Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This budget-priced CD is classified under "classical" rather than "choral" as there is little choral singing involved. True, the Collegium Vocal Siegen do appear but the three cantatas on offer are predominantly for soloist and orchestra. What we get are "Ich Will Den Kreuzstab Gerne Tragen" ("I Will Gladly Carry The Suffering Cross"), "Ich Habe Genug" ("I Have Enough") and "Der Friede Sie Mit Dir"("May Peace Now Be With Me"). Frankly, I was disappointed with this CD although I cannot put my finger on why. Bach is one of my favourite composers, I like listening to bass singers and Hanno Müller-Brachmann does not disappoint. The conductor Helmut Müller-Brühl is a reliable guide when it comes to Bach and yet the parts do not add up to anything special. It is pleasant enough and I enjoyed the 50 minutes that it took to listen to the CD but at the end I was left with nothing more than a vague impression of having listened to something nice. I went back to it later and followed the translation of the words available through the Naxos website. This time I got more from it and also noticed just how good the Cologne Chamber Orchestra is.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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