The Bach Cantatas

[milk]

I've been listening to this. This is a wonderful recording with wonderful cantatas, full of life, grandeur and beauty.

[71 dB]

I've been listening to this. This is a wonderful recording with wonderful cantatas, full of life, grandeur and beauty.

I bet. I really like Ricercar Consort and Mirare as a label.  0:)

[milk]

Unashamedly and unapologetically Richter and Rilling. I cherish the box sets I have of both those conductors. With the exception of Suzuki and some Gardiner here and there, HIP doesn't do it for me.

I just love the sound of baroque - unless we're talking about abstract work like Bach's keyboard oeuvre. Maybe i'll try a non-HIP cantata some day. I revel in the sound of the baroque baroque world - baroque instruments and the way they're played. I'm not sure I could sit through a modern version of a cantata.

[milk]

How do you know it's Baroque? HIP is as much 20th century modernism as anything. Which is not to say it can't be interesting as *one* possible approach. But it isn't the only "real" way.

I'm not really interested in what's "real," and arguments about whether or not current representations of the baroque match what things may have sounded like are certainly lively. I can only have a degree of confidence that the word is meaningful. I have some level of confidence that Bach's music played by a leading HIP orchestra sounds more like it did in 1720 than it does by most modern orchestras that might stick a Brandenburg before a Beethoven symphony. But if I'm wrong, it doesn't matter to me much. I like the sound of gamba. I like the sound of baroque violins and cellos, etc., the way they're played today by leading HIP performers. It's not ideological; I just love the aesthetic, the style, etc. But I still keep my ears open and try to be sensitive to a sound I might enjoy, wherever it comes from. But I can't really help it if I'm very turned off vibrato in violin playing, for example. It's a subjective taste thing. Whether or not what the research and technology and interpretation has produced, vis a vis playing the music, is authentically historical, isn't very important in the end - though to me it's the real innovation. If you want to call it modern, instead of innovative, that doesn't effect me.

[DavidW]

Unashamedly and unapologetically Richter and Rilling. I cherish the box sets I have of both those conductors. With the exception of Suzuki and some Gardiner here and there, HIP doesn't do it for me.

I also love those conductors, especially Richter.  Richter and Rilling represented the first steps towards HIP.  They deliberately tried to move away from the romanticized big band approach.  They might sound traditional compared to current PI recordings but that wasn't their intention.

Speaking of big band Bach, I recently relistened to Klemperer's Mass in B minor.  Klemperer absolutely loved that work and it truly shows in the performance.  It is not for most people on this thread, but if you haven't heard it you might enjoy it.

[Que]

I'm not really interested in what's "real," and arguments about whether or not current representations of the baroque match what things may have sounded like are certainly lively. I can only have a degree of confidence that the word is meaningful. I have some level of confidence that Bach's music played by a leading HIP orchestra sounds more like it did in 1720 than it does by most modern orchestras that might stick a Brandenburg before a Beethoven symphony. But if I'm wrong, it doesn't matter to me much. I like the sound of gamba. I like the sound of baroque violins and cellos, etc., the way they're played today by leading HIP performers. It's not ideological; I just love the aesthetic, the style, etc. But I still keep my ears open and try to be sensitive to a sound I might enjoy, wherever it comes from. But I can't really help it if I'm very turned off vibrato in violin playing, for example. It's a subjective taste thing. Whether or not what the research and technology and interpretation has produced, vis a vis playing the music, is authentically historical, isn't very important in the end - though to me it's the real innovation. If you want to call it modern, instead of innovative, that doesn't effect me.

It is hard to explain or to objectify, and we indeed don't have to.    But rest assured: I feel ya!

