Bach wrote several cantatas for the first Sunday after Epiphany; I chose this one for its uniqueness - BWV 32, Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen (Dearest Jesus, my desire, Leipzig 1726). This is one of Bach's dialogue cantatas, a solo cantata for two interacting voices. In this one he casts the story of Jesus in the Temple at age 12, and Mary's panic when she can't find him, as a dialogue between the soul (soprano) and Jesus (bass). The plaintive oboe solo, taken up by the soprano, at the very beginning sets the tone for the whole cantata. Here's the late Craig Smith of Emmanuel Music on this beautiful and intriguing cantata.
The cantata BWV 32 is perhaps the most perfect of all of the Bach "Dialogue" cantatas. The story of the twelve-year-old Jesus is here turned into a sophisticated dialogue between Christ and the soul. Here Mary's panic when she discovers Jesus is lost becomes the soul's panic at the loss of Jesus. The child Jesus is made a bass voice further abstracting this very personal and parochial story. The opening aria for soprano, oboe and strings is one of the great heavenly laments in all of Bach. Over calm string arpeggios the oboe weaves a chromatic and poignant melody. The soprano soon joins and the two weave amazingly expressive garlands over the inexorable strings. The bass voice Jesus asks why Mary is searching for him; doesn't she know that he is about his father's business? This beautiful arioso becomes an aria with solo violin, describing his father's mansions. The story of the twelve-year-old Jesus has always been associated with Psalm 84. In the following duet arioso, Jesus and Mary sing lines from that Psalm leading into the wonderful duet with oboe and strings. Here a bouncy yodeling motive that is both sung and played dominates the sparkling rhythmic drive. A simple four-voice version of "Freu dich sehr" concludes the work.
© Craig Smith
Today's performance is by the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists under the direction of Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Enjoy!
Photo © 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger
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