Discussions in the Week of November 21, 2004

Neil Halliday wrote (November 13, 2004):
BWV 248 recordings; criticism

It would be interesting to hear of any specific criticism list members might have of their recordings of the XO.

Surely not everyone is perfectly happy with every movement, in their recordings?

I mentioned why I found one movement (no.21) to be unsatisfying, in the 1965 Richter recording. (OTOH, anyone who is open to modern instrument versions would undoubtably enjoy the rest of it. Noteworthy is the fact that Maurice Andre leads the trumpet section.)

Adrian Horsewood wrote (November 13, 2004):
[To Neil Halliday] I like the Richter recording very much, not least for the contribution of Fritz Wunderlich (and I love the duet 'Herr, dein Mitleid' by Janowitz and Crass); however (this memory prompted by the mention of Andre'), I find the trumpets a little sharp for my liking at the opening... :o)

I find the Pickett recording a bit on the lightweight side orchestrally, and the only soloist I'm impressed with is Catherine Bott (I bought the recording expecting much of Michael George, but I was most disappointed by his lack of clarity). However, lest anyone think I have a thing against period-instrument recordings in general (I don't - I admire recordings from both ends of the 'authenticity' scale!), let me say that I like Dorothea Röschmann's contribution in 'Herr, dein Mitleid', for much the same reasons as I like Janowitz in the Richter recording: the wonderful clarity and lightness of tone.

Hope that's specific enough!

John Pike wrote (November 14, 2004):
[To Neil Halliday I must confess I am totally happy with my Gardiner recording. I have just bought Herreweghe and will let you know my thoughts later.

Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248: Details
Recordings: Until 1960 | 1961-1970 | 1971-1980 | 1981-1990 | 1991-2000 | From 2001 | Individual Movements
General Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Systematic Discussions: Cantata 1 | Cantata 2 | Cantata 3 | Cantata 4 | Cantata 5 | Cantata 6 | Part 7: Summary
Individual Recordings: BWV 248 – Christophers | BWV 248 - Gardiner | BWV 248 - Jacobs | BWV 248 - Otto | BWV 248 - Richter | BWV 248 - Rilling | BWV 248 – Suzuki | BWV 248 – Kurt Thomas | BWV 248 - Veldhoven
Articles: A Bottomless Bucket of Bach – Christmas Oratorio (by Donald Satz)