John Gottesmann

Part of our retrospective on the recordings of John Eliot Gardiner this album is dedicated to sacred music. It spans more than fifteen years of glorious recordings, mostly from the Baroque era: classic renditions of Handel oratorios and Dixit Dominus, splendid motets of Bach, pieces by Purcell, Scarlatti, Campra and more – but also includes a few pieces from the Renaissance and French romanticism.

‘Layton has directed this annual St John Passion for several seasons now. His readings, which are becoming ever more dramatic and daring, have a raw intensity. It was easy to see why these concerts have become one of the highlights in London’s musical calendar’ (The Guardian)

Straight from the French TV archives, this is the first official CD/DVD audio release documenting the giants of British blues on stage and in the TV studio.

One of the most popular recording artists of the 1970s, country-folk singer/songwriter John Denver's gentle, environmentally conscious music established him among the most beloved entertainers of his era; wholesome and clean-cut, his appeal extended to fans of all ages and backgrounds, and led to parallel careers as both an actor and a humanitarian. Born Henry John Deutschendorf in Roswell, NM, on December 31, 1943, he was raised in an Air Force family, and grew up in various regions of the southwestern U.S.

The foundations of Marc Minkowski’s career lie in Baroque music, and he has enjoyed a long relationship with Warner Classics, but this Johannes-Passion (St John Passion) is his first Bach for the label. The work’s terse drama – here presented through just nine singers – is ideally suited to both his scrupulous musicianship and his keen sense of theatre. The French conductor describes Bach’s great masterpieces as “a journey you have to prepare for meticulously, over a long period of time … You come back from it like an explorer comes back from Everest or the Moon - transformed.”

The foundations of Marc Minkowski’s career lie in Baroque music, and he has enjoyed a long relationship with Warner Classics, but this Johannes-Passion (St John Passion) is his first Bach for the label. The work’s terse drama – here presented through just nine singers – is ideally suited to both his scrupulous musicianship and his keen sense of theatre. The French conductor describes Bach’s great masterpieces as “a journey you have to prepare for meticulously, over a long period of time… You come back from it like an explorer comes back from Everest or the Moon – transformed.”

Born on March 4, 1965 in Liverpool, England, self-taught British film composing maestro John Murphy took his first career steps in the early 1990s and made a name for himself with the 1992 comedy, Leon the Pig Farmer.

Cantata Collective, an ensemble "of San Francisco early music luminaries" (San Francisco Chronicle) inaugurates a major series of J. S. Bach's choral works with a live recording of the composer's St. John Passion. With celebrated conductor Nicholas McGegan, the toast of today's new generation of vocal soloists and a three-to-a-part chamber choir, the Cantata Collective conveys the emotional intimacy and dramatic power of this monumental passion in a highly polished performance that led Early Music America to implore: "To the excellent musicians of Cantata Collective: More Bach Please!"

Cantata Collective, an ensemble "of San Francisco early music luminaries" (San Francisco Chronicle) inaugurates a major series of J. S. Bach's choral works with a live recording of the composer's St. John Passion. With celebrated conductor Nicholas McGegan, the toast of today's new generation of vocal soloists and a three-to-a-part chamber choir, the Cantata Collective conveys the emotional intimacy and dramatic power of this monumental passion in a highly polished performance that led Early Music America to implore: "To the excellent musicians of Cantata Collective: More Bach Please!"

Unreleased rare radio sessions from 1970 & 1971. Features acoustic versions of some classic and some rare Denver songs along with a candid and relaxed interview format. These tapes have been restored and remastered. Skip Weshner hosted a popular radio show on KRHM-FM in Los Angeles.