Customer Reviews

Bach - Christmas Oratorio / Gardiner

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This worthy performance of Bach's "Christmas Oratorio," recorded in 1987, further enhances John Eliot Gardiner's substantial discography of performances of Baroque, Classical, and Romantic masterworks. Very rarely does Gardiner turn in a lackluster performance, and this reading of the six-part Bach work sparkles. I cannot reconcile the criticism I read from another reviewer--that Gardiner turns the opening chorus of Part 1 into a "military march"--with what I hear on the recording; perhaps this reviewer was unaware that the chorus derives from the cantata "Toenet, ihr Pauken!", BWV 214 (where its opening words are "Sound, drums! Ring out, trumpets!"), so that any "military" quality he hears is what Bach wrote into the music. The soloists are uniformly good, especially mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and bass Olaf Bar, and the disk timings (73:01, 67:03) show that the buyer certainly gets his or her money's worth of music.

As far as the music itself, although, as indicated above, Bach did a fair amount of recycling (from BWV 213, 214, 215, and from the lost "St. Mark Passion" BWV 247 and a presumed lost cantata BWV 248a), the reused music is of the highest quality, and in certain cases Bach even seems to have had second thoughts and decided to write new movements for the "Oratorio" rather than add new texts to old movements. The result, of course, is up to Sebastian's usual magnificently-high standard.

If you are considering buying a recording of Bach's oratorio, I don't see how you can go wrong with Gardiner's rendition. Highly recommended.

By far the best performance on record, outstanding on all fronts (solo, choral, instrumental). To me, the old warhorse compared in the two-star review below doesn't even come close. It indicates that the reviewer is a traditionalist with a very fixed view, not at all in keeping with modern knowledge of period performance. These works weren't played in the overly reverent 19th century inflated grandiose manner (a manner from which Handel's "Messaih" has been finally rescued), but in a lively fashion. Gardiner might indeed push at the limits a bit (given the technical ability of the Monteverdi Choir in particular, who can blame him?), but in this version, to me he gets it dead right - a nicely-balanced performance which brings back the joy and exhilaration in a great piece of music.

...but you can't make it think? No, that's unkind and unmerited. Mr.Nielsen the warhorse man (neigh sayer?) clearly likes his Bach old-fashioned and warhorseish and that is his right. I have had the privilege of hearing Richter do this "live" with an equally stellar cast in the Kongressaal, Munich too many years ago. It was good, but more than ever I'm convinced that this is yesterday's Bach. I agree, Wunderlich et al have great voices - for opera. Bach did not have such voices, and his music is best served by lighter vibrato-free voices rather than ponderous bel canto styles. And I'm sorry, I cannot agree that the excellent young singers in the Gardiner version lack feeling in what they sing. And why shouldn't Bach be impressive? The city fathers at Leipzig would have wanted that. So, although there are other excellent performances (e.g., Pickett and Herreweghe - and I commend to Mr. Nielsen Eugen Jochum's verion as the best of the "Warhorse" versions), Gardiner still comes out tops.

It surprises me that a number of people here have given this splendid recording negative reviews, but that is , I guess, proof that people's tastes and expectations are different.

What I expect from any Bach performance by (Sir) John Eliot are forward-moving tempi when they need to move forward. Natural tempi in the slower music, always allowing the singers to breathe and phrase easily. I expect crisp, energetic articulation and immaculate intonation from the chorus, and snappy, alive playing from the orchestra. I also expect from Sir John a deep experience of what makes Bach's choral music "tick", what makes it sound best. I get all this in spades from this recording of this most delightful music. Additionally, I get an excellent group of soloists, one of whom, von Otter, is completely splendid.

Add to this an ideal sound balance in Archiv's terrific engineering, a most beautiful cover and a good price, what more can one ask for? Merry Christmas!

John Elliot Gardiner's work is usually impressive, but relies heavily on the quality of the musicians performing with him. The English Baroque Soloists with the Monteverdi Choir could arguably be the finest baroque ensemble anywhere. That doesn't go without mentioning Collegium Vocale Gent and Pilippe Herreweghe, who are equally impressive. Given the date of the recording (1987) and the development of early music performance practice at that time, Gardiner's interpretation is well within the historical context of Bach's music.

The balance between the choir and the orchestra and individualy within themselves is quite remarkable. The modest size of the choir blended with the authentic period instruments played by the orchestra create a crisp ensemble sound resulting in a refreshing contrast from other heavily orchestrated and muddier versions. Additional highlights include the accurate and inspiring interpretations by the soloists, especially by the young soprano Anne Sophie von Otter and bass Olaf Bar.

This disc is a bit of an oddity. I can give it a perfectly sincere recommendation, but I think I had better explain myself carefully, and explain exactly what I am recommending.

The spirit of the selection is much what you would expect in a disc entitled `Christmas Treats from JSB' or `Immortal Melodies from The Christmas Oratorio' or something of that sort. Bach's Christmas Oratorio is not an oratorio in the Handelian sense. In the 1720's Bach faithfully turned out a cantata for each Sunday and major feast, but in one particular year he elected to reprocess some of his older music, most of it secular originally, and string the numbers together for the entire festive season under the overall title of `Christmas Oratorio'. Borrowing, adaptation and recomposition of earlier music, sometimes one's own sometimes someone else's, was a standard practice at the time. Nobody saw anything wrong with it, and to this day neither do I. Neither Bach nor Handel can exactly be taxed with lack of original output in astonishing quantities, and it is not as if the recycling of the material was not quite a major task in its own right. The Christmas Oratorio is commonly viewed as a lesser work than the B minor Mass or the St Matthew Passion, and while I probably go along with that view to a certain extent, I don't do so for the reasons I usually see argued. The secular origin of the music is neither here nor there in my opinion - all Bach's music is explicitly written for the greater glory of God. Also, when I see this work compared to its disadvantage with the B minor Mass on grounds of recycling, I have to recall that the B minor Mass itself is made up of recycled material practically from start to finish.

