Bach: Cantata No. 42 “Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
This cantata for the first Sunday after Easter was first performed in Leipzig in 1725. The cantata opens with a lively and bright sinfonia, written for two oboes, bassoon, and string ensemble, with the oboe group and violin group competing in the style of an concerto grosso. It’s an exciting and joyful piece. The tenor’s recitative is accompanied on tremolo by the cello continuo. The alto aria “Wo zwei und drei versammlet sind” is sung accompaniment of two oboes, bassoon, and string ensemble. A very peaceful piece. The middle section, “Denn was aus Lieb und Not geschicht,” changes to a siciliano rhythm with only the basso continuo accompaniment. It is a 10-minute long aria including da capo. In the following aria “Verzage nicht, o Häuflein klein,” a soprano and tenor duet aria, the bassoon (cello on the CD) overlaps the basso continuo. Following the bass recitative and arioso, the bass aria “Jesus ist ein Schild der Seinen” is sung with bligato of divided violin I. The bass repeats its own melody, and becomes a coloratura in “Wenn sie die Verfolgung trifft” at the end of the piece. The cantata closes with the slightly longer chorale “Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich” by Martin Luther. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
