Customer Reviews

Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Rifkin)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After getting my hands on Joshua Rifkin's Mass in B Minor I spent one evening comparing it with the Andrew Parrott recording I purchased earlier. I must say I do agree with what I've read about it, and to some extent Parrott's recording is "better". The conducting certainly seems more confident, more spirited at times and the balance of the solo instruments sound better. (then probably thats to the credit of the sound engineer)

However there are some bits of Rifkin's recording I prefer over Parrott's. For one thing I prefer the vocal performers of Rifkin's. Julianne Baird's singing is so lovely and sublime, her Laudamus Te totally beats Emily Van Evera's rendition. The latter seems to be consciously trying to do the vocal ornaments whereas the former just sings the music.

The Bach Ensemble seems to be recorded drier, free from the slight reverb I'm picking up from The Taverner Players, and free from the bland blend of violins that to me is reminiscent of the classical period. Apparently The Bach Ensemble had one less violinist per violin section than the Taverner Players had. I prefer the drier sound the Bach Ensemble achieved as it sounds darker and less "syruppy". However there seems to be a serious balance problem in the overall performance/recording/conducting. (in fact the whole CD seems to be very soft) I felt that some instrumental parts that were nicely emphasized in the Andrew Parrott's recording were underemphasized in Rifkin's recording. Its surely not Rifkin's best recording. (check out Actus Tragicus for a great Rifkin CD!)

It also seems that Rifkin did not use ripenists for this recording - Parrott did. I actually prefer it without the ripenists but its a personal aesthetic perference. On the whole this must have been a groundbreaking recording when it was released but I'm not as crazy about it as I thought I would be, especially after listening to Rifkin's other recordings.

this is really an incredible CD - the singing is amazing - I think the one-voice-per-part is great for this music - specifically because it allows you to hear much more of the details of the music. Bach's B-minor mass has to be considered the pinnacle of his choral music.

The one voice per part works well if you want to get all the details of the music. Probably not what I would want to have in a live concert, but as a recorded version, it works very well.

When Jesus told his disciples to flee from the Abomination of Desolation, was he referring to the legionary standards of the V Macedonica, XII Fulminata, XV Apollinaris and X Fretensis being raised on the Temple Mount - or was he making reference to this particular recording?

I think it is an open question. This performance represents the lowest effluence from the bilge-tank of performance practice. On those few occasions that I have played it, our male Labrador Big Oscar, who is `factory-fitted', becomes agitated in the extreme. Why? Because it bespeaks EMASCULATION. It is Johann Sebastian Bach as Tom Thumb. It is completely shorn of grandeur.

Short of God, who has the right to overrule the composer when the manuscript explicitly stipulates a choir?

Other than reasons of economy, there was no reason for Warner to underwrite this lunacy - or notoriety. The likes of Marriner Bach J.S: Mass in B Minor / Cantata Bwv 56 and Richter J.S. Bach: Mass in B minor enable one to commune with this great work.

Don't cheat yourself. Don't cheat Bach. And remember JC's words: For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?

This is the first ever Bach recording to be made using the One Voice Per Part theory. Joshua Rifkin's recording was dubbed by the music circle, "The B-Minor Madrigal," due his calling of the most minimal forces.

Rifkin's theory is very convincing, and the arguments supporting this manner of performing Bach's choral works can be found in Andrew Parrot's new book, "The Essential Bach Choir."

While this is a very good, breakthrough recording, I could imagine a much better interpretation of the work. The tempos especially seemed unbalanced, and this seems to ruin such beloved movements such as the "Sanctus." There is another One-Voice-Per-Part recording of Bach's Mass in B-Minor that may suit the tastes of more people: the Andrew Parrot recording with Emma Kirkby and Tolzer Knabenchor soloist Panito Iconomou. Don't get me wrong however, this Rifkin recording is a very good one.

However, I would much rather spend money on the Parrott recording. And Harmonia Mundi is also recording the B-Minor Mass with Konrad Junghanel and his Cantus Colln. Like all other Bach recordings by Cantus Colln, their B-Minor Mass will be performed one voice per part (they have toured with their rendition of the B-Minor Mass and it seems that their recorded release will be a sublime one. You should wait for their's.)

La versión de Rifkin a la misa en Re menor es sin duda muy buena, pero hay partes en que pierde grandiosidad y se compara pobremente con algunas otras versiones. A pesar de ello, por su precio bien vale la pena probarla, aunque sea solo para comparacion con otras versiones (si es el primer disco que va a comprar de la misa, le recomiendo mejor la versión de Karl Richter o la de Rilling).