For his first album devoted entirely to works sung in German, star countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has chosen four religious cantatas: two by J.S. Bach (including the much-loved ‘Ich habe genug’) and two by Georg Philipp Telemann. Jaroussky is accompanied by the Freiburger Barockorchester, which also joined him for live performances at Berlin in 2015 as part of the singer’s season as artist-in-residence at the city’s historic Konzerthaus.

In late 2015 Jaroussky performed these works before a capacity audience at Berlin’s historic Konzerthaus, where he was artist-in-residence in the 2015-16 season; this concert marked the first time he had sung in German to a German audience. ‘The voice of an angel’ were the words of the Berliner Tagesspiegel, which also made clear that Jaroussky had the vocal means to express the drama of Telemann’s ‘Mount of Olives’ cantata. The Berliner Morgenpost, meanwhile, highlighted the singer’s readiness to venture into new areas of repertoire, describing him as ‘perhaps the most adventurous of today’s countertenors’. The writer also praised Jaroussky’s ‘exquisitely fine legato’ and evoked the way his ‘plaintive descant glowed over the inky-black accompaniment’ in the Telemann. The instrumental ensemble in Berlin, as on this recording, was the Freiburger Barockorchester, which gave its first concert nearly 30 years ago and is established as one of the finest ensembles in the field of historically informed performance.

Bonus DVD
Footage of Philippe Jaroussky in the studio during the recording of J.S. Bach’s Cantata Ich habe genug, BWV 82
- Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor)
- Freiburger Barockorchester
- Ann-Kathrin Brüggemann (oboe)
- Juan de la Rubia (organ obbligato)
(Colour / PAL 16:9 / Audio: Stereo)

Reviews

This is the first all-German disc from the countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, and about time too: two of JS Bach’s most glorious cantatas find him at his vibrant best. The five movements of Bach’s Vernügte Ruh trace a compelling journey from contentment through agitation to resolution, all the while showcasing Jaroussky’s bright, fluid tone; the few notes where the music dips lower than his comfort zone are all on words for which a rasp of aggression is entirely apt. In the title aria of Ich habe genug he is matched nuance for nuance by Ann-Kathrin Brüggemann’s mellow oboe d’amore, and there follows a performance of Schlummert ein that rivals that of David Daniels for gorgeousness. He’s equally persuasive in two cantatas by Telemann. Erica Jeal

The Guardian 13 October 2016