Notes and Editorial Reviews
BACH
6 Motets
•
Nicol Matt (cond); CCh of Europe; European C Soloists (period instruments)
•
BRILLIANT 94045 (68:24
Text, no Translations)
Here is a relative rarity among Bach motet discs—the six (and only six) canonical items, BWV 225 to 230, presented in catalog order. Is this is a sign of orthodoxy or of independent thinking? There’s no intrinsic reason to do them this way, since the published sequence was randomly determined, one of the six (BWV 230) may be of doubtful origin,
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and at least one or two other works are thought by some to belong to this select group. On the other hand, there’s no compelling reason
not
to present them this way. What is not at issue is the quality of the performances. The Chamber Choir of Europe, formerly the Nordic Chamber Choir, is a small (22 voices), mixed chorus with an international roster of highly skilled young singers. They sing with a gratifying unity of purpose and produce a gloriously rich choral sound, which, under conductor Nicol Matt’s thoughtful leadership, and combined with the prominent but welcome
colle parte
accompaniment by the European Chamber Soloists, makes listening to this disc a most satisfying experience. We’ve had quite a run of excellent motet collections in the recent past: Erickson, Holten, Hemetsberger, Junghanel, and Kooij have all enhanced the catalog. Now add Matt to the list.
Incidentally, Brilliant’s booklet identifies the cantata BWV 118 as a motet, and there is enough unused space on the disc to have included it on the program. Too bad, but the disc is a winner anyway.
FANFARE: George Chien
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Works on This Recording
1.
Singet Dem Hern, BWV 225 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conductor:
Nicol Matt
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Chamber Choir of Europe,
European Chamber Soloists
2.
Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conductor:
Nicol Matt
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Chamber Choir of Europe,
European Chamber Soloists
Period: Baroque
Written: 1729; Leipzig, Germany
3.
Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conductor:
Nicol Matt
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Chamber Choir of Europe,
European Chamber Soloists
Period: Baroque
Written: 1723; Leipzig, Germany
4.
Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir, BWV 228 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conductor:
Nicol Matt
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Chamber Choir of Europe,
European Chamber Soloists
Period: Baroque
Written: 1726; Leipzig, Germany
5.
Komm, Jesu, komm!, BWV 229 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conductor:
Nicol Matt
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Chamber Choir of Europe,
European Chamber Soloists
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1725-1749; Leipzig, Germany
6.
Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conductor:
Nicol Matt
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Chamber Choir of Europe,
European Chamber Soloists
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1723-1729; Leipzig, Germany
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