Buxtehude: Geistliche Kantaten

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Dietrich Buxtehude has always been known as an organist (the young Bach made a long and difficult trip to hear him play) and organ composer. As this disc demonstrates, Buxtehude wrote wonderful vocal music as well. These cantatas aren't like Bach's, with their strictly differentiated choruses, recitatives, and arias: there's no recitative at all, and the choruses and solo or duo sections flow into each other smoothly and naturally. The works presented here range from the jubilant Nun danket alle Gott (for five voices, trumpets, cornets, and strings) to the gentle Ich suchte des Nachts (for two singers, two oboes, and two violins). A much-enlarged Cantus Cölln performs with all their usual grace and subtlety, but also with more unbridled joy than on previous discs. --Matthew Westphal

Tracks:

Most Dearly Do I Love Thee, O Lord, BuxWV 41 - Johanna Koslowsky/Kerstin Bruns/Elisabeth Popien/Wilfried Jochens/Stephan Schreckenberger
Save Me, O God, BuxWV 34 - Hedwig Westhoff-Duppmann/Johanna Koslowsky/Elisabeth Popien/Gerd Turk/Stephan Schreckenberger
Now Thank We All Our God, BuxWV 79 - Kerstin Bruns/Johanna Koslowsky/Elisabeth Popien/Gerd Turk/Stephan Schreckenberger
Bu Night On My Bed I Sought Him, BuxWV 50 - Wilfried Jochens/Stephan Schreckenberger
Surely, He Hath Borne Our Griefs, BuxWV 31 - Johanna Koslowsky/Kerstin Bruns/Elisabeth Popien/Gerd Turk/Stephan Schreckenberger
Command The Angel That He Cometh, BuxWV 10 - Johanna Koslowsky/Elisabeth Popien/Wilfried Jochens/Stephan Schreckenberger

Amazon.com

Dietrich Buxtehude has always been known as an organist (the young Bach made a long and difficult trip to hear him play) and organ composer. As this disc demonstrates, Buxtehude wrote wonderful vocal music as well. These cantatas aren't like Bach's, with their strictly differentiated choruses, recitatives, and arias: there's no recitative at all, and the choruses and solo or duo sections flow into each other smoothly and naturally. The works presented here range from the jubilant Nun danket alle Gott (for five voices, trumpets, cornets, and strings) to the gentle Ich suchte des Nachts (for two singers, two oboes, and two violins). A much-enlarged Cantus Cölln performs with all their usual grace and subtlety, but also with more unbridled joy than on previous discs. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Period instruments rule. Period........2003-12-30

I highly recommend this album if you are a lover of Bach choral music. You should know that Buxtehude influenced Bach greatly and Bach, who was younger by 48 years than Buxtehude, walked 200 miles to hear the older man play the organ. You could say that Buxtehude's choral works are more simple than Bach's more decorative style, but I am refreshed by the stripped down tonal aesthetic.

The performances on this disc are exceptional -- full of life and energy. Highly recommended for lovers of this period.

Music Review: