Cantatas

"This is a really moving performance of some of my favourite Bach cantatas, in particular the Cantata BWV169 Gott soll allein mein Herze haben (God alone should have my heart). In this piece the first movement of the Keyboard Concerto in E BWV1053 is recast as a joyful opening sinfonia with organ obbligato whilst the beautiful siciliano slow movement becomes a gently imploring lament for organ solo and voice intertwined around one another. When 3 soloists join with Scholl to form a small 4-part chorus to close the work with a gentle chorale setting the effect is magical. A lovely disc warmly recommended." (Keith)

"Scholl's typically poised delivery eschew[s] the dramatic stridency to which some countertenors are prone." The Independent, 6th January 2012 ****

"His relationship with the composer's music remains intense, alert and humble: he has spoken of his own sense of inadequacy in performing works he has known since childhood. Despite being a superstar, the German countertenor's integrity remains intact. His account of Cantata BWV 82, "Ich habe genug" is spellbinding in its expressive simplicity and daringly slow tempi." The Observer, 8th January 2012

"Scholl imbibed Bach with his mother's milk, and here he distils the balm of two of the composer's most intimate, uplifting cantatas, "Ich habe genug" and "Gott soll allein mein Herze haben". Each underscores Scholl's stylistic naturalness and lyrical fluency, showcasing the heavenly sostenutos for which he is celebrated - but the disc's "fillers" are flimsy." Financial Times, 7th January 2012 ****

"With probably the most beautiful countertenor sound in the world, Andreas Scholl always beguiles the ear. But I found this Bach selection almost soporific in places...Best of all is Schlage doch with, of all things, tinkling bells. But this cantata turns out to be by Georg Melchior Hoffmann, not Bach." The Times, 7th January 2012 ***

Andreas Scholl first sang the music of J. S. Bach as a boy chorister. Now the leading countertenor of our time, he returns to his musical roots with his own selection of arias from Bach's Cantatas - including one of the best-loved of all Bach's vocal works, "Ich habe genug".

"There are more excellent countertenors before the public today than ever before, but one of them stands out above all others as Caruso among tenors a century ago: Andreas Scholl" (Fanfare Magazine)

Andreas Scholl is at the height of his vocal powers, the countertenor of reference for all young singers. Here he follows up his much-praised Purcell collection O Solitude with a project perfectly matched to his artistry and musical heritage.

Andreas Scholl has written a personal commentary: my role is to be more factual. What, for instance, is a cantata? There is a catch here, since Bach's term for what we refer to as his canta­tas was usually Concerto: a piece for voices and instruments in the concertato style, i. e. soloists and instruments performing together as a small group. In a programme with a solo voice, there is no need to be concerned about the question of whether Bach had a choir in the modern sense of the term. Most of the music in his cantatas is for solo voices: sometimes there is an opening chorus, usually a closing chorale. The theological narrative and personal interpretation of the theme of a cantata (usually related to the Sunday's Bible reading) comes from the soloists, often interacting with a solo instrument in equal partnership.