Classical Music Recommendations
This is a selection of recommendations from a
variety of sources on the internet, particularly members of
rec.music.classical.recordings. They are the recommendations of music lovers
rather than music critics, and where possible any consensus is indicated as a
‘general recommendation’.
#BACH
Brandenburgs
General Recommendations:
Makzimyuk/Polish
CO EMI Forte
2CD set, with three Christmas concerti by three other (Italian) composers.
Daringly brisk tempi, technically sound, warmly recorded, great horns and
trumpets in the appropriate concerti without period rasp (if you are not a HIP
person).
Akademie
fur Alte Musik/Harmonia Mundi. Probably my current favorite.
Lamon/Tafelmusik - a very good conventional
performance, squeaky tpt in 2. My single favorite performance of any one
movement from the Brandenburg's is probably Tafelmusik's first movement of the
5th where Jeanne Lamon turns in a spectacularly Valenti-esque performance of
the cadenza replete with a marvelously sensitive application of a
tension-exploiting rubato completely responsive to the harmonic language of the
piece.
Stravaganza set on Virgin; certainly more "ear-popping" at
times than even MAK Hans-Martin
Kothe gives a spectacular performance on the baroque trumpet.
Il Gardino Armonico (Teldec cd number:
4509-98442-2). My current favorite, this is very lively performance of the
Brandenberg. They are no where near as eye opening as their version of
Vivaldi's 4 Seasons- although after hearing Goebel, it is hard to be more ear-popping.
This is my favourite HIP.
Jordi
Savall/Le Concerts des
Nations set recently reissued at mid-price on Astree – performances chock-full
of rustic character and panache
Collegeum
Aureum (1960's)
some brief moments of suspect intonation but they aren't half so bad as the
brief moments of suspect intonation in the orchestral suites coupled with them
on CD. Leonhardt is heard to much more distinctive and lively effect than on
Sony
Leppard - fastish tempi, many like it
Goebels with
Musica Antiqua Koln on the "archive" label (fast tempi)
Ristenpart (Chamber Orchestra of the SAAR) widely liked. But the CDs are
mono/stereo
Munclinger/Ars Revivida Supraphon
I Musici - non-HIP: after listening
to countless recordings, I settle for I Musici.
Particular Recommendations
Koopman (introvert)
Pinnock (uneven, some strong supporters, some say
boring)
ECO/Britten (some consider it surprisingly bland)
Leonhardt ??
Scherchen
Vienna State Opera 1959 stereo, Paris mono set is superior and wonderful
Munch, BSO
w. Lukas foss piano
Adolf Busch
w Evelyn Rothwell
Anthony
Newman & Friends on CBS ca. 1970.
Some period instruments e. g. violino piccolo, viole da gambi. Tremendous keyboard playing (of
course!).Sprightly tempi in fast movements.
>To be avoided like the plague is the Leonhardt and an all-star lineup on
Sony
Can't stand
Harnoncourt's first recording either. Too slow for one thing.
Pinnock strikes me as the very epitome of the "neoclassical
Stravinsky" style of supposedly authentic performance practice
characteristic of too much HIP. -david gable
> Tafelmusik on Sony leaves Pinnock in
the dust
> After listening to "HIP" performances
by Pinnock, Koopman, Lamon I settled for Lamon/Tafelmusik
> I have heard many versions of Bach's Brandenburgs. To name a few:
Dart (Philomusica of London), Rampe (La Stravaganza, Hamburg), Pinnock (English
Concert), Britten (English Chamber Orchestra), Ristenpart (Chamber Orchestra of
the SAAR), Baumgartner (Festival Strings Lucerne), Scherchen (Vienna State
Opera Orchestra), Ledger (English Chamber Orchestra), Leonhardt (with Bruggen,
Kuijkens, Bylsma and co), Goebel (Musica
Antiqua Koln).My vote goes to Leonhardt
(HIP) and Ristenpart (non-HIP).
> Goebel: I don't understand why anyone wants a Bach that is "completely
nuts" (and I do agree wholeheartedly: their tempi sound like a LooneyTunes
soundtrack.) Surely no-one believes that Bach or the players of his time took things that fast?
> Goebel
on Archiv is... interesting. I enjoy the set immensely, but not as a stand
alone.
> Linde on EMI/Virgin is bland. Hogwood on L'oiseau-Lyre
is competent - nothing surprising in it at all.
