J.S. Bach: Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim?, BWV 89 - The Church Cantatas, Vol. 85

BWV89 (24 October 1723) opens with a very fine bass aria (vox Christi) in which the string melody hangs in the air like a question, the oboes heaving their sighs while the horns hammer on relentlessly. A rising motive characterizes this number. The love of the Almighty, who cannot contain his feelings of mercy, are expressed time and again. In the alto recitative the text refers to the unforgiving servant, with chromatic chords at the end. A severe aria for the alto follows, with Sodom being singled out for a (musical) treatment reserved for Adama and Zeboim earlier on. In a soprano recitative the shock realization of our sinfulness (`schrecket’!) is set off against the faith in God’s forgiveness. A light and confident soprano aria in which the vocal line is a simplified form of the oboe introduction, leads to the chorale in which the basses go down to their lowest note in the final line which deals with death, Devil, hell and sin - all of these having been overcome through the blood of Jesus. Comp