Bach: Cantatas, Vol 6 (BWV 31, 21) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki
The Bach CollegiumJapan?! Believe it or not, this is not a  contradiction in terms--these musicians can do Bach with the best of them. This  volume, the best of their series so far, featuresIch hatte viel  bekümmernis, which is something like Bach's entire sacred output in  microcosm. The music proceeds from Lutheran angst over sin to consolation to joy  over the soul's salvation, using fugal choruses, anguished chromaticism, a bass- soprano love duet for Jesus and the soul (a favorite device of Bach's), and a  triumphant final chorus with the same text Handel used to close theMessiah. The highlight of the disc is the truly jubilant Easter cantataDer Himmel lacht, die Erde jubilieret: just try to sit still as the BCJ  rips through the punchy sinfonia and the near-delirious first chorus.-- Matthew Westphal