Bach, J S: Cantata BWV71 'Gott ist mein König'

The choir of St Thomas’ Leipzig, the famous Thomanerchor, which can look back on 800 years of unbroken choral history, is one of the longest established boys’ choirs in the world. The foundation of the modern German Bach tradition was largely due to the choir’s director Karl Straube and his pupil Günther Ramin in the 1920s and 30s. This budget set of 8 CDs offers a glimpse into the working of this Thomanerkantor during the 1940s and 50s.

The recording of Bach’s St Matthew Passion featured here is historically significant. It was made in 1941, and after the war attracted a great deal of attention abroad. Amongst many accolades it was awarded the prize of the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik in the German Federal Republic. Also included in this collection is the 1954 recording of the “St John Passion” made two years before the conductor Günther Ramin’s sudden death, and the first ever complete recording of the Magnificat which was made in 1944. Amongst the soloists featured in these recordings are several legends of the period including Agnes Giebel, Marga Höffgen, Ernst Häflinger, Hermann Prey, Josef Greindl and Theo Adam.

Upon popular demand available again: Bach’s complete Sacred Cantatas, newly compiled, on 50 CDs, an unbelievable bargain.

These recordings, produced for the Bach‐year 2000, feature a superb boys choir, the Holland Boys Choir, a tradition going back to the time of the composer. The Netherlands Bach Collegium consists of Dutch early music specialists playing period instruments. Conductor Pieter Jan Leusink puts his entire soul in these recordings of what one might call “the greatest and most humanly moving corpus of sacred music ever written”.

Reviewers around the world praised the set for its “characteristic performances, marked by a great sense of authencity, especially from the use of boy sopranos”. It sounds very much like it might have sounded in Bach’s time (Gramophone).

Written to exalt the glory of God and to facilitate Lutheran worship, Johann Sebastian Bach’s sacred cantatas stand among the highest achievements of Western musical art. This acclaimed recording sees the works performed in their entirety by a stellar line‐up of musicians that includes the renowned Holland Boys’ Choir and period instrument ensemble Netherlands Bach Collegium. The cantatas are directed by Pieter van Leusink, one of Holland’s leading Bach experts. From the plaintive opening of Weinen, Kleinen, Sorgen, Sagen (‘Weeping, lamenting, worrying, fearing’) BWV12 to the triumphant D major chorus in Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg BWV149, the works traverse a wide range of themes and moods, having been written for a variety of occasions throughout the liturgical year.

Between 1999 and 2006, the legendary baroque music specialist Ton Koopman brought together a stunning array of singers to record the complete cantatas of J S Bach alongside his own Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir. Released originally mostly in 3CD sets, this wonderful cycle is now being made available by Challenge Classics in its entirety. The 67 separate CDs have now been gathered together in a box with a booklet that includes a complete tracklisting and information about each recording.

Along the way these releases were acclaimed throughout the world, and received many major music prizes, including a BBC Music Magazine Award in 2006 for Volume 22 (CC72222). Featured soloists include most of the great modern day interpreters of the music of Bach’s time.

71CD + CDROM

Helmuth Rilling’s landmark edition of Bach’s Complete Works is now available as a new package with all the Cantatas together.

Contains a CD-Rom with all the liner notes included.