Bach's Easter Oratorio revisited: Frans Brüggen's radiant reading

Christophe Rousset's performance of Bach's Osterortorium, BWV 249, in Aix en Provence recently led me to his disc from 2011: Frans Brüggen's Amsterdam account with the Orchestra of the 18th Century and Cappella Amsterdam with a crack team of soloists, reissued on Glossa.

First, though, the disc begins with the most fascinaing idea: prior to the Osteroratoriom, we have a reconstructed organ concerto: the two outer movements are taken from the Sinfonias the open the two parts of the Cantata BWV 35, Geist und Seele sind verwirret, while the Adagio (“Concerto”) from Cantaa BWV 156 comprises the central slow movement.

Here's the complete cantata. I was delighted to find that this one not only has score, but also has as soloist for the vocal movements of the cantata (it is a solo cantata, so not other soloist) we have the counter-tenor Maartn Engeltjes, a phenomena who needs far more recognition the he receives. When I heard him in 2017 at Itinérarire baroque in Vivaldi, it blew my socks off (and he received a rare standing ovation from the hyper-discerning French audience there). So, here he is with the Netherlands Bach Society with Joshua van Veldhoven. The acoustic is resonant, true, but this is a fabulous performance, and Engeltjes is in cracking form, his tone creamy, his line expressive. It is interesting to hear how the organ acts as obbligato to the voice, too, as well as soloist in its own right:

Here's the present release (the cover is the original issue): Pieter Jan Belder is the excellent soloist. Co-ordination between organ and orchestra is exemplary, and the music is joyous, thanks to Frans Brüggen's pointed orchestra. The balance is perfect, allowing for fascinating timbral equivalnces between organ and orchestra to register:

“Ich steh’ mit einem Fuß im Grabe” (I stand with one foot in the grave) is the cheerful title for the cantata BWV 156, whose sinfonia forms the basis for the second movement (and also the F-Minor keyboard concerto, BWV 1056)

The finale of the Concerto is the Sinfonia from BWV 35.

I have to be honest, the opening Sinfonia of Brüggen's Easter Oratorio has all the blazing light and energy Rousset's Aix performance lacked. Brüggen finds lightness and transparency in the contrasting passages, too. The contrasting Arioso (movement 2) is reciprocally dark, the oboe solo perfectly judged, starting as if it comes into focus, as if the sustained note had started in another plane and drifted into ours:

Capella Amsterdam is terrific in the chorus that follows (based on the Sinfonia);. then comes the astonishing aria with flute obbligato, “Seele, seine Spezereien,” Ilse Eerens in fine, pure voice (her slurs!) and in perfect dialogue with the obbligato:

It is tenor Markus Schäfer who provides the aria, “Sanft soll mein Todeskummer,” with its magical tapestry of woodwind. With Brüggen, we get the full majesty of Bach's writing, the still centre of the Oratorio, and a World way for the blaze of the opening chorus:

Alto Michael Chance is radiant in “Saget, saget mir geschwinde,” while Brüggen has his orchestra on their tip-toes:

A pity the solo bass doesn't get more to do in this piece, as David Wilson-Johnson is his usual paragon of musicality and style in his brief recitative, “Wir sind erfreut” before the final chorus, ‘Preis und Danke bleibe, Herr” brings us trumpet-encrusted triumph.

A fabulous combination of works, beautifully performed.

A notable alternative is on Carus from Stuttgart, which is coupled with C. P. E. Bach's Danket dam Herren, heilig. (Follow this link to links to Classical Explorer's previous three posts on the music of C. P. E. Bach).

The Glossa disc is available at Amazon here.