BUXTEHUDE O fröhliche Stunden. O dulcis Jesu. Fried- und freudenreiche Hinfahrt. Was mich auf dieser Welt betrübt. Schaffe in mir. Gen Himmel zu dem Vater mein. Singet dem Herrn. Sicut Moses. Herr, wenn ich nur dich hab • Emma Kirkby (sop); John Holloway (vn); Manfredo Kraemer (vn); Jaap ter Linden (vdg); Lars Ulrik Mortensen (hpd, org) (period instruments) • NAXOS 8.557251 (72:18)
This is a straight reissue of Marco Polo 8.224062, reviewed by me in Fanfare 21:2. A disc that went straight into my Want List in the same issue, it remains one of the great treasures of the Buxtehude discography, its bargain reissue on Naxos leaving absolutely no one who does not already own it with any excuse not to rectify the omission without delay. As is now customary with Naxos, you won’t get the texts and translations originally provided with the Marco Polo, but they can be downloaded from the company’s Web site, an important consideration for music that is so closely wedded to the affetti inspired by the words.
The works included, all scored for soprano with one or two violins and continuo, represent a good cross section of the wide variation of genres encompassed by Buxtehude in his smaller-scale sacred works. They range from the highly Italianate O dulcis Jesu, BuxWV 83 to simple strophic Lieder such as Was mich auf dieser Welt betrübt, BuxWV 105, all of which are sung by Emma Kirkby with a consummate artistry ideally supplemented by her distinguished instrumental colleagues.
If, in this commemorative year, you have yet to be convinced of Buxtehude’s place as one of the major composers of the 17th century, there will never be a better or cheaper opportunity to find out what you’ve been missing.
