![]() ![]() ![]() The choruses are by and large swellings of joy (or sadness, regret, longing or other emotions as the texts dictate). Listen to the unnamed baritone soloist in Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BWV 14, … "I have a job to do (to praise God) I know how to do it are you with me or against me?"! This is not aggression. On the other, the articulation of his singers is pointed and clean – and at every turn completely audible – without being at all prosaic or mundane. On the one hand his glow sounds a little romantic. In balance, there is a "business-like" pace, a drive without being at all "matter of fact", a comforting momentum to Rilling's readings. ![]() But this is almost inevitable for any conductor who – as really ought always to be the case – becomes as involved in the life of this repertoire as is necessary in order to make a sensible attempt at a complete cycle. This is not to say, of course, that Rilling hasn't filtered what we hear through his own at times quite lush, rhetorical and imposing conception of the cantatas. But they have much to recommend them nevertheless. Rilling's accounts do lack something of the springiness and overt contrast that other conductors have sought from their forces – perhaps with the intention of rendering them more "immediate", "relevant" or "accessible". The fact that it also contains the sacred cantatas is another plus.Īlso of great value to those wanting a cycle of recordings at a very reasonable price which go against the trend for Historically Informed Performance are the performers' obvious integrity and devotion to the music and to the probable aims of Bach. But its revelation of the warmth and magnitude of the music make this a very attractive set. ![]() It's not the most authentic or painstakingly-researched of cycles. Among the best aspects of this re-issue by Hänssler of the Rilling Bach cantata cycle first released in 1985 for the tercentennial (actually the first such complete recorded cycle) is the extent to which Rilling's musicianship and the dedication and engagement of his soloists, choruses and instrumentalists bring out the sheer beauty of Bach's sung music. ![]()
0 Comments
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2023
Categories |