Bach's Bungalow

Started by aquablob, April 06, 2007, 02:42:33 PM

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Bulldog

Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 18, 2011, 09:05:31 AM
Working on my traversal of the complete works of Bach.  I'm up to BWV 3.   ;D  Seriously, that is a fine piece, particularly the duet for soprano and alto (I think, maybe two sopranos) with oboe d'amore.  Astonishing counterpoint among those two voices.   I'm listening to Rilling.  What is the finest recorded performance of that piece?

I favor Suzuki's recording, especially for the bass aria sung by Peter Kooij.  Concerning the aria for soprano and ato, I should relate that Suzuki's pacing is much quicker than Rilling (some folks might not like that).  My problem with Rilling is his use of modern instruments; just doesn't have the bite of period instruments.  Gardiner's is also a fine account.

Scarpia

Quote from: Bulldog on March 18, 2011, 10:30:34 AM
I favor Suzuki's recording, especially for the bass aria sung by Peter Kooij.  Concerning the aria for soprano and ato, I should relate that Suzuki's pacing is much quicker than Rilling (some folks might not like that).  My problem with Rilling is his use of modern instruments; just doesn't have the bite of period instruments.  Gardiner's is also a fine account.

I agree, I would also prefer original instruments.  If there were a complete set (without boy sopranos) that I could have gotten for even twice what I paid for the Hanssler complete Bach edition I would have gone for it.  But these Hanssler recordings have enough clarity of texture (despite the modern instruments) that I can appreciate the music.  My plan is to pick up individual HIP recordings when I come across pieces I particularly like in Rilling's set.

While we are on the topic, what do people think of the Leusing cantata cycle from Brilliant classics?

Bulldog

Quote from: Il Barone Scarpia on March 18, 2011, 10:54:40 AM
I agree, I would also prefer original instruments.  If there were a complete set (without boy sopranos) that I could have gotten for even twice what I paid for the Hanssler complete Bach edition I would have gone for it.  But these Hanssler recordings have enough clarity of texture (despite the modern instruments) that I can appreciate the music.  My plan is to pick up individual HIP recordings when I come across pieces I particularly like in Rilling's set.

While we are on the topic, what do people think of the Leusing cantata cycle from Brilliant classics?

It's fairly good, nothing more.  By the way, Leusink uses boy sopranos.

Scarpia

Quote from: Bulldog on March 18, 2011, 11:03:36 AM
It's fairly good, nothing more.  By the way, Leusink uses boy sopranos.

Blech!  (sorry, couldn't restrain myself)

premont

Quote from: Bulldog on March 18, 2011, 11:03:36 AM
It's fairly good, nothing more.  By the way, Leusink uses boy sopranos.

In the choir only. Not as soloists.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Scarpia

#285
Listened to that soprano-alto duet in BWV 3 again.  I agree, a baroque oboe d'amore would have added some zest to the texture, but the two vocalists in Rilling's recording, Arleen Auger and Gabriele Schrechenbach, bring so much grace to this performance that it is hard to remember that it could have been  better.

Also listened to a bit of Trevor Pinnock's recording of the Goldberg variations on Archiv.  I agree the harpsichord brings a clarity to the texture that can't be achieved on piano, but I can only take about 10 minutes at a time before the ears start to complain.   :-\

jlaurson



Organic Bach
& other new Bach releases



http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=2890


Organ Works with Hansjörg Albrecht (Oehms), High-romantic pianism with Simone Dinnerstein (Sony), Partitas with Irma Issakadze (Oehms), Murray Perahia (Sony), Freddy Kempf (BIS), Jeremy Denk (Azica), and the Well Tempered Clavier (Book II) with Richard Egarr (Harmonia Mundi).

Opus106

Gregorians of the world, unite! It's 31st March.


Oh, and remember to poke fun at the Julians tomorrow.
Regards,
Navneeth

Coopmv

Quote from: James on April 23, 2011, 06:13:26 AM
MUSICAL OFFERING
In 1747 Bach, still with a reputation as a brilliant keyboard improviser, travelled to Potsdam at the request of King Frederick the Great of Prussia. He arrived in the evening just as the king (a talented flautist) was beginning his regular concert with his court musicians, among whom was Bach's second son Carl Philipp Emanuel. The older Bach requested a theme from the king on which he improvised a three-part fugue, later improvising a six-part fugue on a theme of his own devising. Back in Leipzig the king's theme was written up and extended into a work containing a three – and a six-part ricecar for keyboard, and a trio sonata in four movements for flute, violin and continuo, together with ten scholarly canons. The whole thing, lavishly printed, bound and presented to the king as a Musical Offering, can be seen as a sophisticated calling card – Bach flexing his musical and intellectual muscles with, perhaps, half an eye on a possible royal appointment.
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Jordi Savall's highly expressive recording commences with the brief "royal theme" on solo flute - an effective innovation, which has the effect of tuning your ear to the dazzling ingenuity with which Bach develops his material. Arranged so that the four-movement sonata forms the hub of the recital, the recording features two different versions of the mighty six-voice fugue (for solo harpsichord and, right at the end, for chamber ensemble).

