[Budley007]

Anyone got a favorite recording of this? I was shopping around and there seems to be quite a few conductors that have tackled this piece.

 

[Bill Ward]

I have two favorite recordings--very different conceptions.

Neville Marriner/Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Philips #416 415-2

Traditional 19th century approach with massive choruses and a big sound. The first exposure I had to the B Minor on record, this remains my reference recording because it's the way I expect Bach's choral writing to sound. Hopelessly unfashionable these days I'm afraid.

John Eliot Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists. Archiv #415 514-2

Highly touted "original instruments & performance." The sound is much leaner with pared down forces and an attractive transparency. A very different perspective from Marriner.

BW

 

[ooheadsoo]

I have a hard time imagining the opening Kyrie without a huge crushing chorus. Is the recording quality good on both of these?

 

[danaa]

I enjoy my Shaw Mass in B Minor, but preferred the Gardiner I heard at a friend's house.

 

[Bill Ward]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo I have a hard time imagining the opening Kyrie without a huge crushing chorus. Is the recording quality good on both of these?

The recording quality is excellent on both recordings. I went looking for the Marriner on Amazon.com and came up empty-handed. It may have been withdrawn. I've owned the recording for years.

Danaa's suggestion about the Telar/Shaw might be worth checking out. I've not heard Shaw's B-Minor, but I have his Berlioz Requiem on Telarc, and the sonic impact is stunning. (If you've never heard it, you're missing something. And Telarc now has it in their budget line. See here. )

BW

 

[Budley007]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll probably pick up all the versions mentioned, and keep what I like. Chances are, I'll prefer the larger chorus versions, but I'm more of a neophyte in this genre than I normally care to admit. Atleast opera doesn't make me cringe anymore and some pieces I'm starting to enjoy quite a bit, so I assume that's an improvement.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

[Bill Ward]

Quote:

but I'm more of a neophyte in this genre than I normally care to admit

Hey, we all start somewhere, and nobody ever gets it all. I've been collecting classical music for longer than some Third World countries have existed, and I still encounter composers I've never heard and compositions I never knew existed. The fun is partly in the exploration and in turning up those unfamiliar items that make me say, "Oh, wow."

Enjoy, enjoy.

BW

 

[danaa]

Bill, you're so absolutely right. It's a never ending process. The discovery is the nice part about it.

Budley, if you end up liking vocal music, I'd highly recommend the piece I'm listening to as I type, Faure's Requiem. I still don't know a more beautiful piece of music.

 

[Budley007]

Thanks Danaa, I'm listening to Gabriel Faure's Requiem right now (on Rhapsody). Sounds really nice! Beautiful! I'm really enjoying alot this choral music, but I'm a little concerned about my sudden interest in Mass/Requiem pieces. I guess it's good that I'm not chronically depressed.

This is some really great music. Thanks Bill. I've always liked classical music, but had limited my choices to the few very popular works. Thanks to the internet, it's been quite a bit easier to run and look up something I was unfamiliar with that I wanted to hear again. Hurts the pocket book, but music is the one thing I've never said. "ain't worth it"

 

[daycart1]

Last week I listened to the B-Minor mass in the BBC Legends series--very nice with lots of hall ambience.

Those who appreciate Faure's requiem should check out (if they haven't already) Franck's Choral music: Psyche (secular) and Les Beatitudes (sacred).

 

[danaa]

Thanks Daycart1, no, I'm not familiar with that work and will immediately check it out.

 

[Spankypoo]

Prefer Gardiner's performance, then Parrott's. Parrott strictly follows the OVPP approach, and gets a very good result. Gardiner goes down the middle with a very HIP performance, but still adds to the vocal forces on some movements.

The opening Kyrie can be fantastic with small forces - it's a different approach, but it achieves something which you can't with large groups. (Though it may not be to your taste.)

If you want to read more than you ever wanted to on the subject, see: http://bach-cantatas.com/IndexVocal.htm#BWV232

 

[danaa]

daycart1,

The only versions of Les Beautitudes are Rilling and Kubelik. Do you have an opinion as to which might be better or which version to keep an eye out for?

 

[Bill Ward]

Quote:

I'm really enjoying alot this choral music, but I'm a little concerned about my sudden interest in Mass/Requiem pieces. I guess it's good that I'm not chronically depressed. This is some really great music.

If you're concerned, then I'd better be too. I've got 38 recordings of musical mass and requiem settings.

I doubt that an interest in Mass/Requiem pieces is cause for much concern. The Latin liturgy has provided text (and pretext) for some of the most glorious choral writing in the last 500 years, and has exercised the talents of most of the great European composers. Have you found the Mozart Requiem yet? The Giulini version, originally on EMI, is one I like. I've mentioned the Berlioz, and you might check out the Verdi Requiem, disparagingly called his "church opera." Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" has its moments. Brahms: German Requiem, a non-traditional German language setting. Charles Gounod wrote a "Saint Cecilia Mass" worth hearing for for its setting of the Credo as a march. I have an ancient recording by Markevitch that's noteworthy for its vigorous performance, and for a tenor who cracks audibly on his high note.

Daycart1 mentioned Franck. Another Frenchman (I think), Durufle, wrote a requiem often paired with the Faure on recordings. Oh, and Rossini wrote a Stabat Mater I really enjoy occasionally.

Obviously, there's lots to hear. If you have access to a library that lends CDs, I'd encourage you to explore the holdings available. It's a cost-effective way to gain exposure to new music. Like I said earlier,

Enjoy

BW

 

[ooheadsoo]

bach-cantatas.com saved my butt around midterm time