After his disc of selected Bach cantatas for solo baritone won a Grammy in 2004, it was only natural for German baritone Thomas Quasthoff to record a follow-up. Happily, that second effort, released in 2007, proved arguably even better than the original, benefiting from the presence of soprano Dorothea Röschmann. Instead of solo cantatas, this release features three duet cantatas for baritone and soprano: "Selig ist der Mann, der die anfechtung Erduldet," BWV 57; "Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn," BWV 152; and "Ich geh und suche mit verlangen," BWV 49. As before, Rainer Kussmaul leads the Berliner Barock Solisten in bright and balanced accompaniments, and as always, Quasthoff sings with his unique combination of a strong, warm tone and a subtle yet powerful technique. Röschmann proves to be the perfect foil for Quasthoff, singing Bach's expressive recitatives and yearning melodies with supple ease. It's an extremely satisfying combination both musically and dramatically. Recorded in the clean, open acoustics of Berlin's venerable Jesus-Christus-Kirche, this disc may be the rare follow-up that surpasses the original.
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