Walker Robert - Horace Pierpont

Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Rifkin)

May 7th, 2010 | Author: cemkal

Property Developers Paralimni Cyprus

Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Rifkin) Rifkin Vs Parrott – Eld –
After getting my hands on Joshua Rifkin’s Mass in B Minor I spent one evening comparing it with the Andrew Parrott recording I purchased earlier. I must say I do agree with what I’ve read about it, and to some extent Parrott’s recording is “better”. The conducting certainly seems more confident, more spirited at times and the balance of the solo instruments sound better. (then probably thats to the credit of the sound engineer)

However there are some bits of Rifkin’s recording I prefer over Parrott’s. For one thing I prefer the vocal performers of Rifkin’s. Julianne Baird’s singing is so lovely and sublime, her Laudamus Te totally beats Emily Van Evera’s rendition. The latter seems to be consciously trying to do the vocal ornaments whereas the former just sings the music.

The Bach Ensemble seems to be recorded drier, free from the slight reverb I’m picking up from The Taverner Players, and free from the bland blend of violins that to me is reminiscent of the classical period. Apparently The Bach Ensemble had one less violinist per violin section than the Taverner Players had. I prefer the drier sound the Bach Ensemble achieved as it sounds darker and less “syruppy”. However there seems to be a serious balance problem in the overall performance/recording/conducting. (in fact the whole CD seems to be very soft) I felt that some instrumental parts that were nicely emphasized in the Andrew Parrott’s recording were underemphasized in Rifkin’s recording. Its surely not Rifkin’s best recording. (check out Actus Tragicus for a great Rifkin CD!)

It also seems that Rifkin did not use ripenists for this recording – Parrott did. I actually prefer it without the ripenists but its a personal aesthetic perference. On the whole this must have been a groundbreaking recording when it was released but I’m not as crazy about it as I thought I would be, especially after listening to Rifkin’s other recordings.
: When Joshua Rifkin began recording Bach vocal works to demonstrate his one-singer-per-part thesis, he started not with the lightly scored early cantatas but rather with the Holy of Holies–the B-Minor Mass. (Don’t accuse the man of starting small.) Predictably, outrage ensued: detractors far outnumbered supporters at the time (though this seems to be gradually changing). Musicology or not, Rifkin’s approach works. Bach’s florid vocal parts are far more negotiable for soloists than for chorus; period instruments never overwhelm the voices. Certainly the standard of baroque- instrument playing, particularly brass, has improved since 1980; but Rifkin’s instrumentalists, especially woodwinds, are quite listenable. The standard of singing here is golden: Jeffrey Dooley’s sweet-voiced eloquence and the blend, sense of line, and beautiful sound of Judith Nelson and Julianne Baird are priceless. –Matthew Westphal
Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Rifkin)

Bach – Mass in B minor / Argenta, Nichols, Chance, Stafford, Milner, W. Evans, Gardiner

Friends Link : How To Install WordPress Theme Drupal Blog http://jimmymcclurg.clubdeempresarioslatinos.com/ http://tiaradeibler.indoblog.info/

Posted in Walker Robert | Tags: (Rifkin), minor | No Comments »

Horace Pierpont

Archive for the ‘Walker Robert’ Category

Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Rifkin)