J.S. Bach: Secular Cantatas, Vol. 9 – The Contest Between Phoebus and Pan Bach Collegium Japan & Masaaki Suzuki

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde, BWV 201:
• 1 No. 1, Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde 05:34
• 2 No. 2, Und du bist doch so unverschämt und frei 01:41
• 3 No. 3, Patron, das macht der Wind 02:31
• 4 No. 4, Was braucht ihr euch zu zanken 00:53
• 5 No. 5, Mit Verlangen drück ich deine zarten Wangen 09:00
• 6 No. 6, Pan, rücke deine Kehle nun 00:20
• 7 No. 7, Zu Tanze, zu Sprunge, so wackelt das Herz 05:23
• 8 No. 8, Nunmehro Richter her 00:44
• 9 No. 9, Phoebus, deine Melodei 05:50
• 10 No. 10, Komm, Midas, sage du nun an 00:41
• 11 No. 11, Pan ist Meister, lasst ihn gehen 04:41
• 12 No. 12, Wie, Midas, bist du toll 01:04
• 13 No. 13, Aufgeblasne Hitze 05:39
• 14 No. 14, Du guter Midas, geh nun hin 01:05
• 15 No. 15, Labt das Herz, ihr holden Saiten 02:21
• Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten, BWV 207a:
• 16 No. 1, Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten 04:38
• 17 No. 2, Die stille Pleiße spielt 01:58
• 18 No. 3, Augustus' Namenstages Schimmer 03:22
• 19 No. 4, Augustus' Wohl ist der treuen Sachsen Wohlergehn 02:00
• 20 No. 5, Mich kann die süße Ruhe laben - Ich kann hier mein Vergnügen 06:21
• 21 No. 6, Augustus schützt die frohen Felder 00:53
• 22 No. 7, Preiset, späte Folgezeiten 05:25
• 23 No. 8, Ihr Fröhlichen, herbei 02:46
• 24 No. 9, August lebe, lebe, König 03:34
• 25 No. 10, Marche 01:25
• Total Runtime 01:19:49

Info for J.S. Bach: Secular Cantatas, Vol. 9 – The Contest Between Phoebus and Pan

Most of Johannes Sebastian Bach’s secular cantatas were written for specific political, academic or private festive occasions. In the case of Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde, BWV 201, however, it may well be that Bach composed it for his own sake: the message conveyed in the work can be interpreted as a defence of Bach’s own artistry and musical attitudes against the trend of the time towards easier fare. Subtitling the cantata ‘dramma per musica’, Bach sets an episode from Greek mythology in which Phoebus (Apollo) and Pan enter into a musical contest. Phoebus, the god of the arts, presents a beautifully balanced and technically accomplished aria, while Pan sings a rustic dance tune. The judges offer Phoebus the prize, but the verdict isn’t unanimous – King Midas prefers Pan’s catchy ditty, for which Phoebus punishes him by giving him donkey ears. On this amply-filled disc Bach’s praise of high art is followed by another tribute, now to Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. It is likely that Augustus never knew that the same music had been used 10 years earlier to congratulate a Leipzig academic on his promotion: Auf, schmetternde Töne… BWV 207a is based almost entirely on Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten, BWV 207. But Bach was something of the recycler’s recycler, and already BWV 207 included music from the First Brandenburg Concerto, with a choir added to the forces, and trumpets and timpani replacing the horns.

Joanne Lunn, soprano
Robin Blaze, counter-tenor
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Katsuhiko Nakashima, tenor
Christian Immler, baritone
Dominik Wörner, bass
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki, conductor

No biography found.

Booklet for J.S. Bach: Secular Cantatas, Vol. 9 – The Contest Between Phoebus and Pan