the booklet,
but here we have 28 cantata recordings plus one cantata by Telemann
that for many years was attributed to Bach.
The very thorough notes in the booklet relate the whole story
behind these recordings in good detail. In all 78 cantatas were
recorded between October 1946 and February 1953; in fact, 107
recordings were made but some recordings were subsequently duplicated.
The recordings were made for a wider use than the ‘merely’
musical; they were broadcast during a Sunday morning religious
programme on RIAS when the cantata appropriate to the day would
be heard after a sermon. Quite a number of the earlier recordings
were ’wiped’ and I infer from the essay by Rüdiger
Albrecht that, regrettably, what we have in this box is all
that survives. It will be noted that many of the cantatas here
included are not among the cantatas that are better-known, even
today. Also, there are frustrating gaps. There is no BWV 147,
for example, and I noted that one of the earliest recordings
was a performance of BWV 82 by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; what
one would give to hear that!
It must be remembered that at the time of these performances
the Bach cantatas were far from being widely known, so this
project was hugely enterprising and the driving force behind
it was Karl Ristenpart. His career was focused principally on
chamber orchestras - he founded his own ensemble as early as
1932. It appears that he was unsympathetic to the Nazis - which
would have made him acceptable for RIAS - although he did agree
to take his orchestra to play for the troops at the front during
the war years. He set up the RIAS Kammerorchester and when policy
changes at RIAS brought about the demise of that orchestra -
and the Bach cantata project - in 1952 he moved to Saarbrücken
to work for the radio station there, setting up another chamber
orchestra, including some of his Berlin players. During his
fourteen years there, however, the emphasis was on orchestral
music so no more Bach cantatas were forthcoming.
In many ways Ristenpart was ahead of his time, especially in
using fairly small forces to perform Bach. That’s one
reason why these performances are of such interest to Bach collectors.
We aren’t told the approximate size of either the choir
or the orchestra but both are clearly smaller than the ensembles
used by Karl Richter in his Bach recordings for DG Archiv. Another
attraction lies in the roster of soloists. Many of the names
will be unfamiliar sixty years or so later but three names stand
out. Among the sopranos was Agnes Giebel (b. 1921) then starting
out on her career. Though Ristenpart engaged several singers
in the other three voices he used just one tenor, at least on
these recordings, namely Helmut Krebs (1913-2007). Krebs was
a soloist at the Deutsche Oper at this time. A few years later
he recorded a good deal of Bach with Fritz Werner (review, review, review) but here we find him in younger voice. Incidentally,
Agnes Giebel was another luminary of those fine Werner recordings
of Bach. It’s a joy to hear so much of these two excellent
Bach singers but the set is invaluable also because we can hear
a good many examples of the young Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Born in 1925, Fischer-Dieskau would have been in his mid-twenties
when these recordings were made. News of the great singer’s
death was announced while I was evaluating these discs and much
has been spoken and written - and very rightly so - about his
immense stature as one of the foremost singers of the second
half of the twentieth century. Like Krebs, he was at this time
a soloist with the Deutsche Oper but Bach’s music was
a constant thread throughout his career and it’s thrilling
to have so many examples of his early work in this box; one
can readily understand why his singing caused such a stir from
the very start of his career for he is in consistently magnificent
voice.
Let me discuss some highlights from this engrossing set and
start with one of the finest performances of all, that of Wachet
auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140. This is, quite simply,
an outstanding Bach performance. The opening chorus is impelled
forward most excitingly. When the choir first enters their call
of ‘Wachet auf’ is a true wake up-call; and what
an inspired decision by Ristenpart to have the boys of the RIAS
Knabenchor joining the soprano line and lending the cutting
edge of their tone to the melody! There’s real enthusiasm
and urgency here. Ristenpart’s tempo seems ideal to me
and he takes 6:24 over the movement. Out of curiosity I put
on Karl Richter’s 1978 DG Archiv recording, to which I
hadn’t listened in a long time. Oh dear! His tempo is
insufferably slow in this movement - he takes 9:38 - and in
his hands the music sounds turgid and uninspiring. Fritz Werner
too is pretty stately - he takes 8:14 but at least he’s
not as leaden as Richter. I revelled in Ristenpart’s reading
which, frankly, would not sound out of place among today’s
‘period’ performances. In the following recitative
Krebs sounds like a clarion herald. In the famous tenor chorale
movement Ristenpart uses the whole tenor section from the choir
- which I prefer. Richter uses his soloist, which is perhaps
understandable when you have Peter Schreier on hand to do the
honours but again a lethargic speed rules out this version while
Ristenpart seems to get it just right. The soprano soloist for
Ristenpart is Gunthild Weber who is an effective partner to
Fischer-Dieskau in the two duets. Fischer-Dieskau also sings
for Richter. There he’s partnered by the enchanting Edith
Mathis. I prefer her to Weber but I prefer Fischer-Dieskau’s
singing on the Ristenpart recording. Although there are many
satisfying cantata performances in this box this one, I think,
takes the palm.