> At the risk of sounding like a stuck record or a
salesman, try the new Stravaganza set on Virgin; certainly more
"ear-popping" at times than even MAK. I too like the Giardino
Armonico; stunning horns in 1 -- but then so does Stravaganza.(SR)
>Koopman is OK except fro tpt in 2 ) Crispian Steele-Perkins as in Tafelmusik
Vln Concertos
Tafelmusik/Lamon – strong HIP performances, better
than Manze
I think two stand head and shoulders -- heck, probably
torso as well -- above the others:
Manze's on Harmonia Mundi
Chiarappa's on Denon
(the former is a mid-price reissue of a recent
recording on one disc of the usual three plus a violin version of BWV 1060, the
latter a two disc set originally issued on Koch Europa containing not just the
usual three but lso un-transcriptions of other concertos -- i.e., attempts to
reconstruct lost violin originals of harpsichord concertos). Both offer
remarkably alert, lively performances of some flair and exuberance -- qualities
lacking in all the other HIP recordings, which, by comparison sound terribly
earnest -- though I suspect they may be a bit extreme for some (if so, the
Huggett/Koopman disc on Erato may be the safest bet, relaxed without being
lazy). If I had to have just one of the two, I d probably pick the Denon,
because I like to have all the other works as well. (SR)
* Oistrakh/Philadelphia Orch, E. Ormandy 24/12/1955
COL ML 5087, PHI A 01239L, MEL M10-46429 See www.oistrakh.com
Solo
Keyboard works:
Die
Wohltemperte Klavier
Feinberg
Nilolayeva
Edwin
Fischer
Pearl
- best transfer
Naxos – not
liked
EMI
references – newer better than older pressings
Glenn
Gould
Richter:
1969 live -
Revelation 20003
1972 - BMG 60949
(also Melodiya)
1973 live -
Victor Japan VICC 60071/4 (also Parnassus PCCD 20001/4) in Stiftskirche Wilteu,
Innsbruck, 4CDs
1973
different live version - Parnassus (?)
Neither the
RCA/BMG/Melodya version nor the live 1973 Innsbruck recording (available from
Parnassus) are in very good sound,
but each
contain some transcendental interpretations, as well as some that seem to
misfire.
Others liked by some: Schepkin, Schiff, Koroliev
Solo
Vln Sonatas
Milstein/DG Later, better recorded
Milstein/EMI earlier, better - more confident but less flexible
though others disagree. Recording OK but DG is better. I like the Milstein EMI
a lot more than the DG. It's got a
purity and serenity that I find lacking in the DG version.
Heifetz
Szeryng mono CBS/(MP2K 46721) and stereo DG (437
365-2). I've not heard the Sony set, but the DG is one of my favorites. Robustly played, fabulous tone and
intonation, and beautiful phrasing.I am a huge fan of Szeryng's playing
generally, especially before late 70's. I do find the phrasing in Milstein's
EMI a bit more crisp than in Szeryng's DG. (While Szeryng's tone may
occasionally have lacked some of Perlman's color, I find his playing enormously
characterful and recognizable, indeed often fervent, and don't know how Perlman
could have referred to him publicly as a "musical chameleon") I have
the earlier Szeryng recording, as well as a number of the above-mentioned. Szeryng seems to me the very best of the
best.
To me,
Szeryng appreciation depends a lot on mood; his playing can give the impression
of concentration, which is good. But he
can also appear colorless and perhaps too uniform (the faster movements are
relatively slow and unlively), and sometimes even the concentration seems to
lag. To those who don't want a meditative
type approach to all of it, this might not work.
Josef Suk on EMI
Kuijken - The two sets by Sigiswald
Kuijken are probably the best performances on record of JSB's music. The first
is right up there with the best of them, sure. But the more recent recording?
Not for me, I'm afraid.
Shumsky (ASV), leading Sitkovetsky by a short head—9+/10 to 9–/10 (rates
Milstein 6/10) The most
expressive recordings I know are Oscar Shumsky and Oleg Kagan (Erato). Shumsky
is quite intense, and uses a time-honored sturdy legato and hardly any dropping
of volume towards phrase and note ends to sound more non-mournfully passionate than anyone else I know. (Menuhin
occasionally has some of the same.)
This may not be to all tastes, but I like it.
Sitkovetsky (Orfeo/Harmonia Mundi)
Szigeti on
Vanguard. The Vanguard set was recorded late - in the 50s iirc. I hoped I would be able to get through
the intonation problems to hear 'the
heart of the matter'. I was unsuccessful. That set is a special case, in my
opinion, and not unlike the Enescu version in that respect. Both are flawed,
but still have moments of sheer genius and are not to be missed. We are very
lucky to have them both. I'd say the same about Sandor Vegh's set as well. But it is a shame that Szigeti didn't get to record them all in his prime.
There are recordings of this music from circa
1930, which are excellent, but incomplete, unfortunately, - superb performances
of the first two Sonatas (rec. 1931 and 1933) and a couple of isolated
movements from two of the Partitas.
They were all issued in Ward Marston's transfers on a Biddulph CD.
Oleg Kagan
(Erato).Expressive
Grumiaux
- first choice for several, a bit "stiff" for others (a bit too straight-forward),
Mullova -
I'm particularly fond of Viktoria Mullova's recording on Philips. Amazing
technique, as always, but I also find her musicianship and
interpretation
to be judicious and intelligent -- and, in this particular recording, quite
warm. She plays on gut strings, by the
way. The
one "problem" is that the recording only contains the partitas, not
the sonatas, and I have no idea if Mullova plans to do the sonatas.
(Another
problem is that I believe the CD might be out of print.)
Kantorow.
My favorite. Beautiful, stylish and unhysterical performances. (I would have
played like this myself if I had been 12000 times better).Nearly perfect
recording to my ears
Perlman, in
his EMI set includes all the repeats,
etc., but I'm not crazy about his version.
Novotny Few performers give all the voices such
independence. Supraphon
11 1806-2 112.
