There are only so many different ways to record Bach's cantatas. You can record only the hits --
Neville Marriner and
Philippe Herreweghe -- or you can record all of them --
Helmuth Rilling and
Ton Koopman -- or you can record a full year's cycle --
Karl Richter and Sigiswald Kuijken and
La Petite Bande. In this fourth volume of his cycle, Kuijken takes on the first four cantatas of the year: the celebratory New Year's Cantata Herr Gott, dich loben wir; the reflective cantata for the Sunday after New Year Schau lieber Gott, wie meine Feind; the festive cantata for the Feast of the Epiphany Sir werden aus Saba alle kommen; and the austere cantata for the Sunday after Epiphany Mein liebster Jesus ist verlorn. The superb instrumental forces are small -- four violins including Kuijken, a viola and a bass, a horn, plus pairs of oboes or oboe d'amores and an organ and bass for continuo -- and the vocal forces are smaller -- the four soloist also serve as the four-voice chorus. The effect is quite intimate and personal. Each of the singers is touching individually -- alto Petra Noskaiova is especially stirring in Mein liebster Jesus ist verlorn -- and very moving altogether -- the chorale that closes the first part of Schau lieber Gott is particularly affecting. Kuijken seems to conceive of the cantatas less as public affirmations than as private confessions, and while this may not match every listener's expectations, for those who regard music and spirituality as essentially private matters, his approach will be as balm in Gilead. Accent's sound is warm, round, and deep.