Comments on: Cantata Organization Mania

By: pp

pp — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:18:54 +0000

I hope your librettist’s grammar is up to snuff! 😉

By: Jim

Jim — Sat, 22 May 2010 01:39:27 +0000

Steven, I agree with you about Gardiner’s Bach, and I’m also extremely keen on his Beethoven, Berlioz, and Brahms. I often feel when listening to Gardiner’s performances that I’m hearing the work for the first time.

By: chris sahar

chris sahar — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:16:37 +0000

Nico –

From what I have read about your bio you were a stone’s throw from hearing the Bach Cantatas done according to the liturgical year done as Bach and his contemporaries would have done it. ick Erickson, cantor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at West 65th Street and CPW offers performances of the Bach cantatas in accordance to the liturgical year at 5 pm Vespers services. Rick programs organ works of Bach contemporaries or predecessors to offer a historical context and Tobin provides excellent English translations of the German text. Interspersed are special performances – last year he did the St Mathew’s Passion AND all of the Bach Motets. He has a great stable of singers and a good period performance orchestra. If you are in NYC this summer – they will be presenting end of July two cantatas.

Another interesting fact about Bach’s cantatas – they were performed along with a service and a 1 hour sermon. Therefore the length of the bach’s cantatas were rather extraordinary in his time. A more typical length and style of cantatas hear by Bach’s parishioners would be the ones by Kuhnau and Graupner and minor baroque composers.

As for recordings I have found that for consistency in quality I prefer the Herreweghe and then the Suzuki or Gardiner.

So if you are interested in such an exploration Rick Erickson from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is an excellent person to meet and get to know – also he does enjoy performing new liturgical works once in awhile for his 11 am masses and other services. he was kind enough to have a very short Kyrie of mine performed at two services this past March.

By: jipc

jipc — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:33:09 +0000

you should write a schenkerian(ish) analysis of “Smell Yo Dick.” published.

By: jipc

jipc — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:15:51 +0000

Yes! M’Lord you express it. I’ve got a lot of Gardiner, but the sheer volume of his recorded works never ceases to overwhelm me (like Savall, do these cats ever sleep?). Can’t deal. I wish I knew somebody who had them all. I need a Bach tour guide myself. Love Koopman. Ever seen him talk? Hilarious/genius. Observe at 7:00/9:12:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMEri5WhquE&NR=1

great documentary btw, if you haven’t seen it already, replete with sorely missed late 90s fashions for your nostalgic enjoyment.

Check out Monica Huggett, our local duchess of the Portland Baroque.

Have you read Albert Schweitzer’s book on Bach? If not, i suggest picking it up. i’m reading it right now and it’s great. not exactly a discographic kind of book though. hilliard ensemble’s recordings of the motets and chorales (morimur) are amazing.

this probably isn’t helping. thanks for a great post though. made me day.

By: steven

steven — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:40:56 +0000

nico! if you want to see how a bach cantata should be done, watch this magic documentry! in my opinion, bach + monteverdi choir in gardiner’s hands = near perfection…
x
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgidzvJN4Yo&feature=related

By: Julian Wachner

Julian Wachner — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:20:52 +0000

Hey Nico – see you in a few weeks….Call Peter Watchorn for all matters Bach – he IS the living encyclopedia 617-354-5821!!!

By: matthew maclellan

matthew maclellan — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:24:44 +0000

now i’m wishing i had all the cantatas, period – however, i have all the secular cantatas with peter schreier and while they’re not the greatest they are certainly listenable. arleen auger is the soloist on some of them, who is always pleasing to listen to (in my opinion)

By: charles sullivan

charles sullivan — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:38:49 +0000

thank you, anders. nico gave a hoot of an interview.

By: Anders

Anders — Tue, 18 May 2010 06:49:16 +0000

Thanks for the interview in Uppsala. But most of all thanks for a really great concert. If you want to hear how the interview turned out, it’s right here:

http://studentradionrelease.blogspot.com/2010/05/ett-samtal-med-nico-muhly.html

By: Alexei

Alexei — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:26:39 +0000

Dermoncourt’s “Tout Bach” isn’t bad. He actually knows a lot.

By: henri

henri — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:18:53 +0000

didn’t Gardiner record all of the cantatas in lithurgical order with his Monteverdi Choir in concerts all over the world during the and release them on their SDG label? I think he wanted to do it for DG originally, but they pulled out and he decided to set up his own label

http://www.solideogloria.co.uk/about_us/bcp.cfm

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 17 May 2010 06:13:47 +0000

DÃ¼rr is expensive but worth it:

http://amzn.to/aunEGD

These websites are also worth exploring:

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Order-2010.htm

http://www.bach-cantatas.com

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/BachCantatas/

http://www.jsbachcantatas.com

And don’t miss this:

http://amzn.to/9QUxBe

By: Bunny Harvey

Bunny Harvey — Mon, 17 May 2010 03:34:45 +0000

ABSOLUTELY wonderful recording that Christopher suggests.I have it both at home and in the studio for you to hear if you don’t have it.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:11:39 +0000

I’m a Koopman fanatic when it comes to the Bach cantatas, myself. But I also wouldn’t be without Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s CD of cantatas 82 and 99, even though it’s not part of a larger set.