Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Philippe Herreweghe, Gérard Lesne :: Bach - Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis ~ Cantatas 21 & 42 / Schlick · Lesne · Crook · Harvey · Kooy · La Chapelle Royale · Collegium Vocale · Herreweghe

Philippe Herreweghe gives us an early, tromboneless version of Cantata No. 21, one of Bach's finest works in the form. It gets an impressive reading here, finely structured to lead us through the text's journey from despair to hope. Cantata No. 42 fares less well, at least to anyone who fondly recalls the old (alas, unavailable) Hermann Scherchen LP. Herreweghe's chorus is as flexible and well-drilled as ever. Soloists range from good to fair (Gérard Lesne's countertenor isn't up to the others). Herreweghe's reputation as a leading Bach specialist is confirmed by this disc, though one could quibble about his typically understated interpretive stance and soft-centered sonorities. But his many fans will want this, and all Bachians will find much of interest here. --Dan Davis