Traditions of Bach performance in Leipzig during the 20th century have inevitably been moulded by the political turmoil of recent German history, but also, thankfully, by the character and integrity of some great and, at the very least, distinguished Kantors. Berlin Classics' four volumes, Leipzig Classics, are indeed important documents in this Bach year, if only to remind us that the recorded riches of the sacred choral repertoire from Bach's work-place are even more extensive than we imagined. Volumes 2 and 3 stand out largely because they have not been released in such a consolidated form on CD, if at all. Gunther Ramin's cantatas from the early '50s constitute Volume 1 and have been separately released (7/98). They offer a valuable historical perspective on the genre, even if only a few speak directly to us now, while Hans-Joachim Rotzsch's selection of around 30 cantatas, available in Volume 4, have been widely disseminated for several years and remain among the more consistent collections available.
So to Erhard Mauersberger, a largely forgotten figure eclipsed by Karl Richter, who was already pushing 70 when he recorded the Matthew Passion and these five cantatas, between 1966 and 1970. To say they are consistently revelatory would be an exaggeration, though No 80 (in a version without the C P E Bach-added trumpets) and No 62 unfold with the gravitas and rooted purpose of a natural Bachian.
The Thomanerchor, whose discography is as rough as the choir is polished, is on vibrant form in the choruses, and the solo performances are yet another reminder of the wealth of Bach singers active between the war and the '70s, including a radiant Agnes Giebel and Theo Adam in the first duet of Ein feste Burg. Peter Schreier is on top form in Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, and in No 55. Mention should also be made of the soprano, Adele Stolte, who in both No 18 and the famous duet in No 78, sings with a quiet, uncomplicated assurance, so typical of the period.
More stolid, organ-loft qualities are to be found in the Mauersberger brothers' St Matthew Passion. Rudolf, the elder of the two, was 80 when this 1970 recording was made, a version which seems to draw less on the turbulent drama of his predecessor, Ramin, than the increasingly heavy-laden and interminable post-war vision of the work. It is nevertheless one of the few extant accounts to boast a plethora of the essential ingredients, if rarely towering above any. Often forbiddingly direct (and rather foursquare) but without a sniff of gratuitous crowd-pleasing, this is a genuinely felt reading. Rudolf directs most of the choruses and Erhard the solos.
Before Mauersberger, Kurt Thomas had taken over as Kantor, following Ramin's sudden death in 1955. Thomas's period was politically difficult. After five years he fled to the West, but not before he had made his mark on the Thomanerchor. Listening to the prescient clarity and precision of much in the 11 cantatas in Volume 2, one could be excused for imagining that he had succeeded Mauersberger, rather than the other way round. No 111 remains one of the most telling on disc, the duet captivatingly realised by Marga Hoffgen and Hans-Joachim Rotzsch (who himself was to become Kantor in 1972) and Nos 140 and 68 give a rare glimpse on disc of Elisabeth Grummer's noble way with Bach. The indomitable Hoffgen appears again in No 54, with the luscious Gewandhaus strings, although of the solo cantatas, Hermann Prey's No 56 is the most enduring (without ever quite plumbing the depths of either of Archiv's Fischer-Dieskau readings).
As with an authoritative Ascension Oratorio (No 11), the 1958 Christmas Oratorio reveals much about Thomas's quest for a rigorous ensemble combined with intensity of expression. While Mauersberger's approach to Bach is fulsome and predictable, Thomas shapes the music with, generally, a greater sense of its inner fabric: there is real artistic cohesion to the accompaniments of the arias, none more so than Fischer-Dieskau's fine 'Grosser Herr' (1958 was his great Bach year), memorable contributions from Agnes Giebel ('Nur ein Wink' is irresistible and No 51 is vocally more secure than the more generally even account for Leonhardt on Teldec, 12/98) and an interpretative flair and grandeur in the choruses - full of temperament if not warmth. This set is a fitting tribute to a complex man who, one senses, should have achieved much more in Leipzig. Both sets are a must for Bachians. The remasterings are outstanding.

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