Cantata Recordings - General Discussions

Cantatas

Zachary Uram wrote (March 30, 2023):
A sampling of sacred cantatas (cantatas sung in Lutheran church services) by J.S. Bach with English text. Make sure closed captioning is on. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk8lf2IHuDQk1fD_JxaROH5TXKtiJ4qvI

Miguel Prohaska wrote (March 30, 2023):
[To Zachary Uram] Thanks for this link.

Zachary Uram wrote (March 30, 2023):
[To Miguel Prohaska] You are most welcome!!!

Bach’s sacred works: a comparison of performances

Miguel Prohaska wrote (March 31, 2023):
From March 2020 to March 2021 we watched all the sacred works posted by the Netherlands Bach Society, from here on referred to as NBS. From March 2021 to March 2023 we watched all the sacred works posted by the J.S. Bach Foundation, Switzerland, from here on referred to as BF. We watched the works close to the occasion for which they were composed.

Numbers:
NBS: 60 cantatas, 7 motets, St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion - 2 versions, Easter Oratorio, 3 masses, Magnificat.
BF: 134 cantatas, Christmas Oratorio, St. John Passion, 2 motets

Closed captioned subtitles
NBS: BWV 61, 82, 106, 140, 147 (translated to English by D. Melamed and M. Marissen)
BF: 64 cantatas, Christmas Oratorio and St. John Passion at
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk8lf2IHuDQk1fD_JxaROH5TXKtiJ4qvI

Gender balance of instrument players:
NBS: even numbers, orchestra leader: Shunske Sato
BF: mostly ladies, orchestra leaders alternating: Renate Steinmann and Eva Borhi.

Performers’ ages:
NBS: range of ages
BF: mostly young

Conductors:
NBS: many works directed by Jos van Veldhoven.
BF: all works directed by Rudolf Lutz, who is often very expressive

Soloists:
NBS: from different countries
BF: mostly from German speaking areas

Organ:
NBS: church organ
BF: positive organ, except church organ for BWV 29

Size of ensembles:
Both NBS and BF: vary from large to one person per part

Lighting;
NBS: mostly on performers
BF: all the church bright lights

Events:
NBS: concerts of individual cantatas with other works
BF: concerts consisting of one cantata with a workshop and with a reflection.

Links to performances:

Netherlands Bach Society: https://www.bachvereniging.nl/en/allofbach

J.S. Bach Foundation: https://www.bachipedia.org/en/works