The Bach Cantatas

[jlaurson]

Hey Jens!

Are you deliberately NOT mentioning other member's recommendations .... like mine?

That is NOT very Christmas!

Yes and no... I was just being lazy and figured I'd give priority to my fat-headed opinion. I very much agree with your choices, though...

There is so much greatness out there, and within Bach's Cantatas...

I remember my father, in his later 40s, telling me that the older he got, the more he appreciated Bach... He didn't say: "at the expense of other composers", but even as a little lad I reckoned he meant something of a special relationship with Bach that he didn't have with other composers. (He wasn't very artsy, by the way... loved classical music and such, but he was essentially blue collar; a test pilot, although that almost makes it sound too fancy. An engineer at heart, and happiest in his tool-shop, fixing a glider flyer's canopy and listening to the classical channel on the tube radio. But I digress very considerably. I meant to say that I'm already feeling the same sentiment toward Bach, and have, for the last ten years. As much as I'm a classical music omnivore, Bach gives me something that's greater than anything else... and the Cantatas (after initially being the less interesting stuff for me) principally among his works. A line of introduction I sometimes use is: The only thing I love more than music is food. And the only thing I love more than food is Bach.
All by way of saying: If I recommended one Bach Cantata disc over any other, it would be this:




J.S.Bach
Cantatas BWV 12, 38, 75,
P. Herreweghe / Collegium Vocale Ghent
C.Sampson, M.Padmore, D.Taylor, P.Kooy
Harmonia Mundi



"Weinen, Klagen..."—Herreweghe's New Bach


As per Gardiner's Pigrimage series, which I like to like more than I do, these two links referred to three albums that were among the first to be released on the then-new SDG label.
I still just LOVE holding them in my hand. All my criticism aside, I will get the few copies necessary to complete my collection of that series.

This may also be of help:

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/08/dip-your-ears-no-40.html

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/06/dip-your-ears-no-35.html

Oh, and I also found this, just now... going through old posts and sprucing them up, graphically: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/11/birth-of-bwv-1127.html

[milk]

Yes and no... I was just being lazy and figured I'd give priority to my fat-headed opinion. I very much agree with your choices, though...

There is so much greatness out there, and within Bach's Cantatas...

I remember my father, in his later 40s, telling me that the older he got, the more he appreciated Bach... He didn't say: "at the expense of other composers", but even as a little lad I reckoned he meant something of a special relationship with Bach that he didn't have with other composers. (He wasn't very artsy, by the way... loved classical music and such, but he was essentially blue collar; a test pilot, although that almost makes it sound too fancy. An engineer at heart, and happiest in his tool-shop, fixing a glider flyer's canopy and listening to the classical channel on the tube radio. But I digress very considerably. I meant to say that I'm already feeling the same sentiment toward Bach, and have, for the last ten years. As much as I'm a classical music omnivore, Bach gives me something that's greater than anything else... and the Cantatas (after initially being the less interesting stuff for me) principally among his works. A line of introduction I sometimes use is: The only thing I love more than music is food. And the only thing I love more than food is Bach.
All by way of saying: If I recommended one Bach Cantata disc over any other, it would be this:




J.S.Bach
Cantatas BWV 12, 38, 75,
P. Herreweghe / Collegium Vocale Ghent
C.Sampson, M.Padmore, D.Taylor, P.Kooy
Harmonia Mundi



"Weinen, Klagen..."—Herreweghe's New Bach


As per Gardiner's Pigrimage series, which I like to like more than I do, these two links referred to three albums that were among the first to be released on the then-new SDG label.
I still just LOVE holding them in my hand. All my criticism aside, I will get the few copies necessary to complete my collection of that series.

Oh, and I also found this, just now... going through old posts and sprucing them up, graphically: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/11/birth-of-bwv-1127.html

Well, I felt obliged to purchase this since you've recommended it so highly. I went a little nuts recently. Having been disappointed by the mistake on the kuijken download, I also purchased Suzuki's recording with 35. I guess I just bought about 8 hours of cantatas. It was binge buying brought on by Christmas melancholia. I offer a bittersweet thanks. There's a little bitterness now when I look at the expense. But I trust there will be much sweetness down the line.   

