JEG conducts All Bach Live on 3 on Friday 14th

[Pegleg]

I'm not sure I qualify as an experienced Bachian, but I do try to stick to my adage of some Bach a day keeps the doctor away. It is, after all, music that helps keep me sane, and last night's dose of Bach did me a power of good.

Singet dem Herrn - coolly beautiful... Yes I can go with that.

Peter a Havery a bit stiff ? …. Maybe he took a little time to come on song. Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen was achingly beautiful and BWV 82 was given added poignancy by JEG's dedication to his cousin. BWV 4 was full of drama.

Violinists Kati Debretzeni and Maya Homburger together with other soloists, were on good form. You can probably argue that you can find better performances of BWV 1041 & 1043 on record, but this was live playing on gut strings.

As I don't speak German, and I'm not conversant with the Lutheran mindset, listening to Bach's church cantatas is a challenge for me. I need the text, and its translation, and try to understand both the liturgical context and the pedagogical message. It's always worth listening to JEG's Bach insights, and I'm grateful R3 had the good sense to give him the time to speak at length about Bach's music last night.

I'm looking forward to the publication of JEG's book: “Music in the Castle of Heaven”.

[jayne lee wilson]

Pegleg - I use "J.S.Bach - The Complete Cantatas" by Richard Stokes (The Scarecrow Press). It presents the texts in parallel German/English translation. Took a bit of finding 5 years ago, but who knows a search might come up with a reprint or copy somewhere.

[vinteuil]

As I don't speak German, and I'm not conversant with the Lutheran mindset, listening to Bach's church cantatas is a challenge for me. I need the text, and its translation, and try to understand both the liturgical context and the pedagogical message. ”.

I think the best companion is : "The Cantatas of J. S. Bach" (with their librettos in German-English parallel text) by Alfred Dürr and Richard Jones, Oxford University Press. Amazon has the paperback edition available at some £50.

[amateur51]

I think the best companion is : "The Cantatas of J. S. Bach" (with their librettos in German-English parallel text) by Alfred Dürr and Richard Jones, Oxford University Press. Amazon has the paperback edition available at some £50.

A rather superior paperback, by all accounts vints

[Pegleg]

Pegleg - I use "J.S.Bach - The Complete Cantatas" by Richard Stokes (The Scarecrow Press). It presents the texts in parallel German/English translation. Took a bit of finding 5 years ago, but who knows a search might come up with a reprint or copy somewhere.

I'm a cheapskate, I use various on-line sources. Abebooks have some copies of the Stokes book at £30 and upwards. Thanks for the tip. I'll keep it in mind.

[Petrushka]

This concert isn't my usual territory and JEG not a conductor I tend to listen to. However, I caught the concert courtesy of R3 and greatly enjoyed it, an enjoyment made greater by JEG's eloquent introductions. Bach enthusiasts probably found nothing new but to a relative newcomer like me it was a revelation to hear such wonderful spoken intros. JEG has a very real skill in communicating his knowledge and love of Bach and while I don't usually care for such presentation at a concert (and even less for book plugs) I found it all a real ear-opener.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm a cheapskate, I use various on-line sources. Abebooks have some copies of the Stokes book at £30 and upwards. Thanks for the tip. I'll keep it in mind.

Whilst you're saving up the pennies, Pegleg, you might find the "Bach Cantata Website" a useful resource. Click on the Cantata you want; click on "recordings" and scroll down to "Texts", and you have a choice of translations into English (or Arabic, Catalan, "Chinese" [?], Dutch etc etc, if such should be your wont).

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/IndexBWV.htm

There's also a "discussion" section, which is often informative, frequently amusing and surprisingly heated, too!

[amateur51]

Whilst you're saving up the pennies, Pegleg, you might find the "Bach Cantata Website" a useful resource. Click on the Cantata you want; click on "recordings" and scroll down to "Texts", and you have a choice of translations into English (or Arabic, Catalan, "Chinese" [?], Dutch etc etc, if such should be your wont).

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/IndexBWV.htm

There's also a "discussion" section, which is often informative, frequently amusing and surprisingly heated, too!

What a remarkable resource ferney - many thanks

[Pegleg]

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/IndexBWV.htm

That's the one I always use, it links to various translation, e.g:

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV82-Eng3.htm

http://www.emmanuelmusic.org/notes_translations/translations_cantata/t_bwv082.htm

And there's scoring, commentary and other refs to follow.

I use this to get my basic orientation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bach_cantatas_by_liturgical_function

The discussion can be very informative, they are extensive and as you say often hotly debated. If you have time, I think they are worth reading.

[salymap]

I had the wrong impression about JEG, probably because a relative talks of no other conductor and has dozens of recordings of the famous Bach Cantata tour some time ago.

However I saw a recent TV programme and he is a very good presenter and capable of a light touch where necessary.

I still have to catch up with the Bach concert....

[Pegleg]

There was talk of sublime openings earlier in this thread. My listening this morning is this:

Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21, 17 June 1714

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln9MBa8lXV4

Soloists:
Soprano: Barbara Schlick
Tenor: Howard Crook
Bass: Peter Harvey

Performed by La Chapelle Royale & Collegium Vocale Gent under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe. Recorded by Harmonia Mundi France in 1990.