In order to celebrate their 15th anniversary, the J.S Bach-Stiftung, St Gallen, has launched a mini-tour through Basel and Zurich with a solo-cantata-only program, probably for practical reasons. These are some of Bach’s best loved items for a solo voice (the missing item among the top 4 would be the BWV 51), all of them richly preserved in recordings with distinguished singers. Catalan soprano Nuria Rial has a cult status among lovers of baroque music and her participation in Bach-Stiftung’s concerts was a sign that the project, which had started almost too discreetly, gained international appreciation. Ms. Rial is arguably the best Bach soprano of our days – and it is only fitting that she was chosen for these concerts, together with Swiss bass Manuel Walser.
Before the concert, we were informed that the ensemble’s oboist fell ill with COVID and that a replacement could only be found in the very last minute. As we’re thankful for the intrepid musician who saved the day, this was most unfortunate, for the oboe is in fact the second soloist in every one of the items in the program. I first had the impression that Ms. Rial too was not well in the BWV 199, Mein Herzen schwimmt in Blut. Her voice sounded strangely devoid of color and projection, she had a touch-and-go approach with her high notes and she sounded almost soubrettish in an item that demands some depth of interpretation. I have the impression that it also sits a bit low in her voice. Although there was nothing wrong in terms of style, it felt a bit superficial. I have to say that the mini harpsichord interludes played by conductor Rudolf Lutz did not work for my taste, rather dispelling the mood than adding anything in terms of atmosphere: here we must follow the spiritual development from extreme desperation to extreme joy as an interrupted continuum. This evening, the first part lacked a sense of affliction and world-weariness and it basically hanged fire. When the soprano showed up for the Wedding Canatata (BWV 202, Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten), she seemed like an entirely different person. Not only did she exude a joy of music making absent in the first item, but her voice finally displayed its famous bell-toned quality and the almost pop-like spontaneity which is the hallmark of her singing. The coloratura was handled with flair and charm and she produced beautiful long sounds on the word Ruh‘ in the opening number, expertly spinning the note and introducing a delicate vibrato by the end. She and Maestro Lutz chose a very peculiar angle for the cantata – it did not felt like a church or even a concert performance, but rather as the merry music making in an actual wedding ceremony. One could feel an increasing sense of cheerfulness and animation, the wine and the dance making their way in the spirit of the guests in this imaginary part. Soprano and conductor did not seem to believe that Bach really thought that the bride and groom were really paying attention to the wise words in the text – Ms. Rial “acted with her voice” as if she raised her eyebrows thinking “enjoy it while it lasts…”. The final gavotte was played as a rustic dance, no room left for subtlety at that point. If one compares this concert with Philippe Pierlot’s more poised and elegant recording, this was an interesting opportunity to see Ms. Rial (and Mr. Lutz) exploring new possibilities. After all, the BWV 202 is no church cantata.
The BWV 82 was probably the all-round most successful item in the program. The small ensemble played warmly, in a tempo that moved ahead without unnecessary haste. For someone used to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau or Klaus Mertens, Mr. Walser’s tone seemed at first excessively covered, running dangerously close to woolliness in his high notes. Once you got used to it, it suggested an avuncular gentleness that goes well with the cantata’s text. He is a very expressive singer, who clearly tried to milk every molecule of meaning of text and notes, but sometimes could do a bit less to avoid the occasional impression of histrionics. In the famous aria Schlummert ein, the conductor required a very restricted dynamic palette for the repeat (something like pppp-pp) that Mr. Walser sustained with absolute adeptness. He also handled the melisme in the last item with precision and clarity.
I HEAR VOICES 
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