[Coopmv]

Any other fans of this set? Some of my all time favorite non-HIP Bach.

[asin]B000024M87[/asin]

This set may have been re-issued under Decca since all Philips recordings have gone out of print a year or two ago ...

[Octave]

I love that one, too!  I think, at least in N. America, the Winschermann/Philips cantatas set is only available "new" as a burned-to-order CDR edition from Arkiv Music.  I do hope I get a chance to own a real-CD copy of it someday, though; I am perhaps superstitiously iffy about paying full price for CDRs.

[Marc]

Quickly jumping in to mention Gardiner and his Pilgrimage series, which was performed/recorded (and at least the SDG portion released) in order of the liturgical season, thereby grouping each Sunday's cantatas (or Feast day when appropriate) together on one disc.  Herreweghe did this for Christmas and Advent, but not for most of the rest of the year.  (Koopman did as Gardiner did, but I don't have anything from his cycle(s).  Any other conductor organize their recordings this way?)

I believe Gardiner re-issued all the Christmas cantatas in a single set just in time for this Christmas.

Concerning Koopman: like Suzuki, he's (more or less) following the chronological order, not the liturgical.
But there are also 2 compilation boxsets with Christmas and Easter cantatas.

Kuijken, in his not-complete series, is a bit like Gardiner: for each and every disc he selected a specific time in the liturgical year.

[kishnevi]

Concerning Koopman: like Suzuki, he's (more or less) following the chronological order, not the liturgical.
But there are also 2 compilation boxsets with Christmas and Easter cantatas.

Are you aware of these (and a few others with similar covers) issues from 2008?


[Note to Amazon Marketplace seller:  No, I am not paying $696.98US plus $2.98 shipping and handling for an integral cantata cycle, no matter how good it is!]

[Coopmv]

Are you aware of these (and a few others with similar covers) issues from 2008?


[Note to Amazon Marketplace seller:  No, I am not paying $696.98US plus $2.98 shipping and handling for an integral cantata cycle, no matter how good it is!]

These are included in that Channel Classics box, right?  The set was going for over $500 the last time I checked ...

I am happy with the Harnoncourt 60-CD set ...

[kishnevi]

These are included in that Channel Classics box, right?  The set was going for over $500 the last time I checked ...

I am happy with the Harnoncourt 60-CD set ...

It's now at that ~$700 price I mentioned on Amazon MP (US). 
I have Harnoncourt/Leonhardt;  Rilling (which I have yet to listen to; it's in the Hanssler box); and Gardiner's almost complete set (between the DG budget box and the SDG issues).  Unless it's re-issued a lot more cheaply, the Koopman cycle will not be coming to my shelves anytime soon.

[Marc]

Are you aware of these (and a few others with similar covers) issues from 2008?


[Note to Amazon Marketplace seller:  No, I am not paying $696.98US plus $2.98 shipping and handling for an integral cantata cycle, no matter how good it is!]

Yes. A handful of re-issues (and yes, based on the liturgical year ), taken from (as Coop suggested) from his earlier integral. Originally, this integral was based on chronological order.

[Coopmv]

It's now at that ~$700 price I mentioned on Amazon MP (US). 
I have Harnoncourt/Leonhardt;  Rilling (which I have yet to listen to; it's in the Hanssler box); and Gardiner's almost complete set (between the DG budget box and the SDG issues).  Unless it's re-issued a lot more cheaply, the Koopman cycle will not be coming to my shelves anytime soon.

I have the SMP by Koopman on DVD and that may be it for me.  It is difficult to spend $700 on another complete Bach Cantatas set ...

[milk]

I noticed today that La Petite Bande has a youtube channel (with only five hundred and something subscribers). One can watch
some of their performances of Cantatas (among other things):
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lapetitebande
I Also noticed (on their webpage) that they are losing all of their funding from the Flemish government. 

