Although Dietrich Buxtehude was a forerunner of Bach in many genres, the cantata, oddly enough, was hardly among them. The cantatas collected on these two discs are works for one or two soloists with a small instrumental ensemble -- cantatas in the seventeenth century sense. There are no chorales involved, and some of the cantatas are divided up into short sections with different tempos, each responding to an affect expressed in the text. The "Dialogus inter Christam et fidelem animam" (Dialogue Between Christ and the Faithful Soul) is not a serene duet like so many of Bach's dialogic conceptions but a more philosophical piece. The cantatas are still obscure compared with some of Buxtehude's other sacred works, so this reissue (the recordings were made in the late '80s) is welcome. Buxtehude's way of embodying ideas and emotions in a few instrumental strokes is on display everywhere here, from abstract structures such as the chaconne-like "Laudate pueri Dominum" (Praise the Lord, you servants, CD 2, track 6) to the remarkable, highly personal "Klag-Lied" (Song of Lamentation, CD 2, track 9) with a text by Buxtehude himself written about the death of his own father, featuring particularly powerful tropes on conventional depictions of weeping. It would be great to see some of today's Baroque vocal specialists tackle these works anew, for they offer plenty to challenge any singer technically and emotionally. The singing on this release is generally attractive but could in many cases be more differentiated in its response to specific texts, and the recording of the instrumentalists is unpleasantly bright, bringing a reminder of the lack of warmth that caused many listeners to dislike compact discs at first. The set will nevertheless take you into a fascinating body of work.