Podger
for HIP good but not great - best only in the fast movements where she has fun
Van Dael
on Naxos is pretty good HIP too. (good but not great)
Zehetmair
(too fast at times)
Tenenbaum
(a bit rough in execution).
Ehnes and Fulkerson
versions got 10/10 reviews on classicstoday.com.
Solo
Cello Sonatas
Bylsma
(earlier set, on Pro Arte), altogether the most satisfying HIP I've heard. I LOVE Anner Byslma, and
his baroque playing with detached notes and few slurs is delightful to listen
to. Tempos are slow and steady for the
most part.
I thought
Bylsma's earlier set was the one on Sony Essential Classics
Bylsma I –
here his HIP-ness may seem a bit
extreme compared to Wispelwey or Bylsma II
Rostropovich - I find him overly romatic as
well.
Starker RCA reaches depths I've never heard before. ?
his 6th recording of the works. I enjoyed the old Mercury, but it is
nothing like this – I’m bowled over not only by the musical depth but by the
dexterity and flexibility of the execution. This surpasses all his previous
recordings and becomes a top recommendation
I don;t
like Starker - at all. Overly dry and pedantic
Fournier is my choice for non-HIP Hardly qualifies as
excellent modern sound, but it does sound pretty good. Performances ought to
fill the bill. Plenty of dancing, but no lack of expressiveness and even
romance. Fournier is lush and deep-toned, Schiff as good but more brisk and
dancelike.
Though I
like Bylsma 1, Schiff's energy, and Casals' restless inventiveness, I haven't
heard any sets that match Fournier's (live?) version for Swiss Radio, released
at one time on Adda. It's noble, elegant, passionate without maudlin excess,
superbly paced, and lovingly articulated. Hearing it made me want to throw the
rest of 'em out (I didn't, of course).
I spend
most of my Bach Cello Suite listening time with Pierre Fournier [DG], Heinrich
Schiff [EMI], and Erling Blöndal Bengtsson [Danacord],
though I
enjoy many others nearly as much. Fournier is red-blooded and deftly romantic;
Schiff is a lean, mean Baroque dancing machine;
Erling
Blöndal Bengtsson
[Danacord Bengtsson is unadorned but not plain, being neither too this
nor too that yet not lacking character -- like a good-looking Amish woman.
Casals vastly improved sound (and lower
price) on Naxos
Schiff brisk and dancelike. Over years of listening I've
finally settled on Wispelwey II and Heinrich Schiff as all I need. Bylsma's two CD's on Sony Essential Classics
are a good alternative choice if you like his close-miked intensity; I've
concluded that I don't.
Wispelway
II is controversial, some think an excellent HIP
choice. Either love or hate him. Again,
a baroque, not overly romantic
approach.
My problem
with Wispelway II is not that it is uninteresting, but that it sounds so
manufactured that one wonders if the performance can be captured live. It seems
overly rehearsed, not with any spontaneity. He is performing the suites live in
NYC next year, and I will get to find out if I am correct. In any case, the
phrasing tends to be somewhat choppy, which doesn't lead to
"dancing".
Tortelier There
are two sets of Tortelier, although I must admit neither moves me terribly much
Ma the 2nd series recorded is the better of the two.
However, a quick, sometimes, too fast tempo.
Not overly romantic.
Carlos
Prieto -
wonderful...
Cazba
Onczay - this is a
cheapie Naxox 7.99 set - the Hungarian
cellist did not draw rave reviews, but I love the ringing overtones that come
from his Gofriller instrument. Excellent recording. Steady, even pacing, making each note count.
Maurice
Gendron. I wonder
if someone else likes him. Casals may have a stronger rythmic quality and
Whisperley may sound better, but I tend to play Gendron more often than any
other version. Very nice tone and rhythmic sense, maybe not the most personal,
but fine.
Maisky - avoid at all costs. Unless you wish to hear his snorting and
snuffling breathing along with the most disgusting over romanticized schmalz -
why oh why every note has to be life and death is beyond me. What he does to
the first prelude he should hang for.
Organ
works
Chapuis: very spontaneous, revealing a love of playing.
Great instrument and recording for 1968. Recently rereleased. On that set Chapuis
recorded the preludes and fugues on the Schnitger instrument at
Zwolle--certainly one of the greatest instruments ever built! AFAIK, the rest
of the series was recorded on modern instruments. His interpretations are very
exciting: fast tempi, cleanly articulated, and dramatic. The Chapuis set is
tremendously exciting - my favorite by far
Michael Murray’s recent recording on
this instrument is one of the great Bach organ recordings (IMHO) -- what a
contrast with his earlier "Romantic" performances such as the one at
Methuen!