[Wakefield]

I noticed today that La Petite Bande has a youtube channel (with only five hundred and something subscribers). One can watch
some of their performances of Cantatas (among other things):
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lapetitebande
I Also noticed (on their webpage) that they are losing all of their funding from the Flemish government.

Thanks, milk. 572 subscribers are really few.

Talking about cantatas, the J. S. Bach-Stiftung channel on YouTube is also very interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Bachstiftung

It's full of 10/10 interpretations. 

[HIPster]

Thank you milk and Gordon, for those links!

Cheers!

[Coopmv]

I noticed today that La Petite Bande has a youtube channel (with only five hundred and something subscribers). One can watch
some of their performances of Cantatas (among other things):
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lapetitebande
I Also noticed (on their webpage) that they are losing all of their funding from the Flemish government.

Looks like most folks are broke except the bankers and their buddies ...   

[HIPster]

I noticed today that La Petite Bande has a youtube channel (with only five hundred and something subscribers). One can watch
some of their performances of Cantatas (among other things):
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lapetitebande
I Also noticed (on their webpage) that they are losing all of their funding from the Flemish government.

Did any of you receive a recent email from La Petite Band?  There is a book/CD subscription thingy set up to make up for the loss in funding.  Probably out of my league, but looks very cool.

*Bingo* Coopmv. . .

[milk]

During the last couple of months I've been trying to become familiar with Bach's cantatas. I've been listening to cycles from Herreweghe, Suzuki, and Kuijken among others. I've finally figured out that I like Kuijken best. I guess I almost always prefer intimacy to grandeur. But now I read that this cycle has been cancelled. Is this true? I'm really disappointed if this is true. They were just getting started really.   

[The new erato]

During the last couple of months I've been trying to become familiar with Bach's cantatas. I've been listening to cycles from Herreweghe, Suzuki, and Kuijken among others. I've finally figured out that I like Kuijken best. I guess I almost always prefer intimacy to grandeur. But now I read that this cycle has been cancelled. Is this true? I'm really disappointed if this is true. They were just getting started really.   

I don't think it ever was meant to be a cycle.

[jlaurson]

During the last couple of months I've been trying to become familiar with Bach's cantatas. I've been listening to cycles from Herreweghe, Suzuki, and Kuijken among others. I've finally figured out that I like Kuijken best. I guess I almost always prefer intimacy to grandeur. But now I read that this cycle has been cancelled. Is this true? I'm really disappointed if this is true. They were just getting started really.   

Cancelled? They finished, I think, what they had set out to do: A "one-liturgical-year" cycle of Bach's cantatas. Although it's certainly good enough to make one wistful about whatever they didn't include. I love it, myself, wrong-headed OVPP and all. 

[milk]

Cancelled? They finished, I think, what they had set out to do: A "one-liturgical-year" cycle of Bach's cantatas. Although it's certainly good enough to make one wistful about whatever they didn't include. I love it, myself, wrong-headed OVPP and all. 

Oh, I see. Right. Perhaps this is incorrectly stated by Brian Wilson of Musicweb (if the water was already drained...):

"With one cantata for each Sunday of the year under his belt, it appears that Sigiswald Kuijken and Accent have now pulled the plug on the project; if so, they've gone out in style."

Well, yeah, regardless of whether or not OVPP is historically correct, I love it (but I like Schoonderwoerd's Beethoven as
well). It took me a while to figure out what I like best with the cantatas. Am I correct in saying that Kuijken also doesn't put the non-vocal musical instruments in the background as much as other recordings? Or is that a natural effect of OVPP? Well, there is much music to enjoy with the 15 releases. Still, I was hoping to also have some more of the "big hits." So, I have the Rifkin recording. Any other recommendations for OVPP?

[The new erato]

Cancelled? They finished, I think, what they had set out to do: A "one-liturgical-year" cycle of Bach's cantatas. Although it's certainly good enough to make one wistful about whatever they didn't include. I love it, myself, wrong-headed OVPP and all. 

So now there's time for a cheap box !