Music : Bach: Magnificat; Easter Oratorio |
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Rating: - * The Extreme End of the Minimalist Spectrum: The Purity of Bach ... Andrew Parrott conducts the Taverner Consort and Players is a very affordable set of discs that allow everyone to experience the 'non-choral' choral Bach. Instead of the usual chorus (even the pared down choruses of 16 - 30 members the way most 'authentic' performances use) the works are assigned to one person per part. The result is light, airy, transparent, and very lovely Bach. Case in point: for the Magnificat 'for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo' in D major, Parrott conducts or rather inspires Emily van Evera, Evelyn Tubb, Taverner Consort and Players, Howard Crook, Caroline Trevor, Simon Grant in a new way to hear this gracious work. That Bach can be interpreted in so many ways gives credence to his importance in musical history. This performance, as pure and gracious as it is and a wonderfully fresh way to hear the work, is not the only 'authentic' way to hear Magnificat. In a stunning recent performance with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Bernard Labadie and his own La Chapelle de Quebec (30 members strong) and soloists Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Brett Polegato, James Taylor, and Mary Wilson the Magnificat offered was another 'option' used in Bach's time: four German Christmas carols were inserted between pertinent movements the way Bach made the work 'German' in his Leipzig Lutheran performances of his day. Another wholly satisfying and refreshing way to enjoy this great work. Parrott does make his case for the single voice per part in the other works on this set with exquisite readings of the Ascension Oratorio, with Wilfried Jochens, Stephen Charlesworth, Evelyn Tubb, Emma Kirkby, and Margaret Cable, the 'Cantata No. 50 and Cantata No. 4 (Christ lag in Todes Banden) with Emily van Evera, Charles Daniels, David Thomas, and Caroline Trevor, and the 'Easter Oratorio' with Emily van Evera, Charles Daniels, Caroline Trevor, and Peter Kooy. Every Bach lover should include this set in the library. It is yet another way to hear the Master's works in as pure a state as possible! Grady Harp, December 06 Rating: - * Simply wonderful ... All my reservations I had against Parrott in Bach are completely gone with these discs. I did like his Mass in B, but I found it at the same time a bit too fast paced and lightweight in the sound of both orchestra and singers and the recording itself sounds a bit thin too. Then I got Parrott's St. John which I like very, very much and which is my favorite St. John along with Gardiner's and Herreweghe's 1st recording (haven't heard his 2nd yet). The recording has much more substance and the orchestra has more weight. Now, these performances of Magnificat, Ascension Oratorio and Easter Oratorio are truly wonderful. The Magnificat is rather on the fast side, I prefer Herreweghe, but the equal attention Parrott gives to his orchestra and singers, just like Herreweghe, I like very much. The sound is solid, warm and natural. Parrott is more expressive than Herreweghe, thanks to his one voice per part reading I suppose, it sounds more enthusiastic and spontane. The Easter Oratorio is more sensible paced and is very similar to Herreweghe's pacing, although "Sanfte soll mein Todeskummer" is taken too fast by Parrott, Herreweghe I like better and his orchestral accompaniment too, which is unearthy sounding in its polish and repeating figures. Solists are great and I prefer Emily van Evera for Parrott over Herreweghe's Barbara Schlick. I don't miss a bigger force (choir) at all, the Easter Oratorio as a whole I like better the way Parrott (and his 'one voice per part' method) performs it than Herreweghe - with the exception of "Sanfte soll..." Simply wonderful. Rating: - * One-Voice-Per-Part At It's Best ... I've never been a fan of Bach's works being performed One-Voice-Per-Part, until I listened to this recording. There is much to be praised about this recording. While I'd much prefer to hear the soprano and alto lines sung by trebles and boy altos or countertenors, the female singers here are superb. Emma Kirkby shines as usual. The Taverner Consort is very clean as well. The Magnificat is very good here. This is no quick-paced interpretation with an obviously minimalistic sound (like McCreesh's). It even has the fervor of a larger ensemble, surprisingly. I never thought an athletic movement such as the "Fecit Potentiam" could be pulled off using One Voice Per Part, but Andrew Parrot does it very well. BWV 4 is indeed taken surprisingly slowly, and I prefer the Konrad Junganel rendition on Harmonia Mundi much better. This Andrew Parrot rendition is well-done nonetheless, as I am a big fan of his alto-soprano duo. BWV 50 is also a rare surprise (It is, without a doubt, my favorite number on these discs). As a worthy finale to this two-disk set is "Preis Und Dank" from the Easter Oratorio. Highly reccomended. Rating: - * One of the finest Bach recordings in the catalog ... At the moment, this is my favorite Bach recording. I am a big fan of the one-voice-per-part approach ("OVPP"), and I truly feel that, where its use is appropriate, a small consort of voices offers better results than a traditional chorus (current evidence suggests that OVPP was likely used at least in Bach's early cantatas and in Passions). If you listen to this recording with an open mind, you might be able to recognize the merits of this approach: clarity of lines, better balance between the vocalists and the instrumentalists, and a potential for a finer insight into the meaning of the text. Some tempo issues aside, this recording is nearly as good as they come (besides, tempi are, to some extent, a matter of personal preference). Andrew Parrott's direction is generally well judged, and the cast he assembled is superb. I particularly enjoyed the contributions of Charles Daniels (one of my favorite tenors) and Caroline Trevor. I have to admit to a bit of a bias in favor of male altos, but Caroline Trevor is so superb that few countertenors can compare. Her Saget, saget, mir geschwinde, for instance, is definitely the best I've heard. --gggimpy@yahoo.com |
A book that binds readers of great literature, The English Patient garnered the Booker Prize for author Ondaatje. The poet and novelist has also written In the Skin of a Lion, Coming Through Slaughter and The Collected Works of Billy the Kid; two collections of poems, The Cinnamon Peeler and There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do; and a memoir, Running in the Family.
