Bach Peasant Cantata BWV 212: Chorus
A Swiss Soprano: Edith Mathis
In addtion to 500 sacred cantatas, J. S. Bach composed 50 secular cantatas, of which 20 survive complete:
This Peasant Cantata was composed to honour wealthy Leipzig official Carl Heinrich von Dieskau, who became of an old aristocratic family.
Soprano: Edith Mathis (1938 - )
Recorded: 1976
Wir gehn nun, wo der Tundelsack
In unsrer Schenke brummt;
Und rufen dabei froehlich aus:
Es lebe Dieskau und sein Haus,
Ihm sei beschert,
Was er begehrt,
Und was er sich selbst wuenschen mag!
Let us now to the sound of bagpipes
coming from our local;
and let our toast be:
long live Dieskau and his family
may he receive,
his heart's desire,
and whatever he would wish for himself!
The admired Swiss soprano Edith Mathis received her musical training at the Lucerne Conservatory.
In 1956 she made her operatic debut in Lucerne. Her first stage experience was gained in Lucerne and Zuerich, and soon afterwards she joined Cologne Opera (1959). During this period she also appeared as guest artist at the Hamburg State Opera (1960-1975) and at Glyndebourne (debut in 1962) and Salzburg Festival (debut in 1960) operas. In 1963 she became a member of Deutsche Oper, Berlin, and has since sung in most of the leading opera houses of the world, including The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera in New York (debut in 1970), Bavarian State, Vienna State and Paris Operas.
Alongside her operatic career, Edith Mathis also has an extensive Lieder and oratorio repertory and her many concert appearances have included tours to Japan, the USA, Australia and Russia. She has received numerous awards for her work on the operatic stage, in the concert hall and in the recording studio.