J.S. Bach: Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott, BWV 127 - The Church Cantatas, Vol. 174

If possible even more impressive is BWV127 (11 February 1725). Not as grand as BWV101, but with an intense intimacy. The opening chorus is completely drenched in the initial idea: `Herr Jesu Christ, wahr Mensch und Gott’, the first line of the chorale. It is absolutely everywhere, often combined with a beautiful descending theme based on the second line of the hymn tune. The sopranos sing the tune in its entirety; and through it all another chorale, `Christe, du Lamm Gottes’, is played in long notes. The last line of the hymn is repeated, to round off this truly breathtaking piece. The tenor sings one of Bach’s most compelling recitatives, with a most moving figure on `die Ruhe zubereiten’, and then the soprano presents yet another miracle: an aria in which the superb melody expresses the rest of the soul in Jesus’s hands, accompanied by the flutes already prefiguring the `Sterbeglocken’ of which the text speaks later on; they are reinforced by the pizzicato violins as soon as the word is actually sung. In th