Beginning in December 1999, England's Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, with conductor John Eliot Gardiner, undertook a complete cycle of Bach's cantatas in live performance. In addition to the use of period instruments, these concerts were doubly "authentic": they were matched as closely as possible to the Lutheran liturgical year, and they included a tour among the north German churches where Bach's music would have had some of its first hearings. There are Bach cycles that are more precise (those by Japanese ...
Read More
Beginning in December 1999, England's Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, with conductor John Eliot Gardiner, undertook a complete cycle of Bach's cantatas in live performance. In addition to the use of period instruments, these concerts were doubly "authentic": they were matched as closely as possible to the Lutheran liturgical year, and they included a tour among the north German churches where Bach's music would have had some of its first hearings. There are Bach cycles that are more precise (those by Japanese conductor Masaaki Suzuki are unparalleled in their identification and highlighting of the contrapuntal complexities of Bach's music), and any number that are more virtuosic. Yet there's something compelling about Gardiner's readings, and it goes back to the nature of the entire project. It was and remains a major logistical undertaking, with His Royal Highness listed first among the sponsors. Gardiner moved a large group of musicians and singers around Europe, facing friendly and...
Read Less
Add this copy of Cantatas 4 to cart. $51.96, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by SDG.