Rubsam on Philips: Infinitely better than his later
ponderous Naxos. His technique is better
than Alain's. Here's what the pipedreams web page says about it: (Philips 438 170-2; 16-disc box, including
Art of the Fugue) offers arguably the finest recording of Bach's music ever
made, featuring an exceptional pair of Metzler instruments vividly captured in
rich ambience. Interpretations are
always cogent, imaginative, and involved. Rubsam's playing combines the finest
aspects of his teachers, Helmut Walcha (discipline and total integrity) and
Marie-Claire Alain (subtle nuance and rythmic verve). The Naxos discs do have
the advantage of low cost and easy availability, while the big Philips set may
be maddeningly hard to find, though it's sure to please
I recently bought, used, the complete Bach organ music
on 10 cd's, Philips, Wolfgang Rubsam. I
am listening to some choral preludes now and am in heaven. Not only is the music incredible but the
sound is the best organ i've ever heard - both recording (perfectly clear) and
organ tone (orgasmic - organsmic?).
Anyone else share my enthusiasm here?
anyone dare try to tell me this isn't as good as music gets? i've tried to look up reviews of this set
but don't find much, though people say they're less fond of Rubsam's current
Naxos series for its willful playing than the old philips one. what they should be saying, however, is GO
BUY THE PHILIPS SET!!!
Rubsam on Naxos. In Rubsam's more recent Bach cycle
(on the budget-priced Naxos label, available separately) you'll enjoy a greater
variety of historic and modern instruments, but the artist's interpretations
are somewhat more individualistic, even provocative, still arresting if not
quite main-stream. I'm only familiar with the Clavierubung III from the Naxos
series. Despite being played on the Silberman organ at the Freiberg Cathedral,
it is a very sludgy performance.
Hurford's first recording is fine but on inauthentic
instruments. I dumped it after acquiring the Rubsam.
While I wouldn't dump my Hurford for anything--his
performing is just too good--I too find his choice of instruments highly
disappointing. I wasn't aware of a second recording until hearing it mentioned
on this NG. I suppose it never was released in North America. A most
interesting CD is the Peter Hurford / Northern Sinfonia "J.S. Bach Organ
Concertos". Maybe, Handel got his inspiration from Bach...
Tachezi In 1985 Teldec released a special edition to
mark Bach's 300th birthday of Herbert Tachezi playing The Art of Fugue, BWV
1080. The playing, registration etc is exceptional. This was on a phonograph
record. I don't know if it is available on CD.
Herrick is expensive and nothing really special.
Fagius' recording of Mendelssohn is fantastic--the
best I've heard--but I did not find his Bach to be a first choice by comparison
with Chapuis.
Walcha There seems to be not one but TWO Walcha sets
available in Canada (but not the US) -- a 12-disc set and a 16-disc set. The 12
disc set is the set he recorded in 1956 and 1962 in Alkmaar and 1969-70 on the
Silberman organ in Strasbourg -- a classic recording.
Heiller. I have always been partial to Anton Heiller.
Wolfgang Stockmeier/Orgel My suggestion: go to http://www.zweitausendeins.de/ and
click on "CD's". In the "Suche per Eingabe" menu select
"Nach Nummern" enter the magic number 40718, press the button
"Suchen". You should get: Bach, J.S. "Das Orgelwerk"
Art & Music. AAD. 20 CDs 39.95 DM. 12. 5 GBP nr 40718.What you get is 20 CD's (the complete Bach organ works)
for 39.95 DM (a little over $20) +shipping, performed by Wolfgang Stockmeier. I
won't argue whether or not this is the best recording in the world - its a
great performance on a selection of nice organs around Germany, and at this
price, a "must" for the Bach specialist!
Bach, J.S. "Toccata & Fuge BWV 565, Schüblersche Choräle BWV
645-650 u.a." Lionel Rogg/Silbermann-Orgel von Arlesheim. Harmonia Mundi
France. ADD. CD 15.95 DM. Nr. 49799. 5GBP
Bach, J.S.
"Orgelwerke" Ton Koopman/Orgel (Christian-Müller-Orgel/Waalse-Kerk
Amsterdam, Gabler-Orgel/Basilika Weingarten). Laudate. DDD. 2 CDs 9.95 DM.
Nr. 49315 3GBP
Bach, J.S. "Orgelbüchlein
BWV 599-644"
René Saorgin/Orgel von Luxeuil. Harmonia Mundi France. ADD. CD 15.95 DM.
Nr. 49798. 5GBP
Bach, J.S. "Orgelwerke
Vol. 2 - Neumeister Choräle BWV 1090-1120, Präludium & Fuge BWV 549,
Fantasie BWV 570 & 571, Triosonaten BWV 527 & 528, Passacaglia BWV 582,
In dulci jubilo BWV 729, Toccata & Fuge BWV 538 & 540, Klavierübung 3
BWV 669-689 u.a." Hans Fagius/Orgel. Aufnahmen von BIS. Brilliant
Classics. DDD. 9 CDs 29.95 DM. Nr. 49427 9GBP
What’s your all-time 12 favourite Bach organ works?
1. OK, there's no
way not to put the Passacaglia and Fugue on the list, so I'll start off with it
as well.
2. "Vater unser im Himmelreich," BWV 682. One of the most deeply
moving works Bach wrote.
3. Toccata & Fugue in d minor, BWV 538. The fugue certainly ranks as one of
his greatest achievements in the genre.
4. Prelude & Fugue in D Major, BWV 532, the most exciting of his
works--ranking right up there with the most exuberant of choruses from his
cantatas and oratorios.