Another conspicuous success is Agnes Giebel’s account
of the solo Wedding Cantata, Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten,
BWV 202. She’s in wonderful form here, singing the opening
aria with fine expression - and partnered by a good oboist.
She’s delightfully eager-sounding in the second aria,
where a perky bassoon obbligato also gives much pleasure. The
late Alfred Dürr says that the third aria “strikes
a more elegiac note”. Far be it from me to dissent from
the view of such an expert but I don’t hear elegy in this
music and certainly not in Giebel’s warm, radiant singing
of it. The fourth and final aria, decorated by a pert oboe part,
sounds smiling and happy here and the concluding gavotte movement
is charming.
There’s another solo cantata in the set, Ich will den
Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56, which features Fischer-Dieskau.
Here, in 1950, we find him in wonderful voice, even throughout
its compass and with a lovely ease at the top of his register.
He recorded it also with Richter, in 1969, and I prefer Richter’s
slightly more flowing tempo in the opening aria but, on the
other hand, I prefer the smaller band employed by Ristenpart.
Fischer-Dieskau’s tone is superb in 1969 but in that later
version he is more emphatic in his enunciation of the words.
The cantata includes the joyful aria ‘Endlich, endlich
wird mein Joch’. Both performances are excellent but I
find Fischer-Dieskau sounds just a bit more natural and spontaneous
for Ristenpart.
What of Helmut Krebs? He’s splendid throughout no matter
what tests Bach sets him and no matter what emotions he’s
required to convey. A stand-out moment for me is the aria ‘Ermuntre
dich’ in BWV 180. This is a very demanding aria but Krebs
is quite outstanding - and the flute obbligato is jolly good
too. Krebs’ voice is light and keen and the rhythms dance
irresistibly. His articulation is tremendous and I love his
light, ringing tone. This is an outstanding piece of Bach singing
by anyone’s standards. In BWV 19 there’s a very
different test for a Bachian tenor in the aria ‘Bleibt,
ihr Engel, bleibt bei mir’. Krebs sustains the long lines
excellently and I admire his control very much. That said, even
he doesn’t match the wonderful way in which James Gilchrist,
a very different singer, floats the line at a daringly expansive
tempo in Vol 7 of Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach Cantata
Pilgrimage (review). For me, Gilchrist and Gardiner capture the essence
of this music in a way that’s very special. Krebs appears
in every one of the cantatas that require a tenor and his singing
gives unfailing pleasure. Not only that, he is a stylist and,
additionally, a singer who cares about the words and knows how
to put them across. His heady, distinctive tone and consistently
clear diction are a delight to hear.
The other soloists aren’t quite so well known, at least
not in 2012, but there are few weak links. One or two of the
sopranos aren’t really to my taste. Edith Berger-Krebs
(the wife of the tenor?) sings in BWV 42, where she duets with
Helmut Krebs and, quite honestly, isn’t in his class;
her tone sounds rather pinched and shrill. Lilo Rolwes is somewhat
tremulous of tone in her aria in BWV 31 and in BWV 21 Gerda
Lammers sounds to me to be striving a bit too much for expression
and, as a result, the line is rather choppy. The altos are all
effective. I particularly enjoyed the contributions of Ingrid
Lorenzen - she gives a fine account of the extensive alto aria
in BWV 42, for instance - while Charlotte Wolf-Matthäus
has a good focus to her voice as she shows, for example, in
BWV 22. Walter Hauck and Gerhard Niese have to stand retrospective
comparison with Fischer-Dieskau, which is a bit unfair, but
both acquit themselves well in their various assignments.
The singers of the RIAS-Kammerchor make a strong contribution.
Sometimes the sound is a little fuzzy but I wonder if this is
as much to do with the recordings as the singing itself. I’ve
already mentioned their excellent contribution to BWV 140. Another
place where they feature to particularly good effect is the
dramatic opening chorus of BWV 19, which they deliver with plenty
of energy and punch. They give a good performance of BWV 4 as
well - I liked the lively tempo and good choral response in
the first chorus. Richter in 1968 has better sound, of course,
but his choir is bigger - some may prefer, as I do, the smaller
ensemble - and yet again Richter’s speed is steadier than
Ristenpart’s. Incidentally, in the fourth chorus of this
cantata Ristenpart gets all his basses to sing whereas Richter
uses a solo voice (Fischer-Dieskau). I think Richter’s
decision is the correct one but against the pleasure of hearing
Fischer-Dieskau sing the piece we must set yet another leaden
tempo by Richter, who lingers over the movement for 4:36 against
Ristenpart’s much more satisfactory 2:45.
