Bach: Cantata No. 65 “Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
The opening chorus, “Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen” is a pastoral which begins with the idyllic sound of horns. The instrumentation is appropriate for Christmas: two horns, two recorders, two oboes da caccia, and a string ensemble. The moment when the vocals come in from bass to soprano in order, on the basso continuo’s orgel punkt, is moving. After that, the chorus begins an imitative movement, and finally ends in unison. The chorale “Die Kön’ge aus Saba kamen dar” complements the previous chorus. Following the bass recitative and arioso, the bass aria “Gold aus Ophir ist zu schlecht” features two oboes da caccia in obbligato. Following the tenor recitative, the tenor aria “Nimm mich dir zu eigen hin” is sung with a full orchestra in the background. The recorder, still a pastoral instrument, moves always in the upper register. Finally, the cantata ends with the chorale “Ei nun, mein Gott, so fall ich dir”. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
