The ongoing cycle of Bach cantata releases by conductor Masaaki Suzuki and his Japan Bach Collegium has been a major fixture of the historical-performance scene in the first years of the 21st century.
The cycle neared its end with this trio of cantatas, each of which begins with a large chorus illustrating the theme and often the substance of the text before proceeding with arias for each of three soloists (soprano, alto, and bass) and ending with the usual chorale.
Unlike competitors who have grouped the cantatas by external criteria, Suzuki presents sets of musically similar pieces, making for single discs that are more homogeneous and more likely to focus the listener's attention on close details.
And close details there are aplenty in Suzuki's readings, which expose Bach's polyphony in precisely controlled choral singing (the Collegium consists of about 18 singers, handpicked and clearly extensively drilled) unlike any other performances on the market.
If John Eliot Gardiner is the Brahms of historical Bach performance, with the warmth and humanism of his readings, Suzuki is perhaps the Webern.
Suzuki excels in complex, detailed choruses such as the first movement of the Cantata No.
39, "Brich den Hungrigen dein Brot," BWV 39 (Break thy bread to the hungry), with its shifts in texture illuminating the breaking of bread, and his multinational group of soloists is nonpareil.
If there's any complaint this time, it's that countertenor Robin Blaze is something less than full voice, but the BIS label's sound has, if possible, even more lifelike transparency than usual.
Recommended; sample any one of the opening choruses, and you may be hooked on the "Suzuki method.".
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinfonia D-Dur für Violine und Orchester, BWV 1045Johann Sebastian Bach | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 06:58 | 16 MB | 34 MB |
| 2 | 'Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot' BWV 39 I. Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 07:10 | 16 MB | 34 MB |
| 3 | 'Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot' BWV 39 II. Der reiche Gott wirft seinen | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 01:27 | 3 MB | 6 MB |
| 4 | 'Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot' BWV 39 III. Seinem Schopfer noch auf Erden | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 5 | 'Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot' BWV 39 IV. Wohlzuntun und mitzuteilen | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 6 | 'Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot' BWV 39 V. Hochster, was ich habe | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 7 | 'Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot' BWV 39 VI. Wie soll ich dir, o Herr | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 01:33 | 3 MB | 6 MB |
| 8 | 'Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot' BWV 39 VII. Selig sind, die aus Erbarmen | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 01:21 | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| 9 | 'Es wartet alles auf dich' BWV 187 I. Es wartet alles auf dich | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 05:47 | 13 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | 'Es wartet alles auf dich' BWV 187 II. Was Kreaturen halt | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 00:56 | 2 MB | 4 MB |
| 11 | 'Es wartet alles auf dich' BWV 187 III. Du Herr, du kronst allein | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 12 | 'Es wartet alles auf dich' BWV 187 IV. Darum solit ihr nicht sorgen noch sagen | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 02:28 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 13 | 'Es wartet alles auf dich' BWV 187 V. Gott versorget alles Leben | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 14 | 'Es wartet alles auf dich' BWV 187 VI. Halt ich nur fest an ihm | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 01:20 | 3 MB | 6 MB |
| 15 | 'Es wartet alles auf dich' BWV 187 VII. Gott hat die erde zugericht | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 02:13 | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| 16 | 'Gelobet sie der Herr' BWV 129 I. Gelobet sie der Herr | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 17 | 'Gelobet sie der Herr' BWV 129 II. Gelobet sei der Herr | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 18 | 'Gelobet sie der Herr' BWV 129 III. Gelobet sei der Herr | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 18 MB |
| 19 | 'Gelobet sie der Herr' BWV 129 IV. Gelobet sei der Herr | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 20 MB |
| 20 | 'Gelobet sie der Herr' BWV 129 V. Dem wir das Heilig itzt | Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki | Play | 01:38 | 3 MB | 8 MB |
| 65 mins | 152 MB | |||||
| 65 mins | 309 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bach Collegium Japan | Ensemble, Primary Artist |
| 2 | Johann Sebastian Bach | Composer |
| 3 | Robert von Bahr | Executive Producer |
| 4 | Andrew Barnett | Layout, Liner Note Translation, Typesetting |
| 5 | Robin Blaze | Counter Tenor (Vocal) |
| 6 | Marco Borggreve | Cover Photo, Photography |
| 7 | Akimi Hayashi | Tuning |
| 8 | Klaus Hofmann | Liner Notes |
| 9 | Peter Kooij | Bass (Vocal) |
| 10 | Mariko Kubo | Photography |
| 11 | Yukari Nonoshita | Soprano (Vocal) |
| 12 | Ingo Petry | Mixing, Producer |
| 13 | Andreas Ruge | Engineer |
| 14 | Masamitsu San'nomiya | Oboe d'amore |
| 15 | Bastian Schick | Editing |
| 16 | Kiyomi Suga | Transverse Flute |
| 17 | Masaaki Suzuki | Director, Primary Artist |
| 18 | Jean-Pascal Vachon | Liner Note Translation |
| 19 | Natsumi Wakamatsu | Violin |
| 20 | Robert Workman | Photography |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |