Bach: Cantata No. 173 “Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
This is a church cantata written for Leopold von Anhalt-Köthen in Köthen period and adapted in Leipzig. It is a so-called “parody,” but interestingly, it shares not only the melody but also the lyrics with the celebratory cantata. The first piece begins with a tenor recitativo accompagniato, followed by the tenor aria “Ein geheiligtes Gemüte,” in which two flauto traverso violins play a heavenly peaceful obbligato in unison with the first violin. The third movement aria, “Gott will, o ihr Menschenkinder,” is sung by alto Christian Immler of the Tölzer Knabenchor. The following aria, “So hat Gott die Welt geliebt,” features a bass solo with string obbligato, followed by a soprano solo with two traverso and string bassettes in D major, and finally the first violin begins to play a division melody as it modulates to A major. The soprano and bass join in for a rousing double chorus. The next recitative duet (Arioso) by soprano and tenor is followed by the chorus “Rühre, Höchster, unsern Geist” to close the piece. The liner notes mention two soprano soloists, Alan Bergius and Stefan Gienger. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
