Dip Your Ears, No. 180 (Cantatas for Ascension Day)
  J.S.Bach, Cantatas for Ascension Day J.E.Gardiner / EBS, Monteverdi Choir / L.Ruiten, M.Bragle, A.Tortoise, D.Henschel SDG     |
Gardiner, Ascending
In 2000 John Elliot Gardiner went cantata-hopping around the globe. The results were spirited but uneven. Four cantatas ruined by extraneous noises have been added now to complete the task. And how! Much more than a creditable capstone to this sensually most pleasing of Bach Cantata cycles, it combines some of Bach’s best with the best of Gardiner. The central work “Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen” The Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 sounds like a miniature passion: Jubilant magnificence in glorious C and D-major, trumpets, and many familiar moments where Bach parodies previous works, including that supremely touching closing chorale from BWV 43 also on this disc. Perhaps the best in the bunch!
