Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Ghent :: Bach: Cantatas & Masses

Cautions and Commendations

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 01/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The lovely picture of Gerard Lesne which graces this page on amazon has absolutely nothing to do this the 4-CD re-release of performances by Philippe Herreweghe and his Collegium Vocale. The pictured CD is a 1-disk recording by Lesne with his own ensemble, Il Seminario Musicale. Lesne is in fact one of the altos on the Herreweghe recordings, and his presence in the mix is one sure sign of the high quality of singing throughout.



The other soloists on the six cantatas of this package are: sopranos Barbara Schlick and Agnes Mellon; alto Charles Brett; tenors Howard Crook and Christoph Pregardien; and bass Peter Kooy. They are each and every one superb singers. Kooy is especially solid and imposing in his bass arias. That's a large part of Philippe Herreweghe's special genius; he hires the best! The second part of Herreweghe's excellence is the professionalism of his chorus, in my opinion the best in the business, always thoroughly rehearsed and disciplined, well blended and balanced, and blessedly well recorded time after time.



Herreweghe is also a profound interpretor of Bach's music. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on your point of view), Herreweghe hasn't entered the "complete cantatas" sweepstakes. Each of his recordings of the cantatas stands as a performance in itself - no haste, no need to recycle the same casts of soloists, etc. Match any of the six cantatas recorded on these disks against the same cantatas led by Rilling or Suzuki, and I think you'll find Herreweghe has the highest standards. Match them against the exciting but slapdash performances in the 155-CD Bach box from Brilliant Classics, and you'll understand what standards I'm talking about.



For the four Lutheran masses and the spare Sanctus recorded here, the choice isn't even open. Herreweghe's performances are uniquely musical and satisfying, far above the competition.



If you are a long-time Bach buyer, you'd better check the listing of compositions included in this set. All of them have been released several times, with different covers and album titles."