Philippe Herreweghe

Collegium Vocale Gent; Philippe Herreweghe - Carlo Gesualdo: O Dolce Mio Tesoro - Madrigali a cinque voci, Libro sesto (2016)

Carlo Gesualdo: O Dolce Mio Tesoro - Madrigali a cinque voci, Libro sesto (1611) (2016)
Collegium Vocale Gent; Philippe Herreweghe, conductor

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 257 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 150 Mb | Artwork included
Classical, Renaissance, Vocal | Label: Phi | # LPH 024 | Time: 01:04:34

Philippe Herreweghe, respected elder of the early choral music world, directs a pared-down version of his choir Collegium Vocale Gent in delectably careful performances of music that in less careful hands can sound plain crazy. The slippery harmonies of Carlo Gesualdo’s sixth book of madrigals, written in 1611 but sounding centuries ahead of their time, are nailed down with the sharpest, slenderest of pins thanks to the perfect tuning and clear tone of Herreweghe’s ensemble. One to each line, the singers maintain a finely balanced blend, emerging briefly as soloists at moments of emphasis. Some may find the ambience a bit churchified for these texts, in which images of frolicking cupids are heavily outweighed by the laments of unbedded lovers miserably invoking death; but the performances are full of subtle nuance, and you’re unlikely to hear passages such as the end of Io Pur Respiro, with its sliding, viscous harmonies, better done.
Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent & Orchestre des Champs-Elysées - Beethoven: Christus am Ölberge (2022)

Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent & Orchestre des Champs-Elysées - Beethoven: Christus am Ölberge (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 214 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 111 Mb | Digital booklet | 00:47:34
Classical, Sacred, Opera | Label: Phi, Outhere Music

Beethoven composed the oratorio Christus am Ölberge (C hrist on the Mount of Olives ) in just ‘a fortnight, amid all sorts of tumult and other unpleasant and alarming events in my life’. It marked the first time since the two ‘imperial cantatas’ of 1790, the Cantata on the Death of the Emperor Joseph II WoO 87 and the Cantata on the Accession of Leopold II WoO 88, that he had embarked on a multi-movement vocal work. Christus am Ölberge was also Beethoven’s first composition on a religious subject and was destined to remain his only oratorio.
Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Philippe Herreweghe - Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies (2011)

Philippe Herreweghe, Royal Flemish Philharmonic - Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies (2011)
EAC | FLAC (image+.cue, log) | Covers Included | 05:36:49 | 1,6 Gb
Genre: Classical | Label: Pentatone | Catalog: PTC 5186 312

Philippe Herreweghe’s Beethoven symphonies cycle with the Royal Flemish Orchestra, recorded between 2004 and 2009, belongs to PENTATONE’s most renowned and successful releases. Herreweghe and his orchestra have been widely praised for their lively interpretation, full of clarity. Together, they achieve a historically informed performance while using modern instruments, expanded with natural horns and historical timpani. The excellent sound quality of this recording adds to the extraordinary acoustic sensation. This boxset is now presented in a new, convenient clamshell design.
Collegium Vocale Gent & Philippe Herreweghe - Bach: Johannes-Passion, BWV 245 (2020)

Collegium Vocale Gent & Philippe Herreweghe - Bach: Johannes-Passion, BWV 245 (2020)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+log+.cue) - 423 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 246 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:47:04
Classical, Vocal | Label: Phi

Bach’s St John Passion, with its famous opening chorus traversed by shadows and light, is a powerful musical and spiritual reflection. Dramatic, grandiose, complex, resolutely theatrical: there has been no lack of superlatives to describe this supreme masterpiece of western music. Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent present an accomplished reading that reflects their knowledge of the composer, based on extensive research and deepened by countless concerts. Soloists Krešimir Stražanac and Maximilian Schmitt demonstrate the breadth of their talents in the roles of Jesus and the Evangelist.
Philippe Herreweghe, La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale - Bach: Cantates de fetes [5CDs] (2003)

Philippe Herreweghe, La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale - Bach: Cantates de fêtes [5CDs] (2003)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 1,38 Gb | Total time: 5h 17' 19'' | Scans included
Classical | Label: Harmonia Mundi | # HMX 2908135.39 | Recorded: 1990, 1993, 1995-1997

The Magnificat was the very first work Bach composed after his appointment as Cantor of St. Thomas's School in Leipzig in 1723. We can imagine the care he lavished on the work that was to establish him in this new function. It was revised some years later: the key was changed to D major and the forces were considerably enlarged. This is the version in which one of Bach's most famous choral works has come down to us.
Philippe Herreweghe, La Chapelle Royale - Gabriel Fauré: Requiem, version 1893 (1988)

Philippe Herreweghe, La Chapelle Royale - Gabriel Fauré: Requiem, version 1893 (1988)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 229 Mb | Total time: 56:15 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Harmonia Mundi | # HMC 901292 | Recorded: 1988

