Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243; Easter Oratorio, BWV 249; Lobet Gott, BWV 11; Christ lag, BWV 4; Nun is das Heil, BWV 50

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Andrew Parrott (Conductor), Taverner Consort and Players (Orchestra), Emma Kirkby (Performer), Emily van Evera (Performer), Evelyn Tubb (Performer), Margaret Cable (Performer), Stephen Charlesworth (Performer), Wilfried Jochens (Performer), Howard Crook (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Emma Kirkby, Emily van Evera, Evelyn Tubb, Margaret Cable, Stephen Charlesworth, et al.
• Orchestra: Taverner Consort and Players
• Conductor: Andrew Parrott
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Audio CD (April 11, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Virgin Veritas / EMI
• ASIN: B000031WJG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,587 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One-Voice-Per-Part At It's Best, July 30, 2002

By 

R. Gerard (Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243; Easter Oratorio, BWV 249; Lobet Gott, BWV 11; Christ lag, BWV 4; Nun is das Heil, BWV 50 (Audio CD)

I've never been a fan of Bach's works being performed One-Voice-Per-Part, until I listened to this recording.

There is much to be praised about this recording. While I'd much prefer to hear the soprano and alto lines sung by trebles and boy altos or countertenors, the female singers here are superb. Emma Kirkby shines as usual. The Taverner Consort is very clean as well.

The Magnificat is very good here. This is no quick-paced interpretation with an obviously minimalistic sound (like McCreesh's). It even has the fervor of a larger ensemble, surprisingly. I never thought an athletic movement such as the "Fecit Potentiam" could be pulled off using One Voice Per Part, but Andrew Parrot does it very well.

BWV 4 is indeed taken surprisingly slowly, and I prefer the Konrad Junganel rendition on Harmonia Mundi much better. This Andrew Parrot rendition is well-done nonetheless, as I am a big fan of his alto-soprano duo. BWV 50 is also a rare surprise (It is, without a doubt, my favorite number on these discs). As a worthy finale to this two-disk set is "Preis Und Dank" from the Easter Oratorio. Highly reccomended.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the finest Bach recordings in the catalog, October 9, 2000

By 

"hcf" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243; Easter Oratorio, BWV 249; Lobet Gott, BWV 11; Christ lag, BWV 4; Nun is das Heil, BWV 50 (Audio CD)

At the moment, this is my favorite Bach recording. I am a big fan of the one-voice-per-part approach ("OVPP"), and I truly feel that, where its use is appropriate, a small consort of voices offers better results than a traditional chorus (current evidence suggests that OVPP was likely used at least in Bach's early cantatas and in Passions). If you listen to this recording with an open mind, you might be able to recognize the merits of this approach: clarity of lines, better balance between the vocalists and the instrumentalists, and a potential for a finer insight into the meaning of the text. Some tempo issues aside, this recording is nearly as good as they come (besides, tempi are, to some extent, a matter of personal preference). Andrew Parrott's direction is generally well judged, and the cast he assembled is superb. I particularly enjoyed the contributions of Charles Daniels (one of my favorite tenors) and Caroline Trevor. I have to admit to a bit of a bias in favor of male altos, but Caroline Trevor is so superb that few countertenors can compare. Her Saget, saget, mir geschwinde, for instance, is definitely the best I've heard. [e-mail]

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply wonderful, June 26, 2006

By 

Arnout Koeneman (the netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243; Easter Oratorio, BWV 249; Lobet Gott, BWV 11; Christ lag, BWV 4; Nun is das Heil, BWV 50 (Audio CD)

All my reservations I had against Parrott in Bach are completely gone with these discs.

I did like his Mass in B, but I found it at the same time a bit too fast paced and lightweight in the sound of both orchestra and singers and the recording itself sounds a bit thin too.
Then I got Parrott's St. John which I like very, very much and which is my favorite St. John along with Gardiner's and Herreweghe's 1st recording (haven't heard his 2nd yet).
The recording has much more substance and the orchestra has more weight.

Now, these performances of Magnificat, Ascension Oratorio and Easter Oratorio are truly wonderful.
The Magnificat is rather on the fast side, I prefer Herreweghe, but the equal attention Parrott gives to his orchestra and singers, just like Herreweghe, I like very much.
The sound is solid, warm and natural.
Parrott is more expressive than Herreweghe, thanks to his one voice per part reading I suppose, it sounds more enthusiastic and spontane.

The Easter Oratorio is more sensible paced and is very similar to Herreweghe's pacing, although "Sanfte soll mein Todeskummer" is taken too fast by Parrott, Herreweghe I like better and his orchestral accompaniment too, which is unearthy sounding in its polish and repeating figures.
Solists are great and I prefer Emily van Evera for Parrott over Herreweghe's Barbara Schlick.

I don't miss a bigger force (choir) at all, the Easter Oratorio as a whole I like better the way Parrott (and his 'one voice per part' method) performs it than Herreweghe - with the exception of "Sanfte soll..."

Simply wonderful.