Most impressive are Wilhelm Friedemann’s cantatas, which include some of the most affecting arias I’ve ever listened to

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Considerado el más “atípico” de los Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach fue un autor con betas indiscutibles de genialidad. Las cantatas contenidas en este doble CD fueron escritas—o estrenadas—en torno a 1750, fecha precisamente del fallecimiento de su padre. Lo digo porque, al margen de tratarse de una coincidencia meramente cronológica, constituyen un retrato fiel del paso que compositores como “los hijos de Bach” estaban dando para salir del Barroco sin dejar de mirar atrás.

Son músicas éstas elegantes y refinadas, aligeradas de esa densidad conceptual del Kantor de Leipzig, pero deudoras de muchos de sus efectos estructurales, especialmente en los coros.

Briefly, if you love the music of the father, grab these cantatas by the son, for in terms of compositional style the apple here did not fall far from the tree. In addition to the high quality of the music, on a par with any other masterpieces of the late Baroque, these are superb performances, rendered with the vigor, spirit, and polish for which Hermann Max and his forces are justly famed. The choir sings with crystalline clarity of tone and diction and exemplary balance, while the orchestra crackles with verve and precision. Finally, there are the exemplary soloists: a soprano who is a byword for excellence in Baroque repertoire, a rich but not matronly alto, a Baroque tenor with more body and depth to his voice than most, and a bass who is a tad less distinguished than his colleagues in plushness of vocal timbre but still first-rate. The recorded sound is crisp and clear, balanced with the soloists more to the foreground, the orchestra to the back, and the chorus in between. The booklet provides notes and texts in German and English. Urgently recommended, and a bargain to boot.