O Holder Tag!
Dr. Peter J. Glidden | Gli Angeli, California | 07/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There are three truly stellar Bach "hochzeit" or wedding cantatas for solo soprano, BWV 202 "Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten", BWV 204 "Ich bin in mir vergnügt", and BWV 210 "O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit" the latter two recorded here by the meliflorous Dorothea Röschmann. Ms. Röschmann has had a truly stellar career thus far, Handel's Deutschen Arien, Bach's Mass in B-minor, Handel's Messiah under Paul McCreesh, and Giustino under McGegan, Teleman's Orfeo, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater as well as three other secular Bach canatas in vol. 1 with Les Violons du Roy. This recording is clearly my favorite. This music was written for the best of voices, and only those that are perfectly expressive with perfect control and perfect power can pull it off. Röschmann, as her plethora of high-power recordings would seem to indicate (the woman is only 31 years old!), is destined for a rank among the greats. From the opening recit "O holder Tag" to the glorious final aria "Seid beglügt" she will have you holding your breath as to better listen to her. I actually enjoy the more even-felt "Ich bin in mir vergnügt" which possesses perhaps more sangfroid, but no less beauty. The fludity, the flawless highs and lows, all are exquisite. I also believe that Les Violons and Bernard Labadie understand this artist and allow her free reign in her performance. This is truly a perfect disk."