John Eliot Gardiner - J.S. Bach - Sacred Vocal Works (9CD) (2003)

29 Jul, 20:41
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Artist: John Eliot Gardiner
Title: JJ.S. Bach - Sacred Vocal Works
Year Of Release: 2003
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Genre: Classical
Quality: APE (image+.cue,log,scans)
Total Time: 08:28:40
Total Size: 2.1 Gb
WebSite: Album Preview

Tracklist:

Performers:
Argenta, von Otter, Rolfe Johnson, Bär
Blochwitz, Bonney, Chance, A. Schmidt a.o.

The London Oratory Junior Choir
The Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists
Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner

Gardiner's recordings of Bach's "sacred masterworks" were considered near-definitive when they were initially released during the 1980's. Since then numerous other "period performance practice" versions of these works have appeared, yet despite competition from such early-music luminaries as Suzuki and Herreweghe (to name only two), Gardiner's have retained their benchmark status.
The earliest performance in this compilation is the *Mass in b Minor* (dating from 1982). This remains an extraordinary account of a much-recorded piece. Gardiner manages to integrate drama, exultation and contemplation in just proportion (something surprisingly few conductors achieve in this work). His tempi are often brisk, but never breathless, and his choir sings with admirably clear diction and astonishing agility. The only qualification concerns the soloists who, though good, are surpassed by those on many rival recordings; the problem is that their rather wan timbres don't fit well with Gardiner's bold, vivid conception of the work.
Next came the *St John Passion*, and it set new standards for period performance practice. Here the soloists declaim the text more expressively than in the Mass; Rolfe-Johnson, in particular, proves an oustanding Evangelist. The contribution of the choir is, once again, a great asset, and Gardiner leads an interpretation notable for its dramatic intensity. Even those who usually prefer a more traditional approach will find that Gardiner doesn't stint on excitement or inwardness.
Gardiner's *Christmas Oratorio* marks an even higher order of achievement. If your benchmark in this work is Karl Richter's 1965 recording, you will find Gardiner even more thrilling: he lifts Bach's dance-rhythms with a heady exuberance that makes Richter (whose rendition has always been the most festive among modern-instrument versions) seem square and stolid. Compare, for instance, Richter and Gardiner in "Ehre sei Gott" (the angelic chorus in Part II) and you will see what I mean. Gardiner's soloists (Rolfe-Johnson/Bär/von Otter/Argenta) stand up remarkably well, too, in comparison with Richter's admittedly stellar team (Wunderlich/Ludwig/Crass/Janowitz). Since the *Weihnachtsoratorium* is close to the top of my short list of favorite Bach, I have heard nearly every recording (modern and period performance practice), and I can confindently say that none comes close to conveying Gardiner's sense of exultation.
The *St Matthew* was last to be recorded, in 1989. By then Gardiner had mellowed somewhat in his approach; rhythms are sprung less insistently, tempi are a wee bit more relaxed, and he favors some legato phrasing (without obscuring the all-important motivic cells) that might have seemed out of style earlier in the decade. This is the kinder, gentler Gardiner one recognizes from his *Bach Pilgrimage* cantata performances of 1999-2000 (also highly recommended). Admittedly, I rather miss the more abrasive style Gardiner favors in the *St John*, but this *St Matthew* is still a superb performance. Perhaps because the "Great Passion" is intrinsically a more expansive, less concentrated work, Gardiner emphasizes its prayerful and penitential aspects over its spectacular musico-dramatic effects. The effect is less bracing than we might have expected from him, but no less enjoyable in the long run (even if it takes a while longer to warm up to this peformance than to the others in this set).
The recordings are beautifully balanced, intimate, yet conveying a welcome ecclesiastical ambience. Gardiner would remind us that these are essentially liturgical works, for all their dramatic, even epic, splendor, and it is gratifying to hear them as if placed favorably within a medium-sized church acoustic.
Universal missed an opportunity by not including Gardiner's fine *Magnificat* and Cantata BWV 51 (featuring Emma Kirkby, unique in all the world), which Phillips recorded around the same time as the B-Minor Mass. Since Universal owns the copyright on Phillips as well as DG/Archiv, there would have been no obstacle to their inclusion. More serious is the omission of texts and tranlations. But these are minor quibbles in light of such a formidable bargain. Urgently recommended to neophytes and veteran collectors alike.
NOTE: DG/Universal have recently (August, 2010) reissued all of this material yet once again in a huge bargain box, but now including the aforementioned Phillips recording of the *Magnificat*, Emma Kirkby's inimitable traversal of BWV 51, plus at least two dozen more cantatas (some studio recordings, but many live from Gardiner's "Cantata Pilgrimage" expedition of 2000). Though I haven't invested in this new box (since I already own most of the recordings in question), I can strongly recommend it to those who have an interest in this repertoire. Though Gardiner doesn't always find the majesty in Bach's music, he does elicit delightfully upbeat, frequently exciting, and often poignantly expressive performances from his historically-minded forces.