[pcolbeck]

Has anyone listened to these yet:

http://monteverdiproductions.co.uk/

It's John Eliot Gardiner's complete sacred cantata cycle with the Montiverdi Choir. They have released three issues so far of two CDs each and plan to release 52 CDs in total, one for each Sunday of the year. Its a not for profit organisation and wether or not they manage to release the whole cycle depends on how much money they raise from contributions and CD sales.
All the reviews so far claim the singing is fantastic and the samples on the web seem to bare this out. I have just subscribed to the whole set (you get charged as they release the CDs) has anyone else ? Its one of my ambitions to hear all of the cantatas and this seems to be a lovely set in bith musical quality and presentation and I kind of admire their drive in setting up the organisation to market the CDs after falling out with Deutche Gramaphone.

Pat

 

[Shosta]

I haven't this cd's (yet) but i attended to a concert in Spain where Gardiner/Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloist played some Christmas cantatas and I can tell i was enchanted by the freshness and sense of rithm.

I don't own any complete cantatas set. I have some Rifkin, Suzuki, Rilling, Herreweghe... Different styles. I love Rifkin's 'one singer per part'.

 

[Bunnyears]

I have the complete set of Sacred Cantatas by Karl Richter and a few by Herreweghe, but I certainly would be interested in HIP performance. I like most of Gardiner's work, so thanks for the information and link.

Edit: Btw, they don't guarantee that Gardiner will complete the set, only that he will try to complete it. Hopefully, he is in good health.

 

[DarkAngel]

Bunny
How many CDs in complete set......60-70???
Have you listened to every one

I remember Tyson recently mention he purchased complete set......don't recall which one.

 

[Shosta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears I have the complete set of Sacred Cantatas by Karl Richter and a few by Herreweghe,

It's nice to see that Richter survives year after year to the wave of Historical performances. I don't like too much his 'romantic Bach' but I think that his performances have tension and monumental sound.
Last Easter i tried to listen the Ritchter's Matthaus passion but in the end (after forty minutes) I listened to McCreesh. Almost one hour less than Richter and one singer per part. And I liked specially Magdalena Kozená.

 

[Bunnyears]

Obviously, I haven't listened to every one! And I haven't counted them either, but the set was on sale at a store going out of business a couple of years ago and although I don't remember the price exactly, I do recall that it was cheaper to get the set than the individual cantatas that I wanted. Add to that Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau singing on quite a few of them, and it was a no brainer. I have listened to at least 15 to 20 of the cantatas and conservatively, that doesn't make a dent in the set!

Also, I had first bought pieces of the set on vinyl when they were first released and although it isn't HIP performance, his lines are very tight with tremendous drama. I like Bach with an edge, and Richter's cantatas, as opposed to the sensuality of Herreweghe's, have lots of edge.

 

[FalconP]

Does anyone has experience with Ton Koopman's (presumably) on-going cycle? I got vol.9 (a 3-CD set) for next to nothing and I'm happy with it -- although I have nothing else to compare it with

 

[Bunnyears]

Here is a link about the cycle. The cycle is very well thought of.

 

[LFF]

Great find and news. I would love to own the complete cycle (although I already own both Leonhardt's and Rilling's complete cycles). However, the only downside I see is the price - almost $30.00 per volume and one coming out every Sunday!! That means that if I order it, then I can not buy any other recordings over the the next year as that is my music and art budget. I wish they were really mid-priced in the american sense (around $15.00 - $20.00).

For those of you who do order these, please keep us posted as to how you like them and what your impressions are. I guess I will start saving up to buy them eventually.

 

[pcolbeck]

The John Eliot Gardiner cycle isnt being released one every Sunday. They hope to release one more this year in the autumn (thats ony 4 this year) Then if they get enough monet to continue some more will come out next year. When they have finished there should be one CD for every Sunday (there are two CDs in each release so far) but this may take several years to complete.

Pat

 

[LFF]

I C!! Thanks for the correction! Now my wallet is being tempted to free some of its green prisoners. This place really and truly promotes a bittersweet relationship with music.

 

[Bunnyears]

In this place, your relationship with music is constantly asking for more reaffirmation in green.

 

[pcolbeck]

OK The first three volumes turned up this weekend. I haven't had chance to listen to all of them yet (it's six CDs and a load of other stuff arrived too).
Well so far all I can say is run don't walk to the nearest CD emporium and purchase these. The sound is luxurious, you could just sink into it and the singing in general is fantastic. The CD packaging is very nice with all the words in German and English transaltion. That they are pleasing objects is nice when there are going to be a lot of them in your collection; and there will be once you hear one !
Go on you know you want to and you won't regret it, you can't have two much Bach.

 

[calaf]

reviving this old thread after I spent the last three days listening at vol. 8 and vol. 24 of the series on the andante web site. I thought Gardiner and Bach sacred music did not mix well together, but boy I was wrong! The theatre! The singing! This is high-octane Bach!!!
Time to order some CDs

 

[zumaro]

Its always a little foolish to generalise about a vast undertaking such as a complete recording of all the Bach cantatas, and obviously individual performances will vary from cycle to cycle, but of the 3 ongoing projects right now, to my mind Suzuki > Gardiner > Koopman, although I am enjoying myself just buying randomly from all 3 right now. If I settle into seriously buying a replacement for my aging Harnoncourt/Leonhardt set (and I really should as some of the performances in this are decidedly below par - acceptable for trailblazers, but not really very enjoyable today), then it will probably be with the Suzuki set, although all have their merits and I would be happy enough with any of the three.

The Suzuki cantata performances seem to me to nearly always get to the heart of Bach's contemplative world, although he is best with the gentler music and sometimes more robust and hard driven choral movements can lack fire. Gardiner's performances this time around seem to me to be an improvement on his earlier Bach for DG, which always struck me as being extremely well drilled in its playing, but just a touch heartless in its efficiency. There is no doubting Gardiner's insight into this music, and with a degree more relaxation in the conducting apparent, maybe this superbly played set will be the one to have by its conclusion. Koopman's is the most erratic of the cycles - some of the early soprano singing in particular is sub par, although the orchestral and choral contributions are nearly always superb. To my mind Koopman misses the point more often than the other two conductors - performances can seem more like well played run-throughs, with the music containing more than Koopman seems to bring to it.

The conductor I consistently snap up as CDs are released is Herreweghe - if only he would record them all I would be very happy, although I know some find his approach to be even more soft centered than Suzuki, and over refined in its impact.