The 1726 cantata BWV 19 “Es erhub sich ein Streit” (Then a war broke out in Heaven) was composed for the Michaelmas celebration, the imagery of which famously turns around the battle between the angelic hosts (led by the archangel Michael) and the devil (the dragon) and his demons. As we can still see on cable tv, this is a popular subject to these days, and one can only imagine the effect it had on a congregation who could never imagine that computer animation and other special effects would ever exist.
The cantata’s most famous number is its opening chorus, which starts in media res: no orchestral introduction, no introductory chords. It bursts into life in full fugal glory directly over the biblical text from the Revelation. The vocal writing, the trumpets and drums, everything there shows you what is going on. You don’t need to understand the German text.
The Bible doesn’t spend too much words describing the event. And neither does Bach. The following numbers don’t even deal with the apocalyptic contention, but focus on its effects in everyone in the congregation: Michael did expel Satan and all demons from heaven, but that means that they have been closer to us since then. Therefore, everyone is supposed to contend in his or her everyday life with the temptation of evil. This is not a battle as splendid as the one described by St John – while probably more arduous – but there is a secret weapon: you already know the end of the story. So it is just a matter of resisting and believing. And this is ultimately the subject of this cantata.
Bach illustrates the everyday personal battle by remnants, garden varieties elements of the formidable musical forces of the opening chorus (strings plus three trumpets, two oboes d’amore, one oboe da caccia and drums). In the first aria, the soprano’s “weapons” are the oboes d’amore, which shield her in interlocking counterpoint while she handles very difficult coloratura in the least congenial parts of her tessitura. The tenor isn’t more lucky – it is a a fiendishly difficult vocal part with “only” one trumpet to help him. Its cantus firmus echoes his plead for angelic help with the chorale melody Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr: “Ach, Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein / am letzten End die Seele mein / in Abrahams Schoß tragen…’ (‘Oh Lord, may your dear little angels / carry at the end my soul / to Abraham’s bosom).
As much as Masaaki Suzuki (who was present at this concert) remains a reference in his brilliant recording of the BWV 19, I’ll dare to prefer Rudolf Lutz’s performance with the J.S. Bach-Stiftung this evening for its superior sense of drama. In a way, Suzuki’s opening chorus is almost too perfect for a battle depiction. Mr. Lutz and his forces left nothing to be desired in terms of clarity, but added three extra servings of excitement – and the way his chorus enunciates the text with the right touch of awe in “rasende Schlange” and “höllische Drache” makes all the difference in the world.
This is my first concert in the Kirche Teufen – and good as the acoustics are, I still find the Kirche Trogen incomparable in the way it allows you to hear all voices with absolute clarity while still uniting in a pleasant blend. Here the resonance rendered the middle of the spectrum a bit overrich, making it especially difficult for the soprano. As much as I enjoy Julia Doyle’s singing – the silvery tone, the joie de chant and the sheer charm of her phrasing – in this venue, a singer with a stronger core im her middle and low registers would have had an easier time. Now I see why Gardiner chose a Mozart singer (Malin Hartelius) for his live recording. I am really impressed by Georg Poplutz’s chutzpah on singing here his high notes in full voice with such level of purity and flexibility. It might have not been 100% smooth, but it was exciting, it was the right decision for the venue and it made sense with the text and his interpretation. How this is going to sound in the recording, now that’s a different story. Last but not least, Daniel Pérez handled the bass recitative with the required urgency.
I HEAR VOICES 
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