The overall title of ''Wedding Cantatas'' given to this disc is slightly misleading. Only two of these works (Nos. 202 and 210) have wedding associations; the other (No. 209) has nothing whatsoever to do with a wedding. It is a valedictory piece, though to whom Bach is saying farewell is a matter of speculation. Possibly it was his pupil, Lorenz Mizler or, on the other hand, Johann Gesner, one-time Rector of the Thomasschule and a long-standing friend of the composer. Perhaps not, we may never know. Contatas Nos. 209 and 210 probably date from the late 1730s or early 1740s while No. 202, the best known of the three works included here, is almost certainly a Weimar piece composed during the second decade of the eighteenth century.
The performances promise well but are, in fact, disappointing. The Hungarian soprano, Maria Zadori, is a gifted singer with a very pleasing voice, although here she seems unable to find the centre of her notes. In music as demanding on its performers as this, one can reasonably allow for a degree or so of latitude, but this singing is so consistently wide of its tonal mark as to make repeated listening, other than for purposes of comparison, out of the question. Sadly, perhaps, it is the loveliest and deservedly most frequently performed of the cantatas, ''Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten'' which suffers most from poor intonation. All the more exasperating, too, in that there are plenty of stylish musical gestures which on their own count for little in this context. I liked for instance the elasticity of rhythm in the opening movement and the feeling shown by these artists for the shaping of phrases.
However, it was with eagerness that I turned from this performance to that of Julianne Baird (L'Oiseau-Lyre) and Elly Ameling on a mid-price Deutsche Harmonia Mundi/BMG disc. Almost throughout the new disc, furthermore, I found the continuo inclined to plod along relentlessly though there were exceptions, such as the lyrical aria ''Ruhet hie, matte Tone'' (No. 210) where there was an attempt to lighten the texture. Nevertheless, for much of the time these players seem content to meander aimlessly through the music with a regrettable lack of purpose. Oboe and violin playing is variable, although the director, Pal Nemeth, gives an assured performance of the flute solo in the B minor Sinfonia to Cantata No. 209. Well recorded, adequately documented with full texts, but musically disappointing.'