Ton Koopman’s recorded
series of complete cantatas of J S Bach
began in 1994 with a projected gestation
of 10 years. Therefore the last volumes
should be coming out about now. Interesting
to find that Erato, the original label,
are already flogging the recordings
for reissue elsewhere. Needless to say,
the undertaking to record all of these
fabulous works was always an expensive
one and Ton Koopman’s group never do
things by halves; before the recording
sessions in Amsterdam’s lovely Waalse
Kerk all of the cantatas to be included
in any upcoming volume are performed
in the major concert halls of the Netherlands
and taken on international tour. The
result of this format is that the music
is well known to players and singers
before rehearsals for the recordings
even begin. This familiarity with the
music does make a difference when the
consistency of a project of this size
is considered. Looking through earlier
releases, and those that have come out
since volume six was released one is
struck most by the consistency of the
personnel engaged. Both orchestra and
choir show minimal change over the years,
and although there has been some variation
in the soloists, even that grouping
is underpinned by the solidity of the
bass Klaus Mertens, who has appeared
on every disc. To anybody who has one
or more volumes of this series a new
volume comes like a return visit to
the well known home of an old friend.
Of course, whether
or not one likes the Ton Koopman approach
is another matter, and a subjective
one at that. Koopman probably has almost
as many detractors as admirers but it
is unarguable that he has taken a standpoint
on the performance of baroque music
and stuck to it over the years. Much
discussion has occurred over the argument
as to whether Bach intended his cantatas
to be sung by choirs or soloists and
there is hardly space to approach this
topic here. Koopman favours the former
view and the Amsterdam Baroque Choir
was formed as a group of 18 professional
singers specifically for this recording
project. The balance of parts is five
sopranos and tenors, four altos and
basses. This might suggest a lack of
solidity in the bass section, but bearing
in mind that the bass part is almost
invariably doubled by the orchestral
continuo (in most of these performances
a solid group of two ’cellos, double
bass, bassoon and organ, there is certainly
no problem with the sound in the choruses
being properly anchored to the bass
line. In considering a movement like
that which opens the (incomplete) cantata
No. 50 Nun ist das Heil un die Kraft
the advisability of using a chorus seems
obvious. A powerful fugue with subject
entries rising from the bass there would
seem a sense of weakness in this music
using solo voices. Koopman’s singers
are of such a calibre that there is
no lack of precision and when the three
trumpets and drums enter at the first
episode the need for bold forces is
obvious.
Mention of trumpets
brings one to the Amsterdam Baroque
Orchestra. Here again, no matter what
one’s views on Koopman’s approach, one
can have nothing but admiration for
this band. As mentioned above, they
have a remarkable consistency of personnel
and this really does show. So often
one enjoys the vigour of the period
instrument bands but laments the rough
edges in the blending, especially of
strings. In short, intonation is often
just poor. The familiarity of the players
of the ABO with each other actually
shows. Since the cantata project began
the group has been led by the violinist
Margaret Faultless, with significant
input from the cellist Jaap ter Linden.
They way these two work to produce a
unified approach to string playing has
led this band to be probably the most
consistent of any of the Dutch period
instrument groups and their playing
is always a tasteful joy. Especially
in the passages of recitative where
accompaniment is only Jaap ter Linden’s
cello playing and Koopman at the organ
there is wonderful blend of the bass
lines and the often-sinuous recitative
line above. This gives a resultant sense
of purpose and beauty to what can otherwise
seem often to be rather longwinded recitatives.
Further instrumental delight is in the
wind and brass playing. The winds benefit
especially from the oboe playing of
Marcel Ponseele. A characteristic warmth
of tone and perfection of intonation
set him apart from most players of the
baroque oboe. Although Ponseele works
with many of the continental groups
he remains a distinctive feature of
the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra sound.
Similarly the trumpet playing of Stephen
Keavy, Jonathan Impett and James Ghigi
has quite a different character from
when these same English players work
with other groups. There is a punch
and almost stridency in the trumpet
sound that commands attention. Certainly
there is never anything half-hearted
in the playing of the ABO.
The soloists also carry
important parts in the cantatas of Bach.
In the first volumes of this series
the soprano soloist was usually Barbara
Schlick. In latter volumes she has been
substituted for a variety of sopranos,
often drawn from the Amsterdam Baroque
Choir. This has certainly provided variety,
although one does tend to miss the lovely
colours that Schlick brought to the
arias. In this volume the soprano is
Ruth Ziesak, who sings with a beauty
of sound and a flow of line that is
admirable. Nonetheless, in comparison
with Barbara Schlick, there is not quite
the same emotional depth underpinning
the attractive sound. The same could
be argued about the tenor Paul Agnew,
in comparison to the more frequently
engaged Christoph Prégardian.
There seems to be an extra level of
understanding that the soloists gain
from long exposure to Koopman and the
ABO. Paul Agnew certainly gives a completely
convincing performance, but Prégardian
just seemed to have an extra dimension
in some of the earlier volumes. This
same authority can be seen here in the
tremendously dependable Klaus Mertens.
The stalwart soloist par excellence,
Mertens exudes gravitas throughout the
volume, although his sound is not particularly
large, nor low. It is the precision
with which he executes the recitatives
and running passages of aria that impresses.
Of the alto Elisabeth von Magnus one
could argue that she is the anachronism
of the soloists as the use of the female
contralto in Bach’s time would have
been, at least, unlikely. The first
two volumes of Koopman’s cycle used
a male alto in the form of the German
countertenor Kai Wessel, but he was
replaced in volume three, and it has
been von Magnus ever since. Sometimes
in the solos it does sound a little
odd, although, like the other soloists,
she makes a consistently attractive
noise. Von Magnus is, however, particularly
good in ensemble situations where her
voice blends with much greater ease
than the more penetrating sound of a
countertenor ever could. The Duet for
soprano and alto Laß, Seele,
kein Leiden von Jesu dich scheiden
in the cantata No 186 Ärgre
dich, o Seele, nicht is a perfect
example of blended polyphonic singing.
Quite marvellous.
Certainly there are
aspects of Ton Koopman’s recordings
that are difficult to defend on musicological
grounds, but what is unarguable about
these performances is that every movement
is inherently musical. The 1970s Leonhardt
/ Harnoncourt complete cantatas on Teldec
(the first such cycle and a great undertaking
in its time) went for the full historically
accurate reconstruction using German
boys choirs and drawing the soprano
soloist for each recording from the
ranks of trebles in those choirs. Historically
accurate maybe, but the result was often
teeth-grindingly uncomfortable to listen
to. Invariably, a project on this scale
requires choices to be made, and there
are often other matters to consider
than the purely historical if CDs are
to be listenable, and sell in a 21st
century context. Not everyone will agree
with the choices that Koopman makes,
of course, but he certainly has made
all of his choices with musical considerations
uppermost. This reviewer for one finds
the results generally to be deeply satisfying
performances of incomparable music.
Peter Wells
Ruth Ziesak – soprano; Elisabeth von Magnus
– alto;