Bach Netherlands Bach Society Van Veldhoven St. Matthew Passion, Bwv 244 (2011) {hybrid Sacd Eac}

The Ensemble Pygmalion directed by Raphaël Pichon commences its collaboration with Harmonia Mundi with this new recording of J.S. Bach’s lost music to the Köthener Trauermusik (Cöthen funeral music), BWV 244a. Founded in 2006 at the European Bach Festival, Ensemble Pygmalion is a combination of choir and orchestra - all young performers with experience of authentic instruments and period-informed performance. Its repertoire concentrates primarily on Johann Sebastian Bach and Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Für ihn war Musik „Klangrede“, die uns auch nach jahrhundertelanger Vertrautheit noch eine Menge zu sagen hat. Als der Dirigent Nikolaus Harnoncourt am 5. März starb, verlor die Welt eine Musikerpersönlichkeit, die wie keine andere das Repertoire von Bach bis Gershwin, von Monteverdi bis Bruckner völlig neu zu beleuchten verstand. Lange war Harnoncourt mit seinem Ensemble Concentus Musicus Wien dem einstigen Warner-Label Teldec verbunden.

Hermann Max came to the fore in the first place with the Rheinische Kantorei and the Baroque Orchestra Das Kleine Konzert through a series of productions for the Westdeutscher Rundfunk. He is considered as one of the principal researchers and developers of the HIP, which has become the prevailing approach to the performance of early music today. The ideals that guided him in directing his choir are based on the Italian tradition: a bright sound, precise diction, secure intonation, transparency and lightness.