Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Cappella Coloniensis was founded in 1954 and was one of the first orchestras dedicated to historical performance practice. This approach may be heard to good effect in this collection of three baroque cantatas sung by three well-respected sopranos. First we hear Emma Kirkby in a 1985 recording of Handel's "Silete Venti" ("Winds, Be Silent"; HWV 242). The piece has an air of mystery to it. It cannot possibly have been written for liturgical use (or at least not within the 18th century Anglican Church) and so may have been written as a treat for a favoured soprano within his opera company, probably during his early years in London in the 1720s. Miss Kirkby sails through the complex music in her usual serene way. Next we have "La Gelosia" ("Jealousy") by Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783) sung by Sophie Boulin and again recorded in 1985. Hasse was born in Hamburg but found fame as a tenor in Naples. "La Gelosia" is a fine piece of operatic writing and Miss Boulin's performance does it justice. The final cantata, "Non Sa Che Sia Dolore" ("He Knows Not What Sorrow Is"; BWV 205) is attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach but as we have neither an original manuscript nor a certain context for its first performance there are doubts as to its authenticity. For what it is worth, it sounds like Bach or at least how I would imagine a secular cantata with an Italian text might sound if Bach had set it to music. The soprano for this piece is Isabelle Poulenard and the recording is from 1987. It features Hans-Martin Linde on the transverse flute. Overall this is a pleasant collection featuring three good soloists but with little of great spiritual significance.

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