Nicolaus Bruhns: Cantata Mein Herz ist bereit - Paula Peréz, violin - Ben Kazez, baritone

The legendary Nicolaus Bruhns, a pupil of Buxtehude and a prominent, though short lived, figure of the North German Baroque, is described by Johann Mattheson as having accompanied his own virtuosic violin playing with the organ pedals. The sinfonia that opens this cantata might reflect that. It’s speculated that if Bruhns were a bass singer, he could have performed this cantata as a one-man band... Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697) Mein Hertz ist bereit - Cantata for bass, violin and continuo Paula Peréz Romero, baroque violin Ben Kazez, baritone Laurens de Man, organ (continuo) Recorded at Vredeskerk, Leuven, Belgium, September 27th, 2023 Text: Psalm 108 Mein Herz ist bereit, Gott, Dass ich singe und lobe. Wache auf meine Ehre, wache auf Psalter und Harfe, Früh will ich aufwachen. Herr, ich will dir danken unter den Völkern Ich will dir lobsingen unter den Leuten. Denn deine Gnade reichet so weit der Himmel ist und deine Wahrheit so weit die Wolken gehen. Erhebe dich Gott über den Himmel und deine Ehre über alle Welt. Alleluja. O God, my heart is ready; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth; Alleluia. About the organ: In 1748, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a letter of recommandation for the organ builder Heinrich Andreas Contius (1708-1795). Few of his instruments, which represented a sound world that is very suitable for Bach’s music, survive today. The Contius Foundation realised a magnificent copy of the Contius organ in Liepaja, of which case and some pipework are preserved. After meticulous research, the organ was built by Joris Potvlieghe (Tollembeek, Belgium), in collaboration with Flentrop Orgelbouw (Zaandam, The Netherlands). The instrument is located in the baroque in Leuven, Belgium, which provides a monumental ambience and rich acoustic. Stop list: I - Hauptwerk, C-d’’’ Bordun 16’ Principal 8’ Füllflöte 8’ Gemshorn 8’ Gedackt 8’ Octave 4’ Spitzflöte 4’ Flauto traverso 4’ Quinte 3’ Octave 2’ Cornetti V Mixtur V Fagott 16’ Trompete 8’ II - Oberwerk, C-d’’’ Gedackt 8’ Quintatöne 8’ Viola di Gamba 8’ Principal 4’ Rohrflöte 4’ Nassat 3’ Octave 2’ Terz 1 3/5’ Waldflöte 1’ Mixtur IV Schalmey 8’ Vox Humana 8’ Tremulant Pedal, C-d’ Principal 16’ Subbass 16’ Violon 16’ Octave 8’ Gedackt 8’ Quinte 5 1/3’ Octave 4’ Waldflöte 2’ Mixtur V Posaune 16’ Posaune 8’ Clairon 4’ Coupler I-II No pedal couplers Pitch a’=465 Hz Temperament Neidhardt “Dorf“