Bach, J S: Cantata BWV104 'Du Hirte Israel, hore'

“The seven cantatas here, nominally representing the works for the two Sundays after Easter, cover an unusual range from No 150 to the dazzling maturity of three pastoral cantatas from three different cycles in Leipzig. As Gardiner reminds us in his entertaining diary, the Neue Kirche in Arnstadt is now named after its teenage protégé organist and it seems appropriate that the early cantata Nach dir, Herr, verlangenmich should appear at the very place in which it probably received its premiere. One observes the ostentation of youth where Bach rolls out his command of past and current musica lingua as an advertisement of his ability.
The performances from Arnstadt are generally fresh and satisfying, and in No 150 there is a real sense of occasion. There are significant challenges in the burly orchestral concerto movement which opens Am Abend (No 42) and its long meandering aria 'Wo zwei und drei', bravely negotiated by Daniel Taylor but which, for me, cries out for the embracing security of a fine mezzo or contralto. The bold Halt imGedächtnis (No 67) receives a committed reading but the extraordinarily dramatic scene with bass and chorus (where Christ brings peace and assurance to his ostracised disciples) fails to resonate with special moment.
The more durable performances come from Echternach in Luxembourg. Du Hirte Israel (No 104) is a gloriously poised work, unassuming on the surface and yet requiring the judgement to 'lift' each balletic movement without pushing the pace. Gardiner is only thwarted from hitting the spot by generally uneventful solo singing.
Ich bin ein guter Hirt (No 85), on the other hand, conveys the delicate and subtle pastoral conceits of 'Christ, the good shepherd' with endlessly alluring dialogues between on-form singers and instrumentalists, notably some disarmingly beautiful oboe playing, a performance of real distinction. The concise No 112 (following Psalm 23 to the letter) glows with the same ardour. It is indeed the second disc which establishes the longer-term credentials in this richly endowed and unique series.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Ich bin ein guter Hirt (BWV85)… conveys the delicate and subtle pastoral conceits of "Christ, the good shepherd" with endlessly alluring dialogues between on-form singers and instrumentalists, notably some disarmingly beautiful oboe playing, a performance of real distinction.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2007

“Each new arrival in John Eliot Gardiner’s massive Bach Cantata Pilgrimage series is still, unapologetically, worth trumpeting…Pure pleasure.” METRO

“The first work on this CD is a little-known gem, No 86, Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch ('Verily, I say unto you'). Succinct and imploring, the listener follows the doctrinal and attentive tone set so marvellously by a composer arrested by the intensity of Christ's promise: 'Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.' Suzuki, as ever, chooses exceptionally well-judged tempi throughout, leaves no stone unturned in his confident preparedness and also introduces a fine new bass to the series, Stephan MacLeod, as the 'vox Christi'.
Of the other three works here, none is particularly long but each contains a central movement of special significance. In No 37 it's the chorale duet of a stanza from 'How brightly shines the morning star', sung with disarming fluency by Yukari Nonoshita and Robin Blaze, and in No 166, the tidy tenor Makoto Sakurada gives a sensitive, if somewhat under-nourished, account of 'Ich will an den Himmel denken'.
This cantata also boasts a ravishing and peerless 'Man nehme sich in Acht' from Blaze.
In the great bass aria 'Beglückte Herde', MacLeod gives a gentle and soft-grained performance (very much in the spirit of Suzuki's usual bass, Peter Kooij) as Christ's sheep are offered the rewards of faith. Some will wish for a more involving performance of this highly original work, as Richter provides (from 1973) – with a majestic Fischer-Dieskau – and the radiant spontaneity of Pieter Jan Leusink, which arguably boasts the best bass singing in recent years from Bas Ramselaar.
Suzuki's volume will, however, satisfy many tastes. These are consistently impressive performances, beautifully recorded and Suzuki communicates Bach with unalloyed joy.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Remarkable” Penguin Guide