This disc featuring American soprano
Barbara Hendricks includes three of J.S. Bach's most popular and frequently performed cantatas, plus an aria from another. Her performances are not entirely consistent -- she has some moments of breathtaking loveliness and others where she sounds like she is simply putting herself through the paces, often in the same piece -- but overall it's a persuasive recital. In the first aria from Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, for instance, she gets off to a lackluster start, but really takes off in the second section, and in the linked fourth and fifth movements, she's a marvel, with a gleaming strength throughout, in the music's long-breathed phrases and its florid coloratura. In Ich habe genug, one of the composer's most heartfelt works,
Hendricks is vocally in absolutely top form throughout, singing with soaring openness, even if she doesn't fully delve into the anguish of its emotional depths. She is especially impressive in the ebullient jauntiness of the Wedding Cantata. She brings a touching tenderness to the familiar "Sheep may safely graze," from Cantata BWV 208.
Kammerorchester C.P.E. Bach delivers a sparkling performance under the supple leadership of
Peter Schreier. EMI's sound is clean, clear, and balanced, with a good sense of presence.