JS Bach: Cantatas and Arias for Bass

Dominik Wörner (bass)

Zefiro, Alfredo Bernardini

Kantaten BWV 56,82,158

+Aria "Gott ist gerecht" aus Kantate BWW 20; Aria "An irdische Schätze das Herze zu hängen" aus Kantate BWV 26; Aria "Warum willst du so zornig sein" aus Kantate BWV 101

Carl Philipp Emanuel tells us of his father’s talent as a singer: ‘He had a good penetrating voice of wide range and good singing style.’ It is therefore not surprising that the three church cantatas for solo bass are among his most exquisite and personal vocal works. Singing voice and instruments enter into a special relationship in these pieces. The dense yet sensitive polyphony is filled with a warmth and tenderness that seems to bring us closer to Bach, who is otherwise so ‘hermetically closed’. The ‘I’ voice in the poems of cantatas BWV 56 and 82 becomes the composer’s voice. Bach’s solo cantatas are precious gems whose subtle beauties go straight to the listener’s heart.

Awards Issue 2019

Zefiro’s playing remains an abiding pleasure. Yet for my taste, Wörner’s clean, stylish singing never seems quite enough in some of Bach’s most searching and, it’s tempting to say, intensely personal music.