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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The pilgrimage continues,
By GEORGE RANNIE "GWRJWMCL" (DENVER, COLORADO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Bach Cantatas, Vol. 24: Altenberg, Warwick (Audio CD)
Obviously I've, joined (by purchasing the recordings) John E. Gardiner's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage and I'm most certainly enjoying the journey. As I have expressed on this board regarding the two previous sets of this series, I'm enthralled in every way with these recordings. This third release (actually Volume 24) is no exception. Simply put, John Elliott Gardiner and his forces therein are stupendous in every way. It is extremely evident that Gardiner has worked very diligently in presenting these works. The results are superb. I own other "complete sets" of the cantatas; however, this new set, so far, really touches my very soul in ways that the other recordings have yet to do. Gardiner's approach has made me, keenly aware, once again, of the cantatas' rich musical beauties--I truly feel that they find dear ole Johann at his very best! As I've expressed in my reviews of the first two volumes, I don't look for religious edification from these works because really my main goal is to simply hear and enjoy Bach's musical genius in all its glory. Indeed these recordings exhibit in an extraordinary way Bach's compositional genius. (He certainly knew his "way around a choir loft!" composing some extraordinarily great music for same!) The choir, orchestra and the soloist in these recordings are outstanding! This Volume (24) certainly contains vast amounts of Johann Sebastian's glorious music exhibiting large amounts of beautiful music performed by all involved exquisitely. Just listen to the beginning of `Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" GORGEOUS! Disc one of Volume 24 finds Bach at his darkest, most sorrowful and most intense whereas, Disc two finds him at his most hopeful. Those moods are delivered by Gardiner and his forces splendidly. I must now praise especially some of the soloist in this Volume 24.I've notated on this board that I usually don't have too much of an appreciation or tolerance for the countertenor voice (o.k., "man your battle stations authenticity police"). However, Countertenors Robin Tyson and William Towers, in this recording, display very fine and easy on the (my) ear voices with nary a hoot in evidence. The other soloists are splendid too negotiating Bach's tricky vocal writing wonderfully, easily and tunefully displaying rich and full but flexible voices able to sing the ornamentation accurately and beautifully. The tenor soloist (Mark Padmore and James Gilchrist) are stupendous possessing beautiful flexible and when needed heroic voices! The orchestra and chorus are splendid also. The "original" instruments are played extremely well plus the chorus is (thank god) free of unchanged pubescent boys' voices using very young (boyish??) sounding women's voices very well; however they are indeed able to render Bach's vocal demands effortlessly. The recording is great exhibiting a clear and warm sound. Although taped in front of an audience, I was not aware of that fact-I heard not a peep from the people in attendance (obviously the audience was extremely healthy with no colds or influenza. (Not a cough or sneeze to be heard!) The CDs are enclosed in a very informative booklet with loads of in depth notes by Gardiner himself outlining the background of the recordings and his thoughts on performing Bach's cantatas plus the history of the cantatas in Volume 24. If you want to hear some really glorious Bach performed masterfully, buy this edition of Gardiner's pilgrimage. Note: The highlight, for me, of Volume 24 is the Sinfonia in Tract 14 of the 1st disc. Bach used this in one of his harpsichord concertos except here we have an organ instead of the harpsichord. The organist and Gardiner's forces give it a wonderfully fearce reading (The organist is "on fire" I bet smoke was coming out of the pipes)--it's just good I was not in the audiance when this was recorded because I might have been inclined to stand up at the end of this sinfonia and shout Bravo!The audience would no doubt have thrown objects at me. It really is an exciting performance!! (for details of what's contained in Volume 24 go to the previous reviewer-he has done a superlative job of listing the contents therein)
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cantatas on Discs.,
This review is from: Bach Cantatas, Vol. 24: Altenberg, Warwick (Audio CD)
This really isn't a review but more of a helper for potential buyers. Included is a list of the cantatas contained on this set (since Amazon.com only lists them by their name and not BWV #).The recording is Gardiner's usual high quality, meticulous work. You will not be disappointed with the sound (however, personally, I think Gardiner takes the trumpet pieces a smidge too fast). Cantatas contained on this set: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12 Ihr werdet weinen und heulen, aber die Welt wird sich Freuen, BWV 103 Es ist euch gut, das ich hingehe, BWV 108 Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut, BWV 117 Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen, BWV 146 Wo gehest du hin?, BWV 166
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
DAS IST WOHLGETAN,
By DAVID BRYSON (Glossop Derbyshire England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Bach Cantatas, Vol. 24: Altenberg, Warwick (Audio CD)
What God has done is done well. What Bach has done in the name of God's greater honour and glory is not badly done either, and what John Eliot Gardiner's `pilgrimage' series of the Bach cantatas is continuing to do is to bring our musical culture abreast of this parade of musical sublimity. As a rule I am not myself one for complete sets. We can hardly move for complete sets of the Beethoven sonatas although I am innocent of them, but the Bach cantatas, an even greater achievement in my own opinion, are only gradually becoming familiar to the musical public, and that is why I am systematically collecting the series.Each issue in this great programme is accompanied by a long and deep essay by Gardiner himself, together with a shorter contribution by one of the other participants. In many cases Gardiner's colleagues tell us how they - professional musicians conversant with the early 18th century - were literally learning the music as they went along. Each issue has to be assessed separately of course, but this pilgrimage has an atmosphere about it, not easy to describe but not difficult to grasp. Consistency of style can be taken for granted obviously, but the atmosphere that I am talking about is one of palpable commitment and even devotion to what they are about. What the musicians were learning they were learning eagerly, and I for one am just as eager to learn it from them. Welcome to any newcomers to the pilgrimage, for whose benefit let me summarise briefly what its veterans already know. The year 2000 saw the 250th anniversary of Bach's death, and throughout the year Gardiner and his travelling players and singers performed all the extant cantatas of Bach, on the liturgical dates for which they were written, at a variety of locations on both sides of the Atlantic. What we have here are the works for the 3rd and 4th Sundays after Easter. The texts for the former lay stress on the need to persevere through a vale of tears in order to attain ultimate salvation, in the latter case the tone becomes more upbeat although there is a strain of anxiety in the injunctions to keep to the true path before the last cantata resolves the doubts in a more festive song of praise. There is great sadness and awe in the first chorus of all, a well-known masterpiece, but for me the predominant tone of Bach's religious music is one of serene and untroubled faith. As frequently, I have no real reservations about this release. All the singing, choral as well as solo, is admirable both for sense of style and for technical accomplishment, although you are not going to find a soprano solo in the chorale Ich bitte dich in BWV 166. The playing on period instruments is exemplary too, and this time we have a special bonus in that quarter. There is a magnificent organ voluntary on a particularly magnificent organ (one known to Bach himself) at the start of BWV 146, and the note writer here is Silas John Standage who had the honour and thrill of playing it. You will likely know the music better in its other surviving incarnation as the keyboard concerto in D minor. Also as nearly always, the recording is beautifully and sensitively calibrated (to use a word currently in vogue) to the scale and idiom of the music. Bach inscribed his MSS `SDG', which is Soli Deo Gloria, or `Honour to God Alone.' I hope there is no impiety in suggesting that Bach deserves some credit too: he was born with the genius, but he did an unholy amount of hard work to perfect it. Among the performing artists the only omission from my list is the director himself, doubtless as modest as was the composer, so let me submit my own tribute to what he has achieved here. One of the best among the offerings released so far.
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