C.P.E Bach: Magnificat / J.S. Bach: Magnificat

Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (Composer), J.S. Bach (Composer), J. Reilly Lewis (Conductor), Washington Bach Consort (Orchestra), Nils Brown (Performer), Mary Ellen Callahan (Performer), Patricia Green (Performer), James Weaver (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Nils Brown, Mary Ellen Callahan, Patricia Green, James Weaver
• Orchestra: Washington Bach Consort
• Conductor: J. Reilly Lewis
• Composer: Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, J.S. Bach
• Audio CD (February 23, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Newport Classic
• ASIN: B00000I75V
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #317,790 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 1, 'Mag

2. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 2, 'Qui

3. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 3, 'Qui

4. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 4, 'Et

5. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 5, 'Fec

6. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 6, 'Dep

7. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 7, 'Sus

8. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 8, 'Glo

9. Magnificat for 4 voices, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 trumpets, 2 horns, strings & continuo in D minor, H. 772, Wq. 215,: No. 9, 'Sic

10. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Magnificat

11. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Et Exsultavit

12. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Quia Respexit

13. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Omnes Generationes

14. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Quai Fecit Mihi Magna

15. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Et Misericordia

16. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Fecit Poetntiam

17. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Deposuit Potentes

18. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Esurientes Implevit Bonis

19. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Suscepit Israel

20. Magnificat, for 5 voices, 5-part chorus, orchestra & continuo in D major, BWV 243 (BC E14): Sicut Locutus Est

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Not only are these fine performances, but the disc itself is a stroke of good programming, pairing the familiar--Johann Sebastian Bach's majestic, brilliantly conceived setting of the Magnificat--with the unfamiliar--son Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach's intriguingly lean, preclassical setting of the same text, a masterpiece of the "galant" style just as his father's is a masterpiece of the Baroque. Leading a well-trained chorus of ideal size (approximately 25) and a crack period-instrument band, conductor J. Reilly Lewis imparts energy and dramatic point to the readings of both works. Textures are full yet transparent, with an excellent balance between voices and orchestra. The work of the four soloists is elegant and expressive, and the chorus sings radiantly in both pieces. The recorded sound is excellent. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding recording of C.P.E. & J.S. Bach Magnificats, February 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: C.P.E Bach: Magnificat / J.S. Bach: Magnificat (Audio CD)

The Washington Bach Consort's new recording of C.P.E.Bach's Magnificat is here teamed with the more widely recorded and available Magnificat of his father, J. S. Bach. The performance is outstanding with the chorus full but not overpowering, the soloists clear and moving and the orchestra of original intruments is impressive. Under Director Reilly Lewis' skilled direction this is a performance of the highest order. I live in the Washington, D.C. area and have been fortunate enough to have heard the WBC in performance and this record lives up to the living thing. I recommend the CD whole heartedly and the price is most reasonable.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CPE Bach Rocks!, don't miss this!, August 27, 2001

By 

Mark K. Reed (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: C.P.E Bach: Magnificat / J.S. Bach: Magnificat (Audio CD)

I'll admit I let this CD pass through one ear & out the other a few times before I grabbed on to the rewards given a more intent listening. C.P.E. composes with a definite bit of tension in his musical line, tremendous deep-seated energy abounds. And this is really a terrific performance in vocal, instrumental & ensemble aspects. This piece absolutely swings - & you can't loose, even if CPE isn't for you, well, it's followed by an equally fine rendition of JS Bach's same-titled work. Interesting, although overall it's technically a good recording, there is indeed a little peculiar combination of a "spacey" sound yet a low recorded volume level. The main point is, get to know the CPE Bach Magnificat, top notch & under-appreciated.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just one Magnificat worth knowing, June 22, 2004

By 

John Bodnar (Cedar Park, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: C.P.E Bach: Magnificat / J.S. Bach: Magnificat (Audio CD)

Whenever the Magnificat comes up in classical music, it's almost always in reference to Johann Sebastian Bach's setting of the Catholic Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Many composers before and after Bach have set the Magnificat, but apart from some of the earliest settings (Palestrina, di Lasso, Morales), few have been recorded.

So, this disc, which pairs the more substantial (nearly half as long again) rendering of the Magnificat by Johann Sebastian's eldest son Carl Philipp Emanuel with his own should be a most welcome addition to any collection. In fact, if you don't have a recording of either Magnificat, this may be the only one you need.

On first hearing, CPE's work had me rapt. I was floored by the festive sweep of the opening chorus. What an exciting, joyous noise coming from the pen of Bach's oldest son, who, while certainly an interesting composer, never struck me as capable of writing something so intense, so capable of pushing the right emotional buttons.

The rest of the work did not disappoint me. Having only recently become familiar with Johann Sebastian's setting via another recording, I more or less expected his son's work to be a "me too" effort. When I was finished listening, however, I was left wondering why I didn't know that CPE had set the Magnificat (heck, I knew that Beethoven had contemplated doing the same during his last great burst of productivity) and, more curiously, why it hadn't been more frequently recorded.

This recording would be worth having for Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Magnificat alone. Fortunately, his father's more famous setting receives an equally fine performance, making the entire CD a worthwhile production.

As a couple of other reviewers have noted, the sound is a bit reverberant (the terms 'echo-y' and 'spacey' were employed), courtesy of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Washington, D.C.

Finally, unless I'm mistaken, Ted Libbey, credited with the "Editorial Review" above, is also the author of this disc's program notes.