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Peter Watchorn / Thomas Folan
Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works
General Discussions |
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Cantatas 62, 45, 192 & 140 by Publick Music and Folan |
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Bradley Lehman wrote (February 25, 2008):
There is a delightful new release by the Rochester NY group "Publick Musick" performing cantatas BWV 62, BWV 45, BWV 192, and BWV 140. They have a seventeen-voiced choir, and the soloists (all excellent) include Max van Egmond. The performances and recording are well-prepared and clear, letting the music move along beautifully. My favorite on there so far is cantata BWV 140, "Wachet auf", in part because it's the most familiar. The web page has a sample aria from that. The CD is so well-filled that not another 20 seconds of music would fit.
Details:
http://www.musicaomnia.org/bachchoral.asp
http://www.publickmusick.org |
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Ed Myskowski wrote (March 5, 2008):
[To Bradley Lehman] Thanks for providing this information, which I am repeating in its entirety, since it is concise.
I found this CD is also available at amazon.com. I also found that if I combined it with Peter Watchorns WTC I, shipping is free (USA). Comments on the WTC I are available in the BCW archives, including a significant detail: tuning is Bach/Lehman temperament, as Peter nicely puts it in thoughtful booklet notes. If you have read about this topic in some of the controversy on BCML, but have not had the opportunity to hear what it is all about, this is a convenient opportunity.
I heard Brad and Peter together, on a radio broadcast available on-line, the other year (2006, I believe). Their demonstration of the temperament, with Brad tuning in real time, was very convincing. My recollection is that Peter was in Australia at the time, I overlooked that he is practically a neighbor here in northeastern USA. Apologies for just now catching up with the WTC I CD. Better late than never, I trust.
I received these CDs a few hours ago, and have just begun to listen. Two of the cantatas will be coming up in our chronologic discussion later this year, a nice opportunity to hear something new, and voice an opinion at that time. For those who are familiar with Max von Egmond from the pioneering H&L series, also a nice opportunity to hear what he is up to now, in the northeastern USA. I second Brads thoughts: delightful.
There is a lot new for me to absorb in the WTC I recording, so I will defer any comments, other than to say that the harpsichord sound is huge, on first impression. I did take the opportunity to check out the connection Neil suggested between BWV 34/1, and the E flat major prelude (BWV 852), which Peter Watchorn says <is really a tocatta and fugue in itself.> Heard and appreciated. |
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Jean Laaninen wrote (March 5, 2008):
[To Ed Myskowski] These additional notes via Brad and Ed help to round out the discussion. From this end of things as a first time writer I'm even more impressed with the notes that come in than in the past. |
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Bradley Lehman wrote (March 13, 2008):
Ed Myskowski wrote (March 4th - "march forth!"):
< (...)
http://www.musicaomnia.org/bachchoral.asp
I found this CD is also available at amazon.com. I also found that if I combined it with Peter Watchorns WTC I, shipping is free (USA). Comments on the WTC I are available in the BCW archives, including a significant detail: tuning is Bach/Lehman temperament, as Peter nicely puts it in thoughtful booklet notes. If you have read about this topic in some of the controversy on BCML, but have not had the opportunity to hear what it is all about, this is a convenient opportunity.
I heard Brad and Peter together, on a radio broadcast available on-line, the other year (2006, I believe). Their demonstration of the temperament, with Brad tuning in real time, was very convincing. >
Peter's new CD of the inventions/sinfonias (two and three part inventions) is now available, too. It has the same tuning and same booklet essay by me: http://www.musicaomnia.org/newreleases.asp
Peter's marvelous playing on here emphasizes the intertwining of melodic lines. His registration is single 8-foot stop: with both hands on the same manual for most of the pieces, or one hand per manual in the several pieces where the parts cross. The ornamentation is tastefully and lyrically conceived, with a "vocal" quality that matches what Bach said on the title page for these compositions: music to foster a cantabile manner of playing keyboards. And Peter's tempos and manner of phrasing give the music room to breathe naturally. I've listened to the CD more than half a dozen times so far, and one of the things that impresses me most is the way each piece has a different character from the others.
The playlist from that other July 2006 radio show (the one Ed mentioned) is here: http://www.kpfk.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1922&Itemid=79&lang=en
...and some follow-up remarks by me are here: http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0607&L=hpschd-l&D=1&T=0&O=D&P=31542
Ed, is the broadcast itself archived on the web? I'd like to know, and hear it again, if so! Thanks. |
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Peter Watchorn : Short Biography | Recordings of Vocal Works | Recordings of Instrumental Works | General Discussions
Reviews of Instrumental Recordings: New Bach English Suites from Titanic | Bach's Toccatas for Harpsichord from Watchorn & Troeger (3 Parts) | Peter Watchorn Finds a Home [Satz] | Review: Bach Violin and Harpsichord Sonatas [McElhearn] |
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Thomas Folan : Short Biography | Publick Musick | Recordings | General Discussions |
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