Christoph Spering - Bach: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (2015)

This revealing project deals exclusively with Bach's well-known cantata BWV 80, 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott', in its various versions and revisions, both by JSB and by his son Wilhelm Friedemann. Bach originally wrote his earliest version (BWV 80a) of a Reformation celebration cantata, based on Luther's famous chorale, in 1715, and subsequently reworked this around 1724 (BWV 80b); nothing has survived of the first version, and only a couple of fragments of the second, which are recorded here. Then, between 1728 and 1731, Bach rewrote and extended the work to produce the cantata which we know today as BWV 80 and which, of course, is included in this recording.

So far so good, but now we come to the even-more-interesting bit. Bach's son WF subsequently commandeered the music from two of his dad's chorale-based movements (numbers 1 and 5) to use as settings of Latin hymn texts, to which he added trumpet and timpani parts (these settings also recorded here). However, when the mighty 'Sämtliche Werke Johann Sebastian Bachs' were published in 1850, the editors pinched WFB's orchestration back again and applied it to JSB's cantata no. 80 - even though these parts had only been written for the purpose of WF's hymn settings to entirely different texts. And, what's more, they did so with not a word of explanation and with no evidence that the parts were ever intended by WF to be added to JSB's own cantata. The editors of the complete works of 1850 simply fancied the extra parts, thought the cantata sounded good this way, and that was that; and, needless to say, this version is also given on the present disc.

All this is explained by director Christoph Spering in his excellent booklet notes, and I for one am very grateful for these explanations because I had always understood that the more elaborate trumpet-and-timpani version of BWV 80 was a result of WF's sincerely intended efforts to sex it up a bit, and I didn't realise that the cantata had never been written this way at all - not even by WFB - or that the extra parts had been produced for a different purpose altogether.

Be that as it may, personally I've always preferred Bach's own (1728-35) version of the work, without the extra flashy bits. The motet-like opening chorus, with more than a touch of 'stile antico' about it, is a splendid setting of Luther's hymn, and highly appropriate for the purpose of celebrating the Reformation. There have, of course, been a good few recordings of both versions, with the more numerous traditional-style performances favouring WF's spurious orchestrations, while in general the more historically-informed performances have opted for J S Bach's authentic version. In the present recording the opening movement sounds especially fine, with the chorale lines colourfully emphasised by the instrumental scoring with prominent oboes, and confirming to me that the master's own thoughts were the best.

For this programme, then, in addition to the extra movements from JSB and WFB as already explained, we hear Bach's BWV 80 in the great man's own version (tracks 12-19) and in its orchestrally expanded format (tracks 4-11). The performances are all excellent, stylish, authentic-sounding, and with first-class soloists, instrumentalists and chorus. For the blinged-up WFB version of the cantata, the tempi are slightly slower in some movements and the chorus is a bit bigger – but by no means too large, namely around four voices per part. The teams of vocal soloists are different for each of the two versions, but they are all excellent. The Chorus Musicus Köln and Das Neue Orchester all do a splendid job without exception, and Christoph Spering's direction is faultless, well matching his adventurous overall vision for this project.

Recording quality, in a Cologne church, is also outstanding. The booklet notes, well translated into English, are indispensable. All texts and translations are provided, together with details of scoring and the origins of every movement. Altogether ithis recording is an outstanding success and is bound to be of great interest to all lovers of the Bach cantatas. By Stephen Midgley

TRACKLIST
01. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott: Monebit verbum Domini (nach BWV 80, No. 5)
02. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80b: Eingangschoral (Frühfassung, Fragment)
03. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80b: Alles, was von Gott geboren / Mit unsrer Macht (Frühfassung, Fragment)
04. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80-mit Pauken und Trompeten: I. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
05. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80-mit Pauken und Trompeten: II. Alles, was von Gott geboren
06. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80-mit Pauken und Trompeten: III. Erwäge doch, Kind Gottes
07. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80-mit Pauken und Trompeten: IV. Komm in mein Herzenshaus
08. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80-mit Pauken und Trompeten: V. Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär
09. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80-mit Pauken und Trompeten: VI. So stehe dann bei Christi blutgefärbter Fahne
10. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80-mit Pauken und Trompeten: VII. Wie selig sind doch die
11. Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott, Bwv 80-Mit Pauken Und Trompeten: VIII. Das Wort Sie Sollen Lassen Stahn
12. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: I. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
13. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: II. Alles, was von Gott geboren
14. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: III. Erwäge doch, Kind Gottes
15. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: IV. Komm in mein Herzenshaus
16. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: V. Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär
17. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: VI. So stehe dann bei Christi blutgefärbter Fahne
18. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: VII. Wie selig sind doch die
19. Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott, Bwv 80: VIII. Das Wort Sie Sollen Lassen Stahn
20. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott: Gaudete, omnes populi(nach BWV 80, No. 1)