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Site review by Polly Nomial December 2, 2006
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
For this classic seasonal work (only Handel's Messiah rivals this), Channel Classics have produced such a luxurious set on all levels that it may be safely be given as a gift (and not only to oneself!) Considering how plush every aspect of the presentation is, the actual asking price is a bargain - I do hope it is not costing Channel Classics too much in lost profit.
The colour booklet is laden with art from across the ages depicting various aspects of the Christmas story and is almost 200 pages in length. We are treated to an analysis of the Christmas story, Bach's music as well as the sung texts and descriptions of the Museum Catharijnconvent in Utrecht (from where the art is taken) & the Netherlands Bach Society plus the soloists. The fold-out disc carriers are similarly luxurious and all the components are packed into a sturdy velvet covered box.
All of this would, of course, be almost worthless if the musicianship didn't match the level of devotion shown in the physical presentation. Well, none of the effort has been wasted - from the opening martial notes of the first part to the concluding chorale of the sixth part the ear experiences a glimpse of musical and audio heaven.
Jos van Veldhoven directs the Netherlands Bach Society in wonderful and dynamic performances. The same energy and life-affirming musicality of Gardiner's Bach recordings are present but in much more detailed and beautiful sound. This is a purely natural joy that has moments of relaxation (but not scruffiness) where Gardiner sometimes succumbs to the need to be hyper-intense.
It would be invidious to single out individual contributions, so instead I will congratulate all the soloists (Johannette Zomer - soprano, Annette Markert - alto, Gerd Turk - tenor, Peter Harvey - bass), the chorus and orchestra that form the Netherlands Bach Society as well as Jos van Veldhoven for their individual and combined efforts in this great recording.
As we have come to expect, the recording is excellent from Jared Sacks and his team at Channel Classics - quite ideal and a model for all choral Bach recordings that employ a larger than a one or two voice-per-part chorus. The sense of positioning is tangible and the sound itself (not just the playing) is beautifully smooth.
In short, this is a desert island disc.
(Purchased)
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Copyright © 2006 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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Review by tream December 12, 2004 (9 of 9 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Bach's Christmas Oratorio is not actually a single work but a set of 6 cantatas for Christmas Day and the days following Christmas, but has moved from the realm of church music to concerted music and is now typically played in its entirety. Along with Messiah and L'Enfance du Christ it forms the base of Christmas season music (although the first two are not really just Christmas music, but have become traditional). We have a good (not great recording) of Messiah on SACD, no recording of the Berlioz (LSO Live, please favor us with a new Davis recording) and this recording of the Bach.
Up front, this is an excellent recording, for performance, sound and packaging (one of the serious advantages of LP over the XXCD format is form factor-I still own my Harnoncourt LP's of this work, and will never willingly part with it-it is such a beautiful package, complete will full score).
My previous experience with this work has been with the aforementioned Harnoncourt and the Gardiner versions. Both Gardiner and this one use a set of mixed solists and mixed chorus (ie, adult women) while Harnoncourt substitutes the Vienna Choir Boys for women. There is something touching and innocent about the use of boys in this work-the opening chorus in Cantata I, for example, or the echo duet in Cantata IV, but I can well imagine a preference for women (as I have for Messiah).
This one is extremely competitive with the Gardiner recording. There is a keen sense of the sheer beauty of Bach's scoring that comes out in the Channel Classics version-not sure if this is the recording or the playing, but it is certainly there. Van Veldhoven's rhythms are more emphatic that Gardiner's and his sense of tempo broader-not only are most tempos a bit more stately, there are substantial ritards to announce the end of each cantata.
Nonetheless, this is recommendable as a first recording or only recording of this work, and the packaging adds a great deal to the experience.
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Review by pjorgenunes April 30, 2004 (4 of 6 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
I have this sacd for about two weeks and it's one of the best things I've ever heard. The sound and performance are great. And the ambience it's magnificient. Believe me, close your eyes and you will be just like in a great live performance with great accoustics.
If you like bach this is a MUST HAVE and urgent.
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