Paul McCreesh - Bach: Magnificat & Easter Oratorio (2001)

There's a long-standing debate over the issue of OVPP (one voice per part) in performing Bach's choral works. On this disc, it works better in some choruses than others--for example, it lacks the majesty that a choir can bring to the start of the Magnificat's Gloria. As to the individual voices, in the oratorio's two big arias, soprano Kimberly McCord sings with beguiling poise, though some may find her vibrato a touch fidgety; while Paul Agnew's moving singing of the heavenly tenor aria reflecting on Christ's grave-clothes has bags of intensity, though line and focus occasionally suffer. Neal Davies's forthright bass makes the best impression.

The main grumble with the Magnificat is over some tempi, starting with the opening chorus. Paul McCreesh is hardly the first to take fast passages to extremes in Bach, but surely, there's more to getting across a dramatic text like "He has brought rulers down from their thrones" than mere speed. Agnew copes brilliantly, but the end result just sounds silly, unnecessarily edgy. The Gabrieli Players, meanwhile, are tremendous (a special cheer for Katy Bircher's flute obbligato work). The recording (made in a Saxony church) is clean and clear, though with an occasional sense of imbalance between solo voices and instruments. -- Andrew Green