Bach: Cantatas, Vol 1 (BWV 4, 150, 196) /Bach Collegium Japan * Suzuki
Masaaki Suzuki and his Bach Collegium Japan didn't begin theirseries of complete Bach  cantataswith the proverbial bang. The three cantatas on this Volume 1 are  rather subdued; two of them are downright solemn: No. 150,Nach dir, Herr,  verlanget mich, which concerns the suffering of this world and the wait for  salvation in the next, and the famous cantata No. 4,Christ lag in  Todesbanden, which rings inventive variations on the titular chorale melody.  The remaining cantata, No. 196,Der Herr denket an uns, evidently was  intended for a wedding, which it celebrates with a calm, glowing reverence. All  three cantatas are from early in Bach's career; there are no recitatives at all,  and the distinction between choruses and arias is not as clear-cut as in the  later cantatas. The performances aren't quite as immaculate as those on the  BCJ's later discs (the choir in particular has a few minor lapses of tuning),  but the beautiful sound and graceful musicality so evident in the later work are  present here, too--making this CD worthwhile at this bargain price. Several  lovely excerpts from the later discs in the series are included at the end of  the record as teasers--making this title the proverbial "loss leader."--Matthew Westphal