Your Favorite Bach Cantatas Conductors

[Don]

Pick any three, and sorry if I left out a favorite of yours.

My three picks are:  Gardiner, Suzuki and Herreweghe.

[Que]

Leonhardt & Harnoncourt - oldies still going strong.
Of the new bunch: Kuijken.

Q

[Harry Collier]

What happened to Philippe Pierlot, my current all-time favourite (three CDs to date)?

[Don]

What happened to Philippe Pierlot, my current all-time favourite (three CDs to date)?

I've added Pierlot but never heard of him except as a gamba player.  What label does he record Bach for?

[Mark]

Pick any three, and sorry if I left out a favorite of yours.

My three picks are:  Gardiner, Suzuki and Herreweghe.

Ditto.

[Harry]

Suzuki/Herreweghe/Gardiner

[Don]

Suzuki/Herreweghe/Gardiner

No, no, no.  It's Gardiner, Suzuki and Herreweghe.  How can you expect to succeed in life if you can't get the order right?

[Harry]

No, no, no.  It's Gardiner, Suzuki and Herreweghe.  How can you expect to succeed in life if you can't get the order right?

See, I always thought I was a complete failure! Thank you for clearing that up.
At least one thing solved in my life.

[beclemund]

My preference is the same as yours but only because it is all I know. Each of those three cycles (Suzuki, Gardiner and Herreweghe) began or were ongoing when my interest in music rekindled. Each of them include some very fine performances--so fine that I have had little desire to even look elsewhere.

[Don]

If I had made this a selection of 6 conductors, the remaining three would be Richter, Kuijken and Rifkin.

I am surprised that nobody has yet voted for Koopman.  He's not my cup of tea, but I did assume that he had strong following.

[val]

Harnoncourt, Leonhardt and Suzuki.

Karl Richter shows a great enthusiasm, and in general has better soloists, but he is heavy, massive, not very subtle and articulated. In his best moments however he reaches Harnoncourt's level.

[sunnyside_up]

I think I'm the only one so far who has voted for Coin. For those who haven't heard them, I highly recommend all 3 of his cantata CDs.

I also voted for Herreweghe and Gardiner, although there are none on the list I really dislike!

[Harry Collier]

I've added Pierlot but never heard of him except as a gamba player.  What label does he record Bach for?

Mirare (3 CDs to date). The CDs are characterised by a) really excellent instrumental playing b) excellent and accurate singing and c) an exemplary recording balance and perspective. Bach greatly benefits from all of these, but rarely gets them.

[Harry Collier]

I think I'm the only one so far who has voted for Coin. For those who haven't heard them, I highly recommend all 3 of his cantata CDs.

I second this. There is an admirable surge of really noteworthy Franco-Belgian baroque specialists in recent years.

[Tancata]

I haven't heard several of the conductors on the list, but my choices are Gardiner, Kuijken and Herreweghe. Suzuki and Junghanel (what little he's done) are very close contenders.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Herreweghe, Coin, Rilling.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Schreier ain't a half-bad Bach conductor...