Die Welt From 5.04.2016

Cambridges renowned Trinity College Choir, conducted by Richard Marlow, is heard in a 6-CD compilation of acclaimed Renaissance and early Baroque recordings. In the compositions by Lassus, Victoria, Praetorius, Sweelinck, Monteverdi and Schutz heard here, Gramophone has praised the choirs superb discipline fresh and natural voices as well as Marlows astute and imaginative direction His sensitivity and responsiveness are tireless.

Dominik Wörner, a prizewinner at the Bach International Competition in Leipzig in 2002, established the Kirchheimer BachConsort in 2008. Its members, leading musicians from the early music scene, perform as an ensemble of soloists in programs focusing on the repertoire of the eighteenth century. On this brand-new CD release Wörner leads his ensemble and the Czech soprano and harpist Hana Blažiková in interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach’s dialogue cantatas.

Max Reger was a master of the organ, so compiling his entire output for the instrument is no small feat. This 14 disc set from MPS Jazz is a rare opportunity to enjoy all of Reger's organ works in one place.

Bach revised his Johannes-Passion regularly: he returned to it over a period of twenty-six years, from 1724 to his death. It is the version hallowed by tradition, established by the Kantor a year before his death, that is presented on these CDs. But the 1725 version, equally outstanding musically, has also been recorded complete and can be downloaded as a bonus in high-resolution sound. Comparison of the two versions reveals the underlying meaning of this matchless Passion.

Some have likened Herbert von Karajan's "chamber-music approach" to Wagner's Ring cycle in terms of his scaling down or deconstructing the heroic roles. This approach has less to do with dynamics per se than it does with von Karajan's masterful balancing of voices and instruments. He achieves revelations of horizontal clarity, allowing no contrapuntal strand to emerge with an unwanted accent or a miscalibrated dynamic. The texts are unusually pinpointed and distinct, although the singers don't convey the experience and dimension of Sir Georg Solti's cast on London. There are exceptions.

Das schicksalhafte Leben der schottischen Königin Maria Stuart (1542-1587) hat zahlreiche Werke der Literatur, Musik und Bildenden Kunst inspiriert. Ihr Leben eignet sich wegen der Fülle spektakulärer Ereignisse und des blutigen Endes ideal als Tragödien- und Opernstoff. Schillers Maria Stuart oder Donizettis Maria Stuarda sind dabei nur die bekanntesten Beispiele. Die Dichtungen zu ihrem Schicksal wurden im 19. Jahrhundert von vielen Komponisten zu Liedern vertont. Franziska Hirzel (Sopran) und Tobias Schabenberger (Blüthner-Flügel 1874) stellen hier einige bekannte und wenig bekannte Beispiele zu Maria Stuart aus dem 19. Jahrhundert vor.

Since 2009, Carus has been issuing a CD series with Handel’s oratorios as well as select vocal works, operas and instrumental compositions. Now a box containing 13 CDs and comprising several large-scale oratorios has been compiled: it includes, in addition to Messiah, Alexander’s Feast, Israel in Egypt,Brockes-Passion, Solomon as well as the relatively unknown gem L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato.

In many ways this is a special recording. It features first-desks from the Chicago Sym. playing two of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, and so far beyond the average Baroque ensemble are they that one yearns for the other four. Just to hear the amazing trumpet solos in Concerto no. 2 by the legendary Adolph Herseth repays the cost of the CD. But we also get James Levine doing double duty at the harpsichord in Concerto no. 5. One deficit from the rise of period performance is that non-specialists have been driven out. The days when an all-around musician like Levine or Leonard Bernstein performed Bach and Handel are more or less over, and their replacements, to be tactful, are not on such an exalted level of talent…. By Santa Fe Listener