Bach: Cantata No. 159 “Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem” / Gustav Leonhardt
The first movement is a dialogue between the bass (Jesus) and the alto (soul). The words of Jesus are composed in a walking bass arioso, while the soul’s response is composed in a recitative with string accompaniment. The opening long extended “Sehet, Sehet” and the following “gehn hinauf” with its ascending tone pattern show Bach’s characteristic dramatic ingenuity. The second movement, “Ich folge dir nach” is an alto aria, to which the chorale “Ich will hier bei dir stehen” is added in unison between soprano and oboe. The tenor recitative is followed by the bass aria “Es ist vollbracht”. The gentle and heartwarming melody is sung with the accompaniment of oboe and string orchestra. The second half, with “Nun will ich eilen”, it changes to an animato-tempo, and then the first melody comes back with “Welt, gute Nacht!” again. Max van Egmond’s singing of this piece is truly “heavenly music”. The final chorale, “Jesu, deine Passion” is just a perfect finale to this cantata. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
