Zum Konzert am 2. September 1970 in Edinburgh


The Glasgow Herald, 3. September 1970     

Top Bach soloists in a pattern of faultless sound

Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields

[…]

Then there were two cantatas, BWV 158 (Der Friede sei mit dir) and BWV 56 (Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen) with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, surely one of the finest and most sensitive singers alive. Though he has power in reserve which one can feel though he never uses it, the delicacy with which he manipulates his voice is a supreme example of vocal control.

The continuo and obbligato parts of the first cantata and the fuller orchestra in the second gave all the support one could hope for, with that richness of harmony which is peculiar to Bach’s contrapuntal writing and owes nothing to any sort of thickness. This was to be heard also in the glorious ricercare from the musical offering, where soloists and the remaining strings were aptly balanced.

Into this pattern of faultless sound a small section of the B.B.C. Scottish Choral Society was neatly drawn in for the chorales in the two cantatas, completing an evening of music-making of a rare order.

R. C.


   

     The Scotsman, 3. September 1970     

    

An evening of marvellous musicianship

Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields: Usher Hall

     

It was an evening of Bach, of marvellous musicianship and of outstanding technical excellence. […]

Fischer-Dieskau was the baritone in two solo cantatas, "Der Friede sei mit dir," BWV 158 and "Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen," BWV 56. Among the principal assets of the former were John Brown’s account of the violin obligato and the crisp mezza-voce chorus work (a section of the BBC Scottish Choral Society) in the Aria and Chorals. The latter cantata must stretch any singer, even Fischer-Dieskau, but his breath control is such that he could take its daunting first aria in his stride and go on to give a hauntingly expressive performance of the magnificent "Mein Wandel auf der Welt" recitative. The "Endlich wird mein Joch" aria was notable for its buoyancy and nimbleness.

[…]

Christopher Grier

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