5. "Ich ruf zu dir Herr Jesu Christ," BWV 639 and
6. "Ach Herr, mich armen Su:nder," BWV 742. Two of his earliest and
tiniest of works, as well as most
beautiful.
7. Sonata in e minor, BWV 528. They're all great, but right now I can't seem to
get that one out of my head :)
8. Toccata and Fugue in F, BWV 540. I don't think it's an early work—maybe late
Weimar or early Leipzig--still a great work nonetheless.
9. "O Lamm Gottes unschuldig," BWV 656. Another chorale prelude of exquisite
beauty.
10. Prelude and Fugue in b minor, BWV 544. A paragon of technical
assurance, balance, and restraint.
11. Canonic variations on "Vom Himmel hoch," BWV 769. The Art of
Fugue and Musical Offering's little sister.
12. Prelude & Fugue in a minor, BWV 543. It doesn't just *grow* on you,
it's more like a drug that hooks you and makes a junkie out of you on the very
first listen
Choral
Works
Bm Mass
Robert Shaw on RCA Living
Stereo Far and away. Great choir (about 35 strong), excellent soloists and
nicely refurbished sound. There are
influences from scholarship, but as this recording was
made in the late 1960s, there's nothing in it that would be considered
"HIP" by
today's understanding of the term. Mid-priced.
Richter
Fasolis.Arts 47525-2, 1998
Max/Capriccio
Schreier on Berlin Classics,
Klemperer/EMI
Herreweghe on Harmonia Mundi.
Christmas Oratorio
Rene Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi.
Ralf Otto, many people’s favorite on Brilliant Classics
(licensed from Capriccio)
Richter - great recording, very dramatic with unbeatable soloists
(Wunderlich, Crass, Janowitz, Ludwig WOW!) “devout, a bit heavy”
Lehmann – very fine old style inc Helmut Kreps. I
finally retired the LPs several years ago because they were completely worn
out. Perhaps
the reason the complete set has not been reissued is because two (if I remember
correctly) were not conducted by Lehmann.
The set won the Grand Prix du Disque when it was first issued, as I
recall. This set is definitely non_HIP.
I personally don't care if HIP or "modern" practices are
followed. I just care about what the
performers find in the music. I have
perhaps 400 recordings of individual works; I love Gardiner, hate Harnoncourt,
love Leonhardt, love Richter, etc.
Munchinger – Nice performance
with Pears and Ameling, v. good sound
Kurt Thomas/Leipzig beautiful meditative performance
with great soloists (F-D, Traxel, Giebel,Hoffgen) – old style but inferior to
Lehmann
Collegium Aureum – Good
Grischkat – rather slow and heavy
Werner – OK
Tolzer Boys Choir under Schmid Gaden with Altmeyer.
wonderfully airy atmosphere provided by the boy sopranos. The trumpets are
pretty rough and the soloists sing like kids, but I still like the overall
effect.
Jochum ’73 – big choral forces
Harnoncourt – Good “I found Harnoncourt's way with the
music rather stodgy”.
Ledger
Koopman – good 13 strings, 21 singers
Sixteen/Christophers – english style 14 + 18
Pickett one to a part, 12 singers sounds nice
Suzuki – 11 strings, squeeky clean
Gardiner's recording leaves me
cold.
Maderna -
there's a wonderful recording by Maderna with a lot of other bach stuff,
available of Berskshire for like $2. It clarrified for me lots of the
structural problems with the work...not politically correct for HIP, but
wonderful
St Matthew Passion
Harnoncourt
I (mid-price
on Teldec)
Harnoncourt
2 - 2000 recording
Leonhardt
Richter (second recording-with a superb
Schreier)
Scherchen's superb performance (mono), reissued on MCA
Millennium, for $8.97.
Corboz
Herreweghe - I
would probably recommend Herreweghe over Brueggen, partly because Brueggen's
soloists are more controversial (esp the Evangelist: I like a lot, but many may
find too small-voiced).
Munchinger
Karajan -
fantastic cast of soloists. I still
pull out his SMP to hear Christa Ludwig sing "Buß und Reu".
St John Passion
Fasolis
Max/Capriccio - An excellent inexpensive HIP St
John
Willcocks Belart (formerly Decca) Peter Pears and the
vague, fluffy tone of King's Cambridge - sung in English
Mid-price - a grand old-fashioned performance on
Hungaroton, featuring pretty stunning singing by the soprano, and excellent
soloists.
Cantatas
Best Cantatas, some
suggestions:
BWV 6, 12, 21, 51, 76,
78, 80, 82,140, 106, 147, 198, 199,
My personal favorites and
my favorite recordings of them: 8
(Herreweghe), 21 (Suzuki), 34 (Gardiner), 50 (Gardiner or Koopman), 51
(Rilling/Auger, Gardiner/Kirkby), 54 (Herreweghe/Scholl), 66 (Herreweghe), 79
(Leonhardt almost by default),80 (Herreweghe -- he uses WF Bach's trumpet
parts, which most recordings nowadays omit), 130 (Harnoncourt or Koopman), 150
(Suzuki or Leonhardt), 172 (Gardiner), 190 (Koopman). 140 and 147 are probably
the most popular -- but neither are favorites of mine.
