Monday, June 27, 2011

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

 


 

 

 

 

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 Richard Hickox 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.

 

flac, covers

3 comments:

  1. Hi Otto, thanks for posting. I would like to do download of file. No link to the download?

    Oh, and congratulations for the blog! I really like it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Greetings Otto,

    I really appreciate your efforts here.
    The art of fugue organ rendition with Helmut Walch is especially worthwhile.

    But is there a 5th zip file with this upload, I can't extract without it.

    Thanks

    Galino

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can't extract this upload. There is not the 5h file.

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete

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