Conductors coming to the Fauré Requiem have choices: The original, 1888 version with only five movements of the eventual seven and very minimal instrumentation; the more commonly performed 1893 chamber version, scored with only the lower strings (violins reserved for the In Paridisum movement), plus harp, timpani, organ, horns, and trumpets, but without woodwinds; and the 1900 revision for full orchestra. Philippe Herreweghe recorded the 1893 version several years ago; here he opts for the full-orchestra setting. But there’s a nice hitch: it’s played on period instruments and uses a harmonium instead of an organ. It comes across as much leaner than other recorded “full” versions (i.e., Chung’s on DG, Dutoit’s on Decca), and indeed the details of the “big” score are nice to hear.
Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées - Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E minor; Te Deum (2020)

Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées - Anton Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E minor; Te Deum (2020)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 208 Mb | Total time: 51:40 | Scans included
Classical | Label: PHI | # LPH034 | Recorded: 2012, 2019

Composed in 1866 for the inauguration of a votive chapel in Linz Cathedral, Anton Bruckners Mass no. 2 is a fine example of modernity blended with a centuries-old religious tradition, in that wind instruments are set in dialogue with choral writing inspired by Gregorian chant. Shorter in duration but scored for chorus and large orchestra with four soloists, his Te Deum of 1881 was acclaimed by such illustrious contemporaries as Hans Richter and Mahler, while the composer, usually very self-critical, opined that the score of this work would make God judge him kindly.
Philippe Herreweghe, Chœur et Orchestre du Collegium Vocale, La Chapelle Royale - Jean-Baptiste Lully: Armide (1993)

Philippe Herreweghe, Chœur et Orchestre du Collegium Vocale, La Chapelle Royale - Jean-Baptiste Lully: Armide (1993)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 784 Mb | Total time: 78:42+77:21 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Harmonia Mundi | # HMC 901 456.57 | Recorded: 1992

Cinq ans après Atys, Armide grâce à la sensibilité de Philippe Herreweghe est l’objet d’un accomplissement rare. Depuis Cadmus (1673), Lully travaille la déclamation chantée dont le meilleur exemple ici est dans les nombreuses langueurs qui étreignent le cour d’Armide, le célèbre « Enfin il est en ma puissance » (II,4), modèle de l’art lullyste, cité par Rameau pendant la Querelle des Bouffons (1753). Voici la seconde approche de l’ouvrage par le chef flamand. La lisibilité de la progression dramatique est assurée par la définition d’un orchestre, précis, fascinant, véritable acteur. Outre Acis (passacaille finale), ouvrage ultime, aucune ouvre à part Armide, n’exprime à ce degré, l’émotivité instrumentale de Lully.
Philippe Herreweghe, Choeur et Orchestre du Collegium Vocale - Johann Sebastian Bach: Messe en si mineur (2000)

Philippe Herreweghe, Choeur et Orchestre du Collegium Vocale - Johann Sebastian Bach: Messe en si mineur / Mass in B minor (2000)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 545 Mb | Total time: 54:27+53:55 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Harmonia Mundi | # 901614.15 | Recorded: 1996

This recording is, quite frankly, a marvel. In the opening bars of the Kyrie, where tradition dictates a powerful, agonized cry for mercy, Philippe Herreweghe offers a gentle, awestruck plea that took this listener's breath away. Extroverted movements like the Gloria, Et resurrexit, and Sanctus lack nothing in excitement; Qui tollis and Dona nobis pacem feel like fervent prayers. Herreweghe's luminous Collegium Vocale and skillful, sensitive instrumentalists make every gesture, large and small, seem exactly right. The soloists have attractive voices that blend with the period instruments and each other; while each is exquisite, tenor Christoph Prégardien and alto Andreas Scholl are magnificent.
Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale, Ghent, Barbara Schlick - Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B minor (2009)

Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale, Ghent, Barbara Schlick - Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B minor (2009)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 482 Mb | Total time: 54:30+52:09 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Virgin Veritas | # 6 93197 2 | Recorded: 1988

Originally recorded in 1988, this was one of the recordings that made historical performance practice the mainstream when it came to Bach's major choral works. Every moment of the mass was thought through anew, every bit of conventional piety purged. Major B minor mass recordings in the following years have developed one aspect or another further than conductor Philippe Herreweghe does here; Masaaki Suzuki's Bach Collegium Japan chisels out the counterpoint in greater detail, and for grand reverential warmth there's always John Eliot Gardiner. But for a constant sense of wonder that makes even the larger harmonic structure of the mass seem surprising as it unfolds – for a real sense of a group responding not only to a conductor's control but to his artistic vision – this reading by Herreweghe and his Collegium Vocale Ghent remains unexcelled.