The RIAS-Kammerorchester plays well for Ristenpart although
those schooled on ‘period’ performances will need
to adjust their ears for the string vibrato and the legato style
of playing. There’s some good obbligato playing and it’s
a pity that the players concerned aren’t named; I suspect
there isn’t a full record of who played in the orchestra.
The presiding genius is Karl Ristenpart and these recordings
show him as a Bachian of perception, style and good taste. I’m
a great admirer of Eliot Gardiner in the Bach cantatas - and
of Fritz Werner too. Eliot Gardiner can be brisk in his tempi
but I can recall very few instances in this set where I felt
Ristenpart was too slow. In any event, tempo is about more than
speed; it’s about finding the pace that’s right
for the music and, in vocal music, for the sentiments expressed
in the words. Here I think Ristenpart’s judgement is pretty
well always spot-on. I said at the start of this review that
he was ahead of his time and this is especially true of his
determination to use slimmed-down forces at a time when this
was far from being the norm. This, together with the fact that
he articulates rhythms so well brings to his performances a
fine clarity of texture and excellent energy.
As to the recorded sound, I think it’s astonishingly good,
especially when one considers that these recordings were made
sixty or more years ago. Clearly the RIAS engineers knew what
they were doing. Audite’s re-mastering engineers, Ludger
Böckenhoff and Karsten Zimmerman, who have worked from
the original tapes, deserve plaudits for such fine work. Their
skill has been vital in allowing today’s listeners to
experience so satisfactorily the integrity, dedication and sheer
excellence of Karl Ristenpart’s performances.
These performances constitute a major addition to the discography
of Bach’s cantatas. Their reappearance after all these
years is a cause for rejoicing. This is one of the most important
Bach issues for many years and the set is urgently commended
to all who love Bach’s cantatas.
John Quinn
Full track listing and artists details
CD 1 [77:48]
Ach Gott, wie manches Herzelied, BWV 58 [14:10]
rec. 4 January 1952
Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen, BWV 32 [23:48]
10 and 11 December 1951
Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe, BV 22 [20:51]
15 and 16 February 1950
Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch, BWV 127 [18:57]
13 February 1950
CD 2 [73:10]
Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4 [17:57]
17-19 March 1952
Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde Jubilieret, BWV 31 [22:51]
9, 20 and 21 March 1950
Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats, BWV 42 [32:20]
11 April 1950
CD 3 [72:37]
Es ist euch gut, daß ich hingehe, BWV 108 [17:02]
17, 18 and 27 April 1950
Wer da gläubet und getauft wird, BWV 37 [18:18]
18, 24 and 27 April 1950
Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding, BWV 176 [13:03]
3, 6 and 8 May 1950
Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39 [24:13]
17 and 22 May 1950
CD 4 [76:56]
Der Himmel erzälhen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76 [34:25]
19, 22 and 23 May 1950
Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21 [42:29]
22 and 25 May, 2 June 1950
CD 5 [66:59]
Siehe, ich will viel Fischer aussenden, BWV 88 [21:21]
30 May, 3 and 13 June 1950
Wo got der Herr nicht bei uns hält, BWV 178 [21:59]
20 June and 14 July 1950
Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWEV 199 [22:47]
8 July 1950
CD 6 [61:57]
Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet, BWV 164 [17:09]
27 August 1952
Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget warden, BWV
47 [22:19]
4 and 5 June 1952
Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56 [22:27]
21 February 1950
CD 7 [61:55]
Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 180 [25:55]
9 October 1950
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 38 [19:08]
16 and 17 October 1950
Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht, BWV 52 [16:51]
7 and 8 September 1950
CD 8 [64:07]
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140 [26:51]
2 and 5 November 1951
Es erhub sich ein Streit, BWV 19 [20:28]
1 and 5 September 1950
Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79 [16:48]
23 and 25 October 1950
CD 9 [75:37]
Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten, BWV 202 [22:07]
2 June 1951*
Gottes Zeit ist der allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106, ‘Actus Tragicus’
[23:48]
15, 17 and 26 June 1950
Herr, wie du willt, so schick’s mit mir, BWV 73 [17:00]
25 October 1949*
Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767)
Ich weiß, daß mein Erlöser lebt, TWV 1:877
[12:42]
15 March 1950
Recording venues: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem; *Studio
Lankwitz, Berlin
Johanna Behrend, Edith Berger-Krebs, Gertrud Birmele, Marie-Louise
Denicke, Agnes Giebel, Gerda Lammers, Lilo Rolwes, Gunthild
Weber (sopranos)
Lorri Lail, Ingrid Lorenzen, Annelies Westen, Charlotte Wolf-Matthäus
(altos)
Helmut Krebs (tenor)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Walter Hauck (baritones)
Gerhard Niese (bass)
RIAS-Kammerchor; RIAS Knaberchor
RIAS-Kammerorchester/Karl Ristenpart
Performances recorded 1949-1952, conducted by Karl Ristenpart 