Search - Bach, Koopman, Aboc :: Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol.8 / Koopman

A very good volume to start on

Roger Travis Jr. | Connecticut, USA | 07/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It would be difficult to add anything to the marvelous review from _Gramophone_, with which I'm in complete agreement, but I thought it might be useful to say something from the perspective of a collector who has been wary of buying the Koopman recordings because of the large investment involved in purchasing three or four discs at once, in the process duplicating many cantatas of which I already have fine recordings in my collection. Volume 8 has the advantage of several cantatas that have been under-recorded, but, more importantly, as Gramophone says, every performance is extraordinarily convincing and vivid. Listening to these recordings is like stepping into the Thomaskirche in 1724 (or at least it feels so to this Bostonian of 2000)."

Too much too fast?

THIERRY VANBASTELAER | 10/05/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have been following the Koopman cantata project with interest since its beginning, expecting that, somne day, its impressive release pace would lead to more technical than interpretative problems. So far this hasn't happened: while the level of emotional and dramatic commitment to the music remains disappointing, the technical realization has been flawless (if one discounts a clearly strained Barbara Schlick in volume 1). It seems that, with volume 8, technical problems have finally started to catch up with Koopman's team. For a set of cantatas that relies so much on contributions by the tenor solo, the choice of Jorg Durmuller is particularly ill-inspired. Although his tone strongly reminded me of the unusurpassable Ernst Haefliger, his technique is simply no match for the music's demands. Gramophone has been generous in its review of Durmuller's performance, which frequently sounds rushed, unsecured, unrefined, and occasionally off-pitch. In that last category, however, the trumpet solo playing in the alto aria of cantata 77 is more disturbing and actually reminds me of the worst early days of original instruments. Although (because?) this is relatively slow movement, the frequent liberties that the trumpet takes with correct pitch force me to skip to the next piece at each hearing.Let's hope that the above only indicate a temporary problem; although I have not yet heard it, volume 9's return to Pregardien as the tenor solo suggests this. Now, if Koopman and his team would only put more guts in the music, one would probably be happy not to be forced to focus on technical issues..."