Bach: Cantatas, Vol. 15: New York: For the Third Day of Christmas: BWV 57, 64, 133, 151

The latest in John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach Cantata Pilgrimage series, Volume 15 concentrates on four cantatas for the Third Day of Christmas. Recorded on December 27, 2000, in New York’s St. Bartholomew Church, these works, so different from one another in texture, are presented in a warm, realistic, not-very-churchy ambiance: BWV 64, concentrating on God’s Love, features a trombone choir that underlines and supports the choir like a pillar of strength; 151, a far more private utterance about personal comfort, has lovely work for flute and oboe d’amore; BWV 57 is the least adorned, a dialogue between Jesus and the Soul scored only for strings and three oboes, each doubling a violin; and 133 is an expressive of sheer joy at Christmas. As usual, the performances are stunning–heartfelt (the soprano’s portrayal of the Soul in No. 57 is filled with high drama), always in tune, alternately joyous and pious. This is a fine entry into the Christmas season. –Robert Levine

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