JLE: Two star:
21,32,39,106,131,140
JLE: One star:
1,5,6,7,8,12,13,20,27,34,40,48,57,61,67,68,85,90,100,104,105,115,116,120,147,151,152,155,158,159,166,180,182,198,199
http://www.classical.net/~music/comp.lst/works/bachjs/rateindx.html Ratings And Comments On All Cantatas
Rilling
– the Secular set has its ups and downs and
mixes recordings of Koopman, Goebel and others but overall is pretty good. Even
better, if you're willing to have modern instruments, is Rilling's new
traversal on Haenssler. Rilling really has woken up in the last few
years and delivered excellent conducting with a fine group of young soloists.
His recent recordings in the series are a
wonderfuil mix of HIP-insight and the modern style (his St. Matthew & St.
John should be top recommendations). His earlier cantata efforts on
Hanssler are a bit choppy for my taste.
Most of Rilling's that I've heard (nowhere
near all) strike me as quite dull, especially compared to his latest efforts (his
rerecordings of the passions especially).
Hanssler: Cantatas are done with modern
instruments and mixed voices by Helmuth Rilling. I find most of his cantata
recordings stodgy and dull. I'm told that his recent recordings are more
interesting. Remaining pieces are a mixed bag.
Rene Jacob's secular cantata set on Harmonia Mundi (also recently
re-released) - one of the best cantata sets ever recorded.
Herreweghe
Harmonia Mundi has assembled
Herreweghe cantatas at extreme bargain prices. They are excellent!! (HIP, of
course.)
Many find them bland. Listen to
the range of rougly contemporary composers conducted by, among others, Rene
Jacobs, Konrad Junghanel, Goebel etc and you realize just how limited and
limiting Herreweghe's performances really are.
I haven't any idea whether
Herreweghe will be recording all of them, but while he's not exactly ideal
either, his slowly continuing series strikes me as being preferable to Koopman
and Suzuki. What we need is a series of recordings that offer a clear contrast
to the style adopted by Koopman and Suzuki and Herreweghe (yes, there are
differences, but they're all from the same school, as it were), but given the
current state of the classical recording business that seems unlikely (Archiv
ditched Gardiner's series because he wouldn't pay for it, but given the results
of the first release that doesn't seem much of a loss).
Gardiner
Gardiner's Bach is quite deep and
beautiful.
Different strokes for different folks. I find nothing in Gardiner's approach
that I would describe as deep or beautiful. To me it's fleet to a fault. In
fact, the one overriding characteristic of Gardiner is that he favors tempi
that never let the music sink in. I used to think they were under-interpreted
by Herr Professor, but I now simply consider them a-interpreted (as in atonal).
He's rather the anti-Christ of Classics in my book.
Harnoncourt/Leonhardt
I've been making a re-acquaintance
with the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt series and am appreciating it more; despite its obvious
flaws (poorly balanced tenor and bass sections in the Viennese choir,
occasionally rickety brass, the occasionally unreliable treble, occasional
dullnes from Leonhardt) these are on the whole superbly characterized and - at
least by the adults - superbly sung. They also have strong dance rhythms and
are excellently recorded.
As far as HIP or HIP-influenced Bach, I
would start with some of the early Harnoncourt series. His St. Matthew remains
one of the better all-round versions.
Harnoncourt/Leonhardt contains
some good individual performances, especially of solo cantatas, but many of
them seem rather
rickety and tentative in execution, for all that interpretatively these two
conductors have better ideas than the other three put together.
period instruments, boy singers in choruses and
some solos. The boys vary from the sublime Sebastian Hennig to ... others
better left unnamed. Brass playing quite shaky, especially in earlier
recordings. Overall highly variable in quality: some cantatas are wonderful,
some painful to hear.
Karl Richter
I also have a very soft spot for Karl Richter's
cantatas on Archiv. They're not all great, but they're certainly deep (and by
that I don't mean solely on the basis of the slow tempi). And I'm not a big fan
of Schreier, Fi-Di or Haefliger, so it's not the solo singing that carries the
day for me in these recordings.
Gonnenwein
St. John & St. Matthew on EMI are also very
good. For the B-minor, I'd look no further than Robert Shaw's RCA effort
re-released to spectacular effect last fall on Living Stereo.
Koopman
My boredom
with the Koopman series shows no signs of abating
I find it maddening that the current complete
Bach Cantata series underway from Koopman and Suzuki should be of the same
general type -- gentle, understated, "respectful" etc. I've given up
on both of them.
I don't feel Herreweghe's recording are
significantly better than Koopman's -- in fact, often they are almost
indistinguishable. I've been collecting the Koopman series, but not with
notable enthusiasm. Some of Koopman's performances are really top-notch; some
of the more bumptious cantatas, such as 40, 65, 75, 190, and the Hunt and
Peasant Cantatas, come across with great zest in Koopman's hands. But many
others are perfunctory, even a bit tired - sounding. Generally, the
Koopman series has improved as it has gone along. Vol. 6 was quite wonderful,
and I just received vol. 9, which boasts the contributions of tenor Christophe
Pregardien and bass Klaus Mertens -- but the alto grates, and the soprani are
nothing special
Suzuki
My dislike of the Suzuki series
shows no signs of abating
Having listened to everything
through the St. Matthew and Vol. 11 of the cantatas, I'd say the choir is best
thing Suzuki has going. The orchestra, while well drilled, is one of blander
period ensembles I can recall in terms of sonority. The "Holy Bach"
syndrome. Everyone seems to excuse Suzuki's longeurs by claiming that he's
cutting to the "spiritual" core of the 18h c. Lutheran church music.
