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Bach - Motets BWV 225-231, Cantatas BWV 50 & 118 (John Eliot Gardiner)

Posted By: Sowulo
Bach - Motets BWV 225-231, Cantatas BWV 50 & 118 (John Eliot Gardiner)

Bach - Motets BWV 225-231, Cantatas BWV 50 & 118 (John Eliot Gardiner) [1982]
EAC Rip | FLAC, IMG+CUE, LOG | Covers | 2cd, 431 MB
Classical | Erato | 2292-45979-2 | CD1:55'57; CD2:45'31

Although conductors invariably include the six great motets of Bach (BWV225-230) in recordings of these works, they seldom if ever seem to agree which if any other of Bach's motets to perform with them. John Eliot Gardiner very sensibly goes for the lot, adding Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren (BWV231) and the little-known Der Gerechte kommt um which does not even have the benefit of a Schmieder number. As well as these, Gardiner also includes two short pieces which belong, at least nominally, to the cantata category, BWV50 and BWV118. In the case of the latter there is much justification for doing so for it's a single movement choral piece in motet style written for a funeral in about 1736 and revised for a performance around 1740. Here we have what sounds to me like a compromise; in other words the horns, cornetto and sackbuts of the first version (possibly intended for an open air occasion), with the strings and woodwind of the second. This may be explained in the texts, none of which has been included with my review copy.

Cantata No. 50 is another matter altogether. Its single movement, a gigantic eight-strand fugal chorus of vast and complex architectural splendour, is almost certainly the lone survivor of a lost cantata. Stylistically, it is the odd man out in the present context though it was a happy thought to include it since, because of its peculiar isolation, it is often overlooked. In a recent review of BWV225-230 performed by the Stockholm Chamber Choir and the Vienna Concentus Musicus directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt on Telefunken, I stressed the importance of understanding the symmetry of this vocally and intellectually demanding repertoire. I found Gardiner's interpretations thoughtful and often surprisingly introverted. There is a tenderness of expression perhaps missing in Harnoncourt's version, though I liked it; certainly Gardiner permits a wider range of dynamics within his choir which, like the Stockholm Bach Choir is made up of mixed male and female voices. Both conductors keep a lively rhythmic pulse throughout, and both performances are well phrased with Gardiner inclining more strongly towards legato. His reading of Jesu, meine Freude (BWV227) is marginally the more theatrical of the two. Generally speaking Harnoncourt prefers more elaborate instrumentation than Gardiner, where there is a choice, that is. Which of the two choirs you prefer will be a matter of personal taste. I found the serene and relaxed approach of the Monteverdi Choir effective, though at times, as for instance in Fiirchte dich nicht (BWV228), the sopranos sound strained. Intonation is just a little more dependable in the Harnoncourt set but then, on the other hand, it is almost devoid of the personal expression with which Gardiner suffuses his readings. So, as I say, it's a question of what sort of Bach you are looking for. One practical advantage this new Erato set has over the other is the inclusion of no fewer than four extra items, two of which I consider pretty indispensable in albums claiming to include all Bach's motets.

Performed:
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Condictor - John Eliot Gardiner

Tracklist:
CD1
01. Motet: Komm, Jesu, komm (BWV 226)
02. Cantata: O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht (BWV 118)
03. Motet: Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf (BWV 226)
04. Motet: Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden (BWV 230)
05. Motet: Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren (BWV 231)
06. Motet: Der Gerechte kommt um
07. Motet: Furchte dich nicht (BWV 228)
CD2
01. Motet: Jesu, meine Freude (BWV 227)
02. Motet: Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (BWV 225)
03. Cantata: Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft (BWV 50)

Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3 from 29. August 2011

EAC extraction logfile from 22. October 2014, 16:21

John Eliot Gardiner / Bach - Motets BWV 225 & 227, Cantata BWV 50

Used drive : PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-218L Adapter: 0 ID: 0

Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No

Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000

Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 128 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "Date=%year%" -T "Genre=%genre%" %source%


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Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
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Range status and errors

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Filename C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\Bach - Motets BWV 225 & 227, Cantata BWV 50.wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 1.7 X
Range quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 471110ED
Copy CRC 471110ED
Copy OK

No errors occurred


AccurateRip summary

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Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3 from 29. August 2011

EAC extraction logfile from 22. October 2014, 15:22

John Eliot Gardiner / Bach - Motets BWV 226, 228-231, Cantata BWV 118

Used drive : PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-218L Adapter: 0 ID: 0

Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No

Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000

Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 128 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "Date=%year%" -T "Genre=%genre%" %source%


TOC of the extracted CD

Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
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2 | 9:47.12 | 10:13.65 | 44037 | 90076
3 | 20:01.02 | 8:04.03 | 90077 | 126379
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5 | 34:52.20 | 4:29.30 | 156920 | 177124
6 | 39:21.50 | 7:09.30 | 177125 | 209329
7 | 46:31.05 | 9:26.45 | 209330 | 251824


Range status and errors

Selected range

Filename C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\Bach - Motets BWV 226, 228-231, Cantata BWV 118.wav

Peak level 99.3 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Range quality 100.0 %
Test CRC EB03F7CC
Copy CRC EB03F7CC
Copy OK

No errors occurred


AccurateRip summary

Track 1 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [EF0CF3D1] (AR v2)
Track 2 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [8663CE64] (AR v2)
Track 3 accurately ripped (confidence 2) [DC414B49] (AR v2)
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All tracks accurately ripped

End of status report

–– CUETools DB Plugin V2.1.3

[CTDB TOCID: CnQBpguoVnUc3LhHeFAqUZ864DQ-] found, Submit result: CnQBpguoVnUc3LhHeFAqUZ864DQ- has been confirmed
[ea939c17] (12/13) Accurately ripped
[13e3d1a6] (01/13) No match


==== Log checksum 5CA34186B2C2A1C9A288B181F76802E130593D117A0497C01D301C497EE71847 ====