Cantatas (2013)

"W.F. Bach was J.S. Bach's oldest son and probably the one most directly marked by his influence. J.S.'s style was already outdated even well before his death in 1750. W.F. Bach tried mightily to update the venerable Lutheran cantata while remaining true to his father. The cantatas on this double-disc set were all written in the 1750s. The old Lutheran chorales are still there, in position at or near the ends of each cantata, and in the alternation of contrapuntal chorus and virtuoso aria these pieces resemble J.S. Bach's cantatas in overall form. The listener gets the feeling, however, that W.F. was trying to push the envelope in any way he could think of. The cantata Dies ist der Tag includes an entire three-movement Sinfonia at the beginning, as if it were a short Italian opera. In Erzittert und fallet, the orchestra leaves the chorus to introduce a movement unaccompanied. Several of these pieces are nicely suited to the billowy soprano of veteran German singer Barbara Schlick." (James Manheim, Allmusic)