Funny thing is, such dull performances are rarely accepted with such good cheer
in any renaissance or baroque repertoire other than Bach. Listen to the
range of rougly contemporary composers conducted by, among others, Rene Jacobs,
Konrad Junghanel, Goebel, Savall, Marc Minkowski, Diego Fasolis (on a good
day), Hermann Max (despite occasionally awful soloists: Monika Frimmer!),
Francois Lassere (excellent recordings of Monteverdi and Schutz on Pierre
Verany) Ludger Remy, Il Giardino Armonico and, going back a bit further, but
still in the sacred domain, Paul Van Nevel and Roland Wilson, and you realize
just how limited and limiting Suzuki's (and Koopman and Herreweghe's)
performances really are.
Suzuki and Koopman both offer
middle-of-the-road, safe, HIP performances of little character, though on the
whole – except for their decidedly mixed groups of soloists -- well
executed. I haven't any idea whether Herreweghe will be recording all of
them, but while he's not exactly ideal either, his slowly continuing series
strikes me as being preferable to all of those.
I was quite impressed with the Suzuki series
until I heard more of it. It's so uniformly shiny and polished and perky that
it starts to cloy. It's sort of digitally-generated Anime' Bach. But as Simon
says, no one series is likely to be totally satisfying. Bach's cantatas are
remarkably elusive pieces to perform effectively and consistently. It seems
that every conductor/ensemble that can produce some good cantata recordings
also produces some clunkers
Schreier
Secular cantatas conducted by Peter Schreier is
really a disappointment. The orchestra (Berlin Chamber Orchestra, on modern
instruments) is playing clumsy and several instrumental soloists use awful
ornaments that don’t belong in baroque music
Leusink
I just made another attempt to listen to the
Brilliant cantata boxes I have and when I began I thought, well, these aren't
bad at all. But then a tenor solo appeared and he just wouldn't do (Knut
Schoch); a later tenor solo (Nico van der Meel, who's usually not this bad) was
even worse. So at the very least these can only be listened to if the
tenor arias and recitatives are programmed out, which is hardly ideal.
And yes, the performances are very inconsistent aside from this: some cantatas
are performed as though by well-prepared interested musicians, the rest as
though by a collection of bored, tired sight-readers. I still don't think that
Koopman and Suzuki are worth nine times as much per disc, and there are
problems with Leonhardt/Harnoncourt; so I continue to find all the complete/to
be completed sets unsatisfactory in various ways. Individual performances
seem the better solution.
Rifkin
Of course chamber organs and organ positives
existed. What I meant was, that a certain invented HIP tradition claims, that
the chamber organ (Truhenorgel) has to be used in nearly any of Bachs church
cantata (see Harnoncourt series). Rifkins arguments for cembalo (sometimes two
of them) and continuo strings usage (plus lute/bassoon were appropriate)in
this case is much more convincing in my eyes.
Rifkins series was discontinued, but he has his successors. E.g. the Jeffrey
Thomas Bach Cantata series (Koch records). Lets take an example of it, Vol. VI,
BWV 78-80-140 (quite a good one, only Bott was not in full form) with a scoring
of the b.c. in Rifkins way (Thomas worked with Rifkin): a Violone playing colla
parte with Vcl, Cembalo, Organ, partly also w. bassoon and lute. Reduced, when
suggested by the musical material (e.g., lute and cello only in the soprano
aria of BWV 80). I know that this has been and is, a real battlefield among
Bach enthusiasts
Coin/Ensemble Baroque de Limoges Astree
label (3CDs) All the works feature the
violoncello piccolo, which Christophe Coin himself plays. The choir is Concerto Vocale Leipzig, soloists
Barbara Schlick, Andreas Scholl, Christoph Pregardien, and Gotthold
Schwarz. Scholl
and Pregardien, in particular, are wonderful. The interpretation reminds me of Herreweghe,
but a bit more textured and "earthier". Coin remarks that, "The
choice, for this recording, of a charming little church on the borders of
Saxony and Thuringia was justified chiefly by the presence of an organ by
Silbermann. This instrument, which
still has its stops with their rustic warmth and its original pitch (A =460Hz),
obliges the organist to transpose down a tone (extant copies prove that the
Cantor practiced that during the years he spent in Leipzig)"
In all, the
recordings sound both HIP and old-fashioned at the same time. Highly recommended. Cantatas included are 6, 41, 49, 68, 85,
115, 175, 180, 183, and 199.
Rotzsch
I actually enjoy Rotzsch very much - they are produced
under the Virgin Classics record lablel. Some of the recordings are
excellent (106, 71, 172, 21, 137, 4). Also, they are cheap( $10 a CD).
Darryl
Kuijken' s sacred cantata set on Accent. Probably the
best ever cantata recording.
