Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh - conductor - Johann Sebastian Bach - Missa Epifania (2 CDs)
Артист: Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh - conductor
Альбом: Johann Sebastian Bach - Missa Epifania (2 CDs), 2007
Издатель: Classic Voice / TVO 103/07
Жанр: Classical
Формат файла: EAC / FLAC / CUE / LOG
Ссылка: CD
Нахождение: Torrent

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

Missa Epifania (2 CDs)


Label: Classic Voice, TVO 103/07
Year: 2007



Performer:
Gabrieli Consort and Players

Paul McCreesh - conductor


It seems obvious that Bach's sacred music and organ works were written for church services, yet we listen to them almost exclusively as disembodied concert pieces. Luckily, Paul McCreesh makes a specialty of remedying this; here, for the first time on any commercial recording, he's placed Bach's music into the order of service (in this case, for the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day) from Bach's own church in Leipzig. For that reason alone, this is an important release; as usual with these performers, it's thrilling music-making as well. McCreesh uses very small forces in the vocal works--usually one singer per part and never more than two--yet the performance never feels underpowered. Quite the contrary: the opening chorus of cantata no. 180, for example, gets a good-humored, jaunty swing; the Kyrie of the Missa builds from gentle grace into magnificence, while the Gloria sounds deliriously joyful (with ferocious horn playing). What's more, listeners familiar with these works may hear a lot of instrumental detail that's usually obscured by a larger choir. The singers acquit themselves well in the "choruses"; while countertenor Angus Davidson doesn't sound quite up to the breathless "Quoniam" in the Missa, the other soloists are very good indeed, particularly the nimble tenor Charles Daniels. It's a pleasure to hear Bach's organ music brought together with his cantatas, and the two organists even improvise (as Bach did) brief flourishes between each line of the hymns. Which brings us to the performance's one flaw: the congregational hymn-singing, so exciting on this group's Praetorius recording, can get a bit tedious here. Don't let that put you off, though (CD players have "skip" buttons, after all)--even by McCreesh's formidable standards, this is one fabulous record. - Matthew Westphal


J.S. Bach's "Epiphany" Mass, written for a Lutheran church in Leipzig, is a prime example of non-Catholic ecclesiastical music. Profoundly reverent without the flourishing pomp of the Catholic masses, the "Epiphany" Mass gave Bach the opportunity to work with subtlety.
This recording, made with authentic period instruments, captures the likely spirit and sound of the original performance (circa 1740). The complex vocal performances layer the proceedings with rich textures of harmony. Excellent featured singers such as soprano Ann Monoyios and tenor Charles Daniels provide the lead, and the Congregational Choirs of Freiburg and Dresden provide the muscle. When the deep tones of the Oehme organ are introduced, the human component of the composition is reinforced.


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