Bach: Cantatas, volume 8: Warum betrubst du dich, mein Herz?

Bach: Cantatas, volume 8: Warum betrubst du dich, mein Herz? BWV 138; Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan BWV 99 and 100; Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen BWV 51; Komm, du susse Todesstunde BWV 161; Wet weiss, wie nahe mir mein Ende? BWV 27; Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? BWV 8; Christus, der ist mein Leben BWV 95. Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner. SDG, 2 CDs, $36.00.

These eight cantatas are from live performances in the year 2000, during Gardiner's "Bach Cantata Pilgrimage" touring European churches and ancient sacred sites. Almost all the cantatas were given on the appropriate Sunday of the liturgical year. The project took years of planning and dedication, including a newly commissioned scholarly edition of the music. The concert recordings are now being issued every several months through Gardiner's web site, www.solideogloria.co.uk. The singing and the playing are stunningly beautiful, with energetic commitment. The trumpeter (Niklas Eklund) and soprano soloist (Malin Hartelius) in "Jauchzet Gott" deserve special mention. Another highlight is Mark Padmore's tenor solo in BWV 95.

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