J.S. Bach Cantata BWV 56 Aria 1 - Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne Tragen

J.S. Bach certainly knew what it was to look forward to have his tears wiped away. He suffered one bereavement after another, and was not exactly free from problems in his work, either. So I feel he could totally empathize with the text in front of him. And that comes through in the music. The first aria is wonderful in the way it brings out all the sadness and perplexity of suffering, and the acceptance of it as in God's plan. In many ways it reminds me of the Matthäus Passion. The Schiffahrt of the recitative is beautiful, with the reassuring: 'Ich will dich nicht verlassen noch versaumen' (I will not leave you nor forsake you), and the almost breathless anticipation of getting out of the ship of life into the city of eternal rest in heaven.

The challenges that BWV 56 put in front of the bass singer are very high. Technically he must have a very flexible voice, strong from the bottom to the upper register. Expressively, he must have the dramatic sense, to convey convincingly the voyage from the desperation in the anticipation for death to the unrestrained joy in the longing for death. He must be sensitive to every nuance and every word, and a rich and pleasant voice will contribute to a successful performance.

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Music

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• Bach Cantatas BWV 56

[handyman109]

Beautiful and moving.