Limited skills yet ...

Sw Anandgyan wrote (October 29, 2003):
Can I ask some comments on the Rene Jacobs' rendition of the Mass in B Minor with the RIAS Kammerchor ?

I'm very excited at the approaching arrival of the Cantus Cölln's version of the MBM. I have only the Andrew Parrott and The Taverner Consort & Players as far as OVPP goes. I've been listening to one recording of this oeuvre to begin my day as to improve my discrimination, or at least refine my listening preferences and alas my written reviews are still so close to inept it IS funny.

I'm listening to Herreweghe II and it is so ... valium. It is distinguished. I, at times, get this picture of a mammoth with ballerina shoes. I'd like to get a recording that I could compare to a bull with untied running shoes.

Hope you had a chuckle wit this, if not you can send money for university tuition.

BTW, I have noticed that the Goldberg music magazine Internet portal has " opened " up its doors to its rich contents, enough to be a fierce competitor to the Gramophone website.

To conclude, I'm heading to New York next week and I intend to purchase the Pomerium's 'Josquin' album on the Glissando label that alas this particular one is not distributed in Montreal. I read about the Towers Lincoln Center near Central Park and I'm going there. Can a member offer a suggestion as to which record store I ought to pay a visit for its imposing classical music inventory ?

Thanks.

Joost wrote (October 30, 2003):
Anandgyan wrote:
< Can I ask some comments on the Rene Jacobs' rendition of the Mass in B Minor with the RIAS Kammerchor ? >
The recording of the B minor mass was the first project of René Jacobs with the RIAS Kammerchor. At the time the choir clearly didn't have much experience performing baroque music. It sounds very heavy, and not flexible as one would expect with René Jacobs conducting. Also the soloists don't seem to be very much inspired, so I wouldn't recommend this disc at all. Later on Jacobs recorded the Bach Motets with the same choir. By then the choir had developed into a fine and flexible ensemble, perfectly doing whatever Jacobs wants them to. This turned out to be one of my favourite recordings of the motets.

Uri Golomb wrote (October 30, 2003):
Joost wrote:
< The recording of the B minor mass was the first project of Renי Jacobs with the RIAS Kammerchor. At the time the choir clearly didn't have much experience performing baroque music. It sounds very heavy, and not flexible as one would expect with Renי Jacobs conducting. Also the soloists don't seem to be very much inspired, so I wouldn't recommend this disc at all. >
I'd modify this slightly. I really admire the First and Second Kyries in this recording -- I think they do have the qualities that Joost missed. I agree, however, that the rest of the performance is not quite up to the same standard. I don't know Jacobs' motets -- having read Josst's remarks, I'm now really curious to hear them! I mostly enjoyed his readings of the three secular cantatas, though a few times it goes a bit over-the-top even for me.

Finally !

Sw Anandgyan wrote (November 28, 2004):
Thanks to a friend in Paris who found this CD in a second-hand shop in his town and mailed it to me; I can now listen to the MBM performed by Rene Jacobs.

My first impression; it is a very glistening interpretation. Take the Credo section for example; I felt like the choir was flying, flowing it was so ethereal. I could even venture to say that there is the typical René Jacobs touch, that is to say there's a definite jubilant intensity. It's not dull and yet not too eccentric.

This happened because of a friendship struck on a Yahoo! group dedicated to Advaita. It made me discover the Money-Gram way too !

Mass in B minor by R, Jacobs , free to listen for limited time on BBC Radio 3

Miguel Prohaska wrote (November 12, 2022):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dpgc
24 days left to listen
Bach from Berlin
René Jacobs conducts the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin in Bach's Mass in B minor.

12:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Mass in B minor, BWV 232 - Part 1
Robin Johannsen (soprano), Marie-Claude Chappuis (mezzo-soprano), Benno Schachtner (countertenor), Sebastian Kohlhepp (tenor), Andreas Wolf (bass), RIAS Chamber Chorus, Berlin, Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Rene Jacobs (conductor)

01:23 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Mass in B minor, BWV 232 - Part 2
Robin Johannsen (soprano), Marie-Claude Chappuis (mezzo-soprano), Benno Schachtner (countertenor), Sebastian Kohlhepp (tenor), Andreas Wolf (bass), RIAS Chamber Chorus, Berlin, Akademie fur AlteMusik Berlin, Rene Jacobs (conductor)

01:52 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Mass in B minor, BWV 232 - Part 3
Robin Johannsen (soprano), Marie-Claude Chappuis (mezzo-soprano), Benno Schachtner (countertenor), Sebastian Kohlhepp (tenor), Andreas Wolf (bass), RIAS Chamber Chorus, Berlin, Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Rene Jacobs (conductor)

02:13 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Chaconne from the Partita No.2 in D minor (BWV.1004)
Alena Baeva (violin)

Melissa Raven wrote (November 13, 2022):
[To Miguel Prohaska] Thanks Miguel

I am not aware of any other versions that start the way this one does, with a quiet unaccompanied ‘Kyrie eleison’ (01:22) [marred by some coughing, unfortunately] before the full choir and orchestra enter with the usual dramatic volume (01: 42).

I like it, but it took me by surprise.

Bruce Simonson wrote (November 13, 2022):
[To Melissa Raven] Interesting. Antiphon and small forces response to start things off.

Thanks for the link. Nice to hear this; it’ll be my evening meditation.

Tenor Inga wrote (November 13, 2022):
[To Bruce Simonson] Yes, the opening Kyrie antiphon was a snippet of Gregorian chant. I'm not sure if it's the one on which Bach might have based his opening Kyrie. I'd have to hear it again. I'm not sure I follow the rhyme and/or reason behind Jacobs use of concertists within the choruses. (I'm currently most of the way through the Gloria..at the Qui sedes) The places they're often used, he avoids using them, and then suddenly they'll appear where one least expects them. Not the first time Jacobs does things against what might be standard practice. Of course, Bach left no instructions about concertists--one usually can make assumptions based on what is called for in the music--and it can vary from conductor to conductor. So far, this is an okay performance...spritely tempi, good playing and singing.

Zachary Uram wrote (November 13, 2022):
[To Tenor Inga] Does anyone know how I may record a video of this streaming performance?!?!

Joel Harband wrote (November 13, 2022):
[To Zachary Uram] Try Audacity https://www