Arguably, Helmuth Rilling's epic complete recording cycle of J.S. Bach's sacred and secular cantatas for Hänssler would not have been nearly as auspicious had it not been for the numerous contributions of the late American soprano Arleen Augér. She appears on no less than 35 of the 75 cantata CDs in addition to singing featured roles in the Magnificat and Christmas, Easter, and Ascension oratorios. This mid-price sampler collects 13 cantata arias that highlight her achievements within the series, and in addition serves as a reminder of what a great talent she was before her untimely death at age 54.

While many observers have compared Augér's vocal timbre to that of Kathleen Ferrier, I've always felt Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (without the later hootiness) to be a more accurate analogy. Both had an uncanny ability to allow their highest notes to soar while maintaining an effortless vibrato. The first selection here, "Mein gläubiges Herze" (My heart ever faithful), extracted from BWV 68, is a great example of Augér's control and interpretive skill, and her agile spin on "Weg Jammer, Weg Klagen, Ich will euch nur sagen!" is nothing less than joyously triumphant. In one of Bach's most famous secular cantatas, Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut BWV 199, Augér shines as well.

In contrast, for the extraordinarily difficult aria "Tief gebücht und voller Reue" (Deeply bowed and filled with sorrow) the voice is often required to maintain soft yet lengthy phrases. Here, Auger's precision and deft clarity is spellbinding. Of the many recordings of this masterpiece, Augér's only peers are Elly Ameling on Philips and Maria Stader, whose legendary Pelca recording (licensed to Nonesuch on LP) unfortunately has not yet been issued on CD. These are only a few of many examples that aptly demonstrate Augér's amazing vocal dexterity and versatility--accomplishments further heightened when you realize that these recordings were made just before her 50th birthday. Hänssler's sound is fine. A folded single sheet with aria titles and timings replaces a regular booklet, though there is a full download of notes, texts, and translations available for those wishing to visit Hänssler's website. This is one of those rare samplers that most likely will end up costing you a small fortune: I can't imagine anyone not wanting to hear Augér's contributions in their entirety after having their appetites whetted so wonderfully.

--John Greene