Bach JS - Mass in B minor - Hickox, Collegium Musicum 90

 

Release Date: 07/26/1994 Label: Chandos Number of discs: 2 Composer: JS Bach  Performer: Richard Hickox, Collegium Musicum 90  cd info/ buy

Review:

Hickox's work is almost always a model of good conducting, musicianship, and balanced interpretation--his recording of the Mass in B minor is no exception. The whole ensemble, voices and orchestra, render the piece with verve and liveliness. Hickox's tempi are usually swift, but not at the expense of the music's often complicated melodic lines (such as those fiendishly difficult melismas in the "Osanna"). The orchestra's playing in particular is breathtaking in moments, such as the horn player's stentorian "Quoniam" and the joyous exclamation at the beginning of the "Gloria." The vocal and orchestral forces are mid-sized, giving the music power where needed, but also that degree of intimacy many of the arias and more pathos-imbued movements demand (the "Et incarnatus est," for example). All four soloists rise to the occasion; the soprano (Nancy Argenta) sings the "Laudamus Te" with an audibly different accent--not a detriment, but a curiosity. Sound quality is wonderful: par for Hickox. This is a good all-around performance for people looking for the balance between traditional and modern Bach interpretations.

 

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