To anyone who does not know the Christmas Oratorio and who may have been put off by any of this foolishness, my own advice is simply to ignore the whole fuss. What you will find in it is a set of Bach cantatas produced to the same astounding standard of inspiration, consistency and workmanship that you will find in any of the others. What makes this disc a one-off is first that everyone has taken advantage of the single series-title to pretend that the Christmas Oratorio is a single work like Messiah or the St Matthew Passion and extract a selection of goodies from it to make a single disc's-worth, leaving out the more workaday and `business' elements, notably recitatives. The engaging oddity to go along with this demotic proceeding is that the style is uncompromisingly severe, almost as if we were dealing with Bach's motets.

Nineteen numbers - solos (plus one with an echo-effect), a duet, a sinfonia and choruses both traditional and composed either wholly or over traditional material by Bach - have been selected. The four standard types of vocal soloist have been given work, and it is probably not a coincidence that there is no counter-tenor in a production like this. 20 years ago the `authentic' movement was starting to relax a little, but the instruments used here are uncompromisingly authentic, and so is the penchant for brisk speeds. By now I am so inured with this way of doing things that I adapt to it naturally, but readers of this notice should perhaps take warning from comments by other reviewers who are not so reconciled to the idiom. For me, the quickstep approach (even in 3-time as in the first two numbers) enhances the sublime sense of a march in Bach's wonderful polyphony, but I'm not you. One thing that ought to be a bonus for any listener is the quality of some of the instrumental work at this pace. I looked to see in particular who was the trumpeter - yes, you've guessed: Crispian Steele Perkins of course.

Given the slight sense of facing in two directions, I can report that the quality of the work is exemplary. All the four main vocal soloists distinguish themselves, and it was a particular pleasure to hear Anne Sophie von Otter so early in her career, especially as she is given the loveliest and tenderest number of all, Schlafe, mein Liebster, surely something to win over the doughtiest opponent of this school of interpretation. I shall also highlight the tenor Hans Peter Blochwitz for the ease with which he overcomes the formidable technical demands of his first two arias - the coloratura of his first test in particular is blatantly instrumental in inspiration, in a way that Handel's, however florid and rapid, just never is.

This issue is obviously not part of Gardiner's recent `pilgrimage' series offering all the cantatas. The 1987 recording is not as beautiful as he is given in the recent sets, but it is perfectly adequate. The liner-note gives the texts with translation, and that is all one basically needs, although some comment on the music itself would have been welcome, as not everyone is familiar with its genesis. There is nothing about the singers either, but there is a picture of Gardiner J E P as he looked 20 years ago, if not more. Also looking out at us in the familiar study is the composer himself. How often, I wonder, have I looked uncomprehendingly at that face and tried to infer from it what are specifically the features of a man possessed of an infinite musical talent. I shall never work that one out, but at least he knew not to hide the talent from us and I can be well satisfied with that.

OK, so it is not the umpteenth version of "White Christmas" done by whoever is the latest pop artist to put out a Christmas Album.

I purchased this CD selection because I had been searching for something a little different. Being a devotee of Christmas music, I appreciate all forms: popular, traditional, sacred, classical, etc. A few years ago, I had purchased ARCHIV'S "Handel's Messiah" and was duly impressed with the quality of both the performance and the technical production of that CD. In looking at various alternatives of BACH'S CHRISTMAS ORATORIO, I wanted something equally impressive from both a performance and a production standpoint.

This CD fulfilled all of my expectations. The sound quality is rich and crisp and the performance, in my opinion as Bach originally intended it, is quite beautiful. While not as well known as Handel's Messiah (the epitome of classical Christmas music), the CHRISTMAS ORATORIO is a splendid recording. I have listened to it several times and it has quickly become a favorite. I would recommend it highly to anyone seeking holiday music other than the usual collection of pop and traditional standards.

This is an excellent version of the Christmas Oratorio, beautifully played and sung. Gardiner's approach is more reserved than Jacobs's (Harmonia Mundi), and Gardiner's choral and orchestral texture emphasizes cohesion and blend rather than pursuing interest in individual inner parts. The overall tone of the performance is quiet and peaceful rather than exuberant. The vocal soloists and choir are superb. The recorded sound is excellent, though it does tend to facillitate Gardiner's emphasis on blend.

Once again I have purchased a Gardiner disk based on his reputation only, and have been completely satisfied. I love Bach and I enjoy Gardiner's interpretations, so how could I go wrong. The choir and orchestra maintain the energy and intensity throughout the entire recording. I was particularly impressed with mezzo-soprano Anne Sophie von Otter and soprano Nancy Argenta. Both are favourites of Gardiner (see his recordings of Bach's St. Matthew Passion and B minor Mass) and are fast becoming favourites of mine.
Some reviews have trashed Gardiners expression and tempo, but I think the spirit of Bach is captured beautifully with this recording.

This is for me by far the best performance I have ever heard. The orchestra, soloists and choir all perform at their absolute best. So many other recordings have one of these three sections below the performance level of the other. For example, the Choir and soloists may be OK but the orchestra might be off-beat or not balanced.

I like Gardiners' interpretation of Bach's Christmas Oratorio. It is lively where it needs to be, such as the opening chorus, and yet the sections that require, it such as the Alto aria "Schlafe Mein Liebster" are very tender and with great balance of voice and woodwind.

Gardiner has obviously spent a great deal of time analyzing Bach's compositions and also it is plain to see that he also spent a lot of time with the soloists and orchestra separately. It definitely shows!!