But that was only three short years before he passed away at age 65.  People at Bach's time had much shorter life expectancy.

karlhenning

Opinions on the 14-CD organ works collection played by Simon Preston?

DavidW

Funny enough Karl, there is a dedicated Bach organ thread, you want to post there:

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=638.1180

:)

karlhenning

What, they're too snooty for the Bungalow? ; ) Thanks, Davey!

Antoine Marchand

Oh-My-God!



:o :o :o

Bach, Johann Sebastian - Sei Suonate (BWV 1014-1019, 1021)

François Fernandez, violon
Benjamin Alard, clavecin
Philippe Pierlot, bass de viole


Recorded in February 2009 - SKU: FLORA1909


Antoine Marchand

#293
I have also found this new Clavier-Übung II by Benjamin Alard (wrongly tagged as Le Clavier Bien Tempéré /Vol.2 on Amazon.fr):



Considering that Alard is also an organist, I suppose he will also record the German Organ Mass and the Goldbergs very soon. 

:)


Que

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on May 14, 2011, 09:16:31 AM
Oh-My-God!



:o :o :o

Bach, Johann Sebastian - Sei Suonate (BWV 1014-1019, 1021)

François Fernandez, violon
Benjamin Alard, clavecin
Philippe Pierlot, bass de viole


Recorded in February 2009 - SKU: FLORA1909

I beg of you - not so fast!  :D Fernandez' solo partitas & sonatas are still on my wishlist! :o

Were do you the stuff BTW, jpc?  :) It's a pretty expensive little label. ::)

Q

Coopmv

Quote from: ~ Que ~ on May 14, 2011, 09:42:10 AM
I beg of you - not so fast!  :D Fernandez' solo partitas & sonatas are still on my wishlist! :o

Were do you the stuff BTW, jpc?  :) It's a pretty expensive little label. ::)

Q

But not as expensive as those specially pressed Esoteric SACD's, made in Japan and licensed from DG.  One fellow member of another forum of which I am also a member routinely drop $50 per disc.  But he also has a $20K amplifier ... 

Antoine Marchand

#296
Quote from: ~ Que ~ on May 14, 2011, 09:42:10 AM
I beg of you - not so fast!  :D Fernandez' solo partitas & sonatas are still on my wishlist! :o

Were do you the stuff BTW, jpc?  :) It's a pretty expensive little label. ::)

Q

It's curious, this was my mental process:

1.- This Saturday morning it would be nice to listen to some of those Sonatas & Partitas by Fernandez.

2.- Oh, what beautiful performance!

3.- This guy comes from the same family as Leonhardt, Sigiswald, Pierlot, Foccroulle, Terakado... and (it was the last name in which I thought at that moment), Alard; yes, the young Alard (especially when he plays those beautiful organ trio sonatas recorded on Alpha).

4.- Then I thought: Will still be Flora Records in operations?

http://www.labelflora.net/

8)

Coopmv

Quote from: James on May 14, 2011, 10:19:40 AM
HARPSICHORD CONCERTOS
Most of Bach's concertos for one, two, three or four harpsichords started life in another form, usually as concertos for different instruments and in one case, the Concerto for Four Harpsichords, as a concerto by Vivaldi. In the process of taking music for a single-line instrument or instruments and transcribing it for the harpsichord - which can play polyphonically - Bach often completely changed the character of the pieces, making the textures denser and the elaboration of thematic ideas more complicated. Several of these harpsichord concertos were written for the Collegium Musicum of Leipzig, and would have been performed with Bach himself at the keyboard.

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In Trevor Pinnock's complete recording of the harpsichord concertos, dating from the early 1980s, the playing is very focused and forward-moving, with tempi sometimes extremely fast. With excellent co-soloists in the concertos for multiple harpsichord, and bright, vivid sound, this budget reissue represents excellent value.

I have a few versions of the Bach Concertos for 3 and 4 Harpsichords.  I also have a version by the AAM with Hogwood, a version by Helmut Rilling and his Bach-Collegium Stuttgart and a few other versions along with this version by Pinnock.  The following set is the latest version I purchased a few weeks ago ...


Que

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on May 14, 2011, 10:03:58 AM

4.- Then I thought: Will still be Flora Records in operations?

http://www.labelflora.net/

Their site actually improved a lot, but what terrible prices... ::) :)

Q

Antoine Marchand

Any idea about Barbara Klinkhammer's WTC?



http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Johann-Sebastian-Bach-1685-1750-Das-Wohltemperierte-Klavier-1/hnum/7345332



http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Johann-Sebastian-Bach-1685-1750-Das-Wohltemperierte-Klavier-2/hnum/8075879

I was listening to some excerpts on JPC and it sounds very promising in these ears... As usual, both volumes were realeased on two small and almost unfindable labels.