J. S. BACH - Actus tragicus

 

Cantatas BWV 18, 106 'Actus tragicus' & 150

Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel

[As the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven],

Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit [God's time is the best of times],

Nach dir, Herr, verlangetmich [Unto thee O Lord, will I lift up my soul]

 

Katharine Fuge (soprano); Carlos Mena (counter-tenor); Jan Kobow (tenor); Stephan MacLeod (bass)

Ricercar Consort/ Philippe Pierlot

 

These three cantatas are among the very earliest Bach wrote. As a rough guide, BWV 106 is thought to be the fourth of the two hundred or so cantatas that have survived, BWV 150 the seventh and BWV18 the ninth.

 

Katharine Fuge has one of the most beautiful soprano voices you are ever likely to hear. Throughout 2000 she was a regular soloist in the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage with the English Baroque Soloists under John Eliot Gardiner in venues throughout Europe and New York. Other highlights include works by Händel and Zelenka with Collegium Vocale Gent, Handel Belshazzar with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Händel's Athalia with Frieder Bernius and Kammerchor Stuttgart in Ghent and Göttingen.

 

A revelation among the younger generation of counter-tenors, Carlos Mena is a sheer delight for the emotion his voice stirs, the quality of its tessitura and his sensitive, intelligent performances. As soloist he is a member of several important ensembles including Al Ayre Español, Ensemble Guilles Binchois, Il Seminario Musicale, Ricercar Consort, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Hesperion XX and Orphenica Lyra.

 

Mirare MIR002