Bach: Cantata No. 146 “Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt

The long opening Sinfonia and the second choral piece “Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen” are the first and second movements of Bach’s lost violin concerto. The arrangement is especially outstanding in that it incorporates a new chorus in the adagio. Here, the organ plays the same obbligato as in the original, and the four added vocal parts harmonize in exquisite harmony, creating a moving piece of music. In the following aria “Ich will nach dem Himmel zu” the violin (organ on the Harnoncourt disc) plays a bright and joyful obbligato melody in collaboration with the alto voice. After the soprano recitative (accompagnato), the soprano aria “Ich säe meine Zähren” is sung by a flute and two oboes d’amore in obbligato, the two oboes d’amore moving in parallel, mostly in the third degree, and the soprano and flute melodically intertwining. This is a fascinating aria. After the tenor recitative, the tenor and bass duet aria “Wie will ich mich freuen, wie will ich mich laben” is sung by oboes 1 and 2 and string ensemble. The cantata closes with the chorale “Denn wer selig dahin fähret or Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele”. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