10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Koopman does Rifkin, May 15, 2002
This review is from: Bach: Complete Cantatas, Vol 12 (Audio CD)
Welcome to Vol. 12 of Koopman's complete cantatas. FYI Erato is threatening to pull the plug on this series so e-mail the company and most important BUY this set! Onto the review. Koopman continues his run of very good but not quite great recordings. The problem? The music is a little too pat, doesn't take any risks to show us something new. Still, as part of a greater vision, I am glad to have this new release. I particularly welcome the return of the stellar Lisa Larson and the guest appearance of Sibylla Rubens (the trio in BWV 116). The alto Annette Markert sounds heavier this time around, too contralto-y, but I like her edge. Christoph Prégardien is good but in the way the whole series is "good": safe singing that rarely thrills. this is less of a problem with Baß Klaus Mertens, his 37th disk in the series! Interesting, Koopman records one of Rifkin's earlier recordings (BWV 78, 99, & 8) with his in/famous one singer per part vision (which sounds interesting, but who can honestly believe that Bach's choir consisted of ONE boy soprano and ONE boy alto -- neither of which are used by Rifkin, invalidating his entire arguement). This set has some nice Soprano/alto duets (BWV 78 & 99)-- if at oddly slow tempos. All in all, a worthy addition. P.S. to Koopman, how about some more countertenor soloists?
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
