What are you listening to?

[Peter]

<I often think about how challenging it must be for younger artists to make recordings of the warhorses of the canon. How does one compete with the well regarded recordings of so many legends? Besides, how does a company market such artists. I think that the covers of cds occasionally are a bit too much at times (in particular female violinists and pianists). The Passion certainly has a large number of recordings to compete with. Jacobs probably has enough status to push for a recording of his own interpretation. I can see how he as an artist want to partake in making such a recording. Wouldn't most conductors (working in early music and baroque) want a try on such a crucial work?

Hmm, Harnoncourt made three recordings of the Passion, right? How do they compare with each other?>

They are completely different Peter. The first one was a voyage of discovery, when period performance was still in it´s infancy. What many people don´t know is that it´s not totally conducted by Harnoncourt. Sir David Willcocks conducted the choruses and Harnoncourt the arias, from the cello. Harnoncourt wisely thought that at the time he lacked the conducting experience for such a complex work, even though he had already recorded, and conducted the B minor Mass.
The second, a live recording with the Concertgebouw, was made to celebrate the 1985 Bach anniversary. By then period performance was well established and large-orchestra Bach was almost defunct. I think Harnoncourt wanted to show that modern orchestras could still perform baroque music if they follow some period manners.
The 2000 recording, was made when Harnoncourt felt he knew the work inside out, and he had a superb group of singers at his disposal. It´s like his testament for Bach, the sum of 70 years of experience.

Ah, so much to explore. Thank you for the comparison Jose. I do like the Bach cantatas performed by Harnoncourt quite a bit at this point in time. There is something quite different about the sound - a rougher edge - that I like. It seems like most everybody here have a fondness for Gardiner's approach to early music. I listened to a few of the Bach cantatas earlier today and thought they were crafted well, but the soundscape was a bit delicate and fragile with voices filling up a similar realm. I will give it a re-listen and ponder....

[Peter]

Listening to a disc[12] from Casals' "Festival at Prades" from 1956
Schumann: Adagio and Allegro for piano and cello op 70 Curzon/Casals
Schumann: String Quartet A minor op 41 Vegh Quartet
Schumann: String Quintet E major op 44 Serkin/Vegh Quartet

Wonderful music making. The quintet in particular is a gem to listen to over and over!!!!!

[Ciaran]

I pity record companies who have to record again and again the core repertoire to keep their artists happy. Harmonia Mundi already has 2 Matthäus-Passions from Philippe Herreweghe, but now that he left the label, René Jacobs insisted on his own recording, and since he is now unquestionably HM´s star conductor, the label obliged.
I don´t question he is entitled to one, since who can possibly know better the score? As a boy treble he sang in dozens of performances in Ghent, then as a countertenor he recorded the work both with Herreweghe in his first recording and then with Gustav Leonhardt. Now as a conductor he brings over half a century of experience in performing the vocal works of J. S. Bach.
And it is a very fine recording. Best of all is the superb playing of the Akademie für Alte Musik, gorgeous playing by any standard, and the singing of the RIAS Kammerchor is superb too. Here we get the full choir, Jacobs doesn´t buy the one-per part theory, and that still brings it´s own rewards, it´s a magnificent sound. Jacobs too brings his experience in opera to make the story of the Crucifixion vivid, dramatic and compelling, that may be the biggest difference with the more reserved recordings of Koopman, Kuijken and Herreweghe. Overall the singers are good, in the case of Bernarda Fink and Topi Lehtipuu much more than that.
The recording quality is state of the art, but there was a sound decision that may prove the most controversial issue of the recording: Jacobs believes that Bach wanted groups 1 and 2 not right and left as is the custom, and that is so convenient for stereophonic purposes, but front and back, so group 1 is well up front and group 2 is recorded very distant. This is not so damaging for the chorus but it is for the soloists. One gets used to it, but I believe the right and left disposition more sensible for recording purposes.
So a very fine Passion, it does not displace the Harnoncourt as #1, because that is just as well performed but rather better sung, as is McCreesh´s minimalist version, but I doubt anyone who buys the Jacobs is going to de disappointed.

I'd been toying with getting that one, but I have so many Matthew Passions already! I would certainly agree with Harnoncourt and McCreesh as the front-runners, so if Jacobs comes close to them then maybe I'll weaken and buy it! I'm interested that Harmonia Mundi have released this as an SACD (they used to release a lot of SACDs, but not lately): the surround-sound layer would give Jacobs's front-back dimension a chance to be heard. I can only listen to the stereo layer, so I'll never know! The presnce of Bernarda Fink is another sweetener!

[fergus]

I really like this version.

[Seán]

I really like this version.

Now that does interest me.

[fergus]

I really like this version.

Now that does interest me.

It is a very fine (live) performance Seán.

[fergus]

Walton's Cello Concerto....

[Jose Echenique]

Yesterday ensemble Modo Antiquo under their music director Federico Maria Sardelli performed here most of the program of this, their most recent cd. Sadly mezzo Ann Hallenberg didn´t come but was substituted by British soprano Nicki Kennedy.
It was a marvelous concert. The 2 gorgeous violin sonatas included here, were easily the best music of the program.

[Jared]

a very pleasant recording indeed; further more, it turns out that the Mezzo is Magdelena Kozena (!)

[Jared]