BaL 19.11.16 - Bach Lutheran Masses BWV 233-236

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Who cares a fig about fashion? Great music making transcends such a concept.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Who cares a fig about fashion? Great music making transcends such a concept.

Wotchoo talkin' 'bout, Alpie?

[Richard Barrett]

more a tone of puzzlement that JEG should seem to share such an outdated and unjust opinion of the works.

On the other hand he has indeed performed most of that music in its cantata form, which is more than most people have. These days I'm not so keen on listening to Bach's sacred vocal music performed by a choir anyway. The Cantus Cölln recording of the works under discussion will do very well for me.

[BBMmk2]

I've heard The sixteen and the Bach Collegium Japan, thus far, I will be playing the Pymalion recording later today. Not much in these, really.

[Nick Armstrong]

Good BAL, some great music.

I once got hold of the Cantus Koln set, but sold it on, as I thought some of the singers sounded distinctly off..a problem I have encountered before with their recordings.

I was surprised to see from the prestoclassical site that these works were on BAL as recently as June 2008 and that the Cantus Köln set 'won'...

Currently comparing my Suzuki set with the Pygmalion/Pichon set chosen on Saturday (which is available on iTunes Music as well as the streaing sites mentioned above). Not sure overall I'm persuaded I need another complete collection - the solo movements in general don't excite me hugely.

But the Gloria of the F major BWV233, which is one of my favourite pieces in all Bach (in all music, indeed) is actually even better played by Pygmalion I think - absolutely exhilarating. Heathen that I am, I'm inclined to cherry-pick a handful of the choral/orchestral movements by downloading (the Cum Sancto Spiritu of BWV233 is pretty bloody fine too for instance).

[BBMmk2]

What's the prices like on prestoclassical, Cali?

[ostuni]

I haven't yet had a chance to listen to this BAL: looking forward to it later today. They're wonderful pieces - I've played most of them over the years, and always wondered why they weren't done more often (if only for the approachable/familiar nature of their texts: easier for us Brits to assimilate than the often knotty Lutheran theology of the cantata originals...).

JF-A and others are wrong about JEG's present-day views, though. I was browsing through a colleague's (online) diary yesterday, and saw that she's on tour with him and the EBS, during the first couple of weeks of December, playing the Lutheran Masses in Holland, France, Germany & ending in London. Interesting - though JEG wouldn't be my own first choice for this music, there will probably be a recording associated with the project.

[Nick Armstrong]

What's the prices like on prestoclassical, Cali?

It's slightly strange and annoying, Bbm - on presto, one of the CDs is available to download, but the other (the one with BWV233 ) is described as 'not available in your country' So a 'lossless' download (or MP3 for that matter) of my favourite tracks wasn't possible from prestoclassical.

However, all are available in MP3 format on iTunes and Amazon - 79p a track from the former, 99p from the latter which I used because I had some credit which reduced the price to almost nothing.

Strange about the geographical limitation at prestos though.

[verismissimo]

Who cares a fig about fashion?

Well, you do Alpie. Perhaps more than any of us.

[BBMmk2]

It's slightly strange and annoying, Bbm - on presto, one of the CDs is available to download, but the other (the one with BWV233 ) is described as 'not available in your country' So a 'lossless' download (or MP3 for that matter) of my favourite tracks wasn't possible from prestoclassical.

However, all are available in MP3 format on iTunes and Amazon - 79p a track from the former, 99p from the latter which I used because I had some credit which reduced the price to almost nothing.

Strange about the geographical limitation at prestos though.

Oh, that's strange. On amazon you can get both on the hard physical CD?

[vinteuil]

Oh, that's strange. On amazon you can get both on the hard physical CD?

... easily available. And highly recommended.

http://amzn.eu/f5yNhkb

For three CDs some £16 if you get it from dodax, I've used them frequently.

[cincinnatus]

Good BAL, some great music.



[COLOR="#0000FF"]I was surprised to see from the prestoclassical site that these works were on BAL as recently as June 2008 and that the Cantus Köln set 'won'...

Currently comparing my Suzuki set with the Pygmalion/Pichon set chosen on Saturday (which is available on iTunes Music as well as the streaing sites mentioned above). Not sure overall I'm persuaded I need another complete collection - the solo movements in general don't excite me hugely.

But the Gloria of the F major BWV233, which is one of my favourite pieces in all Bach (in all music, indeed) is actually even better played by Pygmalion I think - absolutely exhilarating. Heathen that I am, I'm inclined to cherry-pick a handful of the choral/orchestral movements by downloading (the Cum Sancto Spiritu of BWV233 is pretty bloody fine too for instance).[/COLOR]

Sorry, Cali, but in 2008 only the F major Mass BWV 233 was considered. The Junghanel recording which 'won' then is included in Harmonia Mundi's wonderful box set 'Sacred Music'.

[Nick Armstrong]

Sorry, Cali, but in 2008 only the F major Mass BWV 233 was considered. The Junghanel recording which 'won' then is included in Harmonia Mundi's wonderful box set 'Sacred Music'.

Ah thanks - I wondered if it might have been the case, and that the prestoclassical site is misleading. I'd better listen to the Junghanel BWV 233 Gloria then, to see how it matches up.