[prémont]

I'm not really interested in what's "real," and arguments about whether or not current representations of the baroque match what things may have sounded like are certainly lively. I can only have a degree of confidence that the word is meaningful. I have some level of confidence that Bach's music played by a leading HIP orchestra sounds more like it did in 1720 than it does by most modern orchestras that might stick a Brandenburg before a Beethoven symphony. But if I'm wrong, it doesn't matter to me much. I like the sound of gamba. I like the sound of baroque violins and cellos, etc., the way they're played today by leading HIP performers. It's not ideological; I just love the aesthetic, the style, etc. But I still keep my ears open and try to be sensitive to a sound I might enjoy, wherever it comes from. But I can't really help it if I'm very turned off vibrato in violin playing, for example. It's a subjective taste thing. Whether or not what the research and technology and interpretation has produced, vis a vis playing the music, is authentically historical, isn't very important in the end - though to me it's the real innovation. If you want to call it modern, instead of innovative, that doesn't effect me.

I feel in the same way and could not have put it better than you.

[milk]

It is hard to explain or to objectify, and we indeed don't have to.    But rest assured: I feel ya!

I feel in the same way and could not have put it better than you.

Thanks for the comments!

Oh and I do prefer the sound of the Baroque oboe.
But I just canNOT abide countertenors.

I'm trying to learn to like countertenors. Kuijken doesn't use countertenors in his series BTW.

[Papy Oli]

Over the last fortnight, I have finally completed my first traversal of the liturgical year with the JSB Cantatas. I managed to follow the calendar religiously (ahem..  ) for nearly 10 months then a classical hiatus threw a spanner into the works, meaning the last 3-4 weeks were more random listening and a case of getting joyously over the line. In that time, I have completed the Gardiner SDG cycle, the Kuijken partial cycle and all the Herreweghe recordings on Harmonia Mundi.

Needless to say, It has been an extremely rewarding and enriching experience. One I look forward to continue in one way or an other in a few weeks time with Harnoncourt/Leonhardt, Rilling and Werner, cycles I have hardly dug into yet.  Might go in BWV order this time or just sporadically focusing more closely on particular cantatas as and when I dive into Gardiner's book. We'll see.

My thanks again to the historical contributors in this thread, which has been of great help. A special hat-tip also to Aligreto/Fergus for his guidance and pointers early on this time last year and along the way.

It took me 17 years to "get him" but my classical listening life is all the richer with some JS Bach in it.

[aligreto]

Over the last fortnight, I have finally completed my first traversal of the liturgical year with the JSB Cantatas. I managed to follow the calendar religiously (ahem..  ) for nearly 10 months then a classical hiatus threw a spanner into the works, meaning the last 3-4 weeks were more random listening and a case of getting joyously over the line. In that time, I have completed the Gardiner SDG cycle, the Kuijken partial cycle and all the Herreweghe recordings on Harmonia Mundi.

Needless to say, It has been an extremely rewarding and enriching experience. One I look forward to continue in one way or an other in a few weeks time with Harnoncourt/Leonhardt, Rilling and Werner, cycles I have hardly dug into yet.  Might go in BWV order this time or just sporadically focusing more closely on particular cantatas as and when I dive into Gardiner's book. We'll see.

My thanks again to the historical contributors in this thread, which has been of great help. A special hat-tip also to Aligreto/Fergus for his guidance and pointers early on this time last year and along the way.

It took me 17 years to "get him" but my classical listening life is all the richer with some JS Bach in it.

Well done Olivier, on finally finishing your project. You were so admirable in your enthusiasm, which was infectious, once the flame was lit that it was my pleasure to work with you. Best of luck in any future listening project with regard to this music. I am sure that it is a flame that will not be extinguished. 

[Papy Oli]

Well done Olivier, on finally finishing your project. You were so admirable in your enthusiasm, which was infectious, once the flame was lit that it was my pleasure to work with you. Best of luck in any future listening project with regard to this music. I am sure that it is a flame that will not be extinguished. 

It's been fun and it will be fun again. Bach is definitely not just for Christmas   

[DavidW]

Fantastic!  I love Bach's cantatas and listen to them regularly.