Johann Ludwig Bach: The Leipzig Cantatas album review – the music of its distant cousin This is a wonderful find | classical music

WWe will probably never know why Johann Sebastian Bach halted his massive stream of sacred cantatas in 1726 to perform instead an 18-piece suite by a distant third cousin, but as this four-disc set makes clear, we should be glad that he did.

Johann Ludwig Bach was born near Eisenach in 1677, became a singer and then a conductor in Meiningen, and died there in 1731. His music displays an inspired gift for melody, a sensitivity to text, and a gift for transforming Lutheran doctrinal poetry into first-rate musical drama. It is unclear how JSB acquired JLB’s music – there is no evidence that the two ever met – but JSB’s meticulous transcription of his relative’s works has preserved a treasure trove of music that might otherwise have been lost to the sands of time.

Incredibly, the idiomatic Capella Sollertia performances represent the first-ever recordings of this cantata, nearly five and a half hours of music, some of which could easily be considered the work of JS Bach himself. In fact, the Easter cantata, Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in der Hölle lassen, was once attributed to Johann Sebastian as BWV 15. It’s a perfect example of what the JLB does best: graceful Italian melodies blazing alongside French courtly grace and filled with imaginative word-paintings. Sensitively deployed, trumpets and drums create a lively sense of occasion.

Joana Soler’s performance is both insightful and flexible, while her impressive group of fresh-voiced soloists have a sumptuous sound thanks to Racercar’s precise engineering. A wonderful rediscovery, warmly recommended.

Stream it on Apple Music (above) or on Spotify