J.S. Bach - Cantatas 170,169 & Seven Sacred Songs 1960

01 - BWV 170.1 Aria; Vergnügte Ruh! beliebte Seelenlust!
02 - BWV 170.2 Rec; Die Welt, das Sündenhaus
03 - BWV 170.3 Aria; Wie jammern mich doch die verkehrten Herzen
04 - BWV 170.4 Rec; Wer sollte sich demnach
05 - BWV 170.5 Aria; Mir ekelt mehr zu leben

Aafje Heynis, Contralto
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra/ Szymon Goldberg

06 - BWV 169.1 Sinfonia
07 - BWV 169.2 Arioso: Gott soll allein mein HerzE
08 - BWV 169.3 Aria: Gott soll allein mein Herze haben
09 - BWV 169.4 Recitativo: Was ist die Liebe Gottes
10 - BWV 169.5 Aria: Stirb in mir Welt (Alto)
11 - BWV 169.6 Recitativo: Doch meint es auch dabeI
12 - BWV 169.7 Chorale: Du susse Liebe

Aafje Heynis, Contralto
Albert de Klerk, Organ
Chorus of the Netherlands Bach Academy
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra / Anton van der Horst

13 - So gehst du num, main Jesu, hin
14 - Es Ist Vollbracht! Vergiss Ja Nicht Dies Wort
15 - Mein Jesu Was Fur Seelenweh
16 - Auf, Auf, Mein Herz, Mit Freuden
17 - Jesus, Unser Trost Und Leben
18 - Mit Freuden Zart
19 - Heut Triumphieret Gottes Sohn

Aafje Heynis, Contralto
Simon Jansen, Organ

This Bach alto-voice solo cantatas and alto songs CD is a true rarity and is assembled from four different Philips recordings made between 1957 and 1961.

It is heart warming and superbly sung by Aafje Heynis, a true contralto-voice. Listening to the singing on this CD might provide a good lesson for those who assumes that a matured voice Mezzo-soprano might be able to sing those notes as good as any great Alto or a Contralto, but no; the structure of the voice is different and the color and the range is different; to wit; some Mezzo-sopranos faltered in singing "weiche Wotan" (Wagner Rheingold), simply because the written notes asks for a true Contralto voice and not for a Mezzo-soprano voice that technically can reach the low notes with chest-voice technique...) Same is true here.

The feel of these works as presented here by Aafje Heynis is heart rendering, and fills the heart and mind with sort of "sadness" and admiration for this so scarcely recorded Dutch diva who possesses one of the greatest Contralto voices ever (a voice-sort which some might perceive as similar to Kathleen Ferrier's voice).

The recording reflects a generous church acoustic where it was recorded, but the scanty information given by this cheap label "Eloquence" in its meager leaflet-folder of four pages in total, is misleading: It mention that both cantatas were recorded in Amsterdam - not true! Cantata BWV 169 was gloriously sung and recorded in stereo in a live-performance during the "Hollands festival week" in 1959 at St. Janskerk, in Gouda - and not in Amsterdam like the stupid misleading Australian leaflet says. This very same Philips recording of cantata 169 (on Philips Hi-Fi Stereo LP) features also the extremely rare Christian Ritter's contralto solo cantata "O amantissime sponse Jesu", which lamentably Philips never bothered to release on CD...What a shame, Philips!!!

Cantata 170 on this CD, was recorded a year later in Stereo in Amsterdam at the Advantskerk - and one can easily perceive the different acoustic of both churches; the one in Amsterdam and the one in Gouda. The seven songs (organ and contralto-voice) were recorded in 1960 and in 1957 in Mono.

So, here we have a true treasure of a CD which presently is available on the budget Eloquence series and which (hopefully) one day would get the highly deserved latest 96-Khz Philips processing - conditionally, that this pride Dutch recording company will RESPECT its heritage and would bring back out of their safe some other Lieder recordings made with Aafje Heynis; the Richard Strauss, Debussy, Faure lieder. --- Judy Spotheim "SpJ Judy" (Belgium, Europe)

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