Good
individual discs
Argenta's newly reissued two discs on Virgin
(including a great 51) the bass/baritone cantatas discs by Kooy, Goerne and Mertens
the alto cantata disc by
Scholl on Harmonia Mundi (his
54 there is far superior to his 54 with Koopman); ,
4: Suzuki. Nothing comes close (have not
heard the latest Junghanel)
8: Herreweghe
21: Herreweghe/Suzuki. Koopman is not in his best here, IMHO.
50:Gardiner, which consists of no more than a magnificent
double chorus .
51: Ziesak
54: Oberlin and
perhaps Van Nes
54, Kirkby,
Stich-Randall, Baird (her remake on Koch)
80 Ein Feste burg – Herreweghe is good here
82: Hotter on EMI for singing only. Really horrible
oboe...
82: Fischer-Dieskau
82: Mertens/Kuijken on Accent for the singing and the oboe playing of
Ponseele. Any cantata recording in which Marcel Ponseele plays the
oboe is often a must even if the singing is not always the best...
84: Ehmann. Although it's generally
recorded as a *minor gem* my favourite Bach Cantata is BWV.84 ('Ich bin
vergnugt mit meinem Gluck'), but *only* in the fifties recording which has
never been reissued on CD with Agnes Giebel in an incredibly *beautiful* and
moving interplay with Helmut Winschermann's oboe with Ehmann conducting. Other
versions of BWV.84 totally lack the magical effect this one has on me.
95: Suzuki. Actually, his vol 11. is probably
one of the best.
106: Koopman 1st, Suzuki 2nd.
Rotzsch
Kantaten BWV 12, 24, 36, 41-43, 51, 57, 65, 57, 65,
67, 72, 73, 79, 92, 95, 103, 106, 111, 117, 119, 131, 137, 138, 144, 177, 179
Johannes-Passion BWV 245 +Orgelwerke:Toccata & Fuge BWV 565
Präludien & Fugen BWV 540 & 545 Giebel, Wagner, Höffgen, Lutze,
Haefliger, Thomanerchor, Gewandhaus-Orchester, Rotzsch
Günther Ramin/Orgel Thomaskirche Leipzig 12cd 130DM 40.5 GBP
Kantaten BWV 1, 4, 10, 14, 21, 26, 29, 31, 36, 40, 50,
61, 66, 68, 71, 79, 80, 106, 110, 119, 134, 137, 140, 172, 173, 173a, 192, 198
Magnificat BWV 243 Auger, Schreier, Adam, Lorenz, Wenkel, Thomanerchor, Neues
Bachisches Collegium Musicum, Gewandhausorchester, Rotzsch 11cd, 130DM 40.5
GBP
ach,Johann Sebastian (1685-1750):
Leusink – 9.99GBP
Vol 1 BWV
16,33,37,42,56,61,72,80,82,97,113,132,133,170.
Vol 2 BWV
22,23,44,54,57,85,86,92,98,111,114,135,155,159,165,167,188.
Vol 3 - BWV
17,35,87,90,99,106,117,123,153,161,168,172,173,199
Vol 4 BWV
13,45,69,81,102,116,130,138,144,149,150,169,196
Vol 5 BWV
6,26,27,46,55,94,96,107,139,115,156,163,164,178,179
Vol 6 BWV
2,3,8,60,62,78,93,103,128,145,151,154,171,185,186,192
Vol 7 BWV
9,36,47,73,91,121,125,110,121,129,152,157,166,184,198
Vol 8 BWV
18,30,40,49,79,84,88,89,100,108,136,140,176,187,194
Gardiner:
DGG Archiv Kantaten
BWV 106,118,198
Kantaten
BWV 11,37,43,128
Huggett:
Virgin
Veritas Kantaten BWV 51,82,199
Virgin
Veritas Kantaten BWV 84,202,209
Virgin
Veritas 2CD Kantaten BWV
51,82,84,199,202,209
Kuijken:
Accent ACC9395D Kantaten
BWV 49,58,82 CD 37.95 DM 11.85GBP 9.99 GFAS
Magnificat
+ BWV 21 Bekummerniss EX!
Herreweghe: Harmonia Mundi www.
Veritas5617212 Kantaten
BWV 39,73,93,105,107,131 2 CD 49.95
DM 15.6 GBP
Kantaten
BWV 39,93,107 CD 39.95 DM
12.5 GBP Ö, x, x
Kantaten
BWV 73,105,131 CD 39.95 DM
12.5 GBP Ö, Ö Ö, Ö
>HMX 2951659 Kantaten BWV 8,125,138 Mit Fried CD 19.95 DM 6.24 GBP Ö, Ö ,
Ö
>HMX 2951328 Kantaten BWV 21 & 42 Bekummerniss CD 23.95 DM 7.5 GBP Ö Ö,
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>HMC 901644 Kantaten BWV 35, 54,170. Alto Scholl c-t GramEdCh 7.99 gbp
CDSl Ö ,Ö+, Ö+ 4.99
>HMX 2951365 Kantaten BWV 56,82,158 Bass CD
23.95 DM 7.5 GBP ÖÖ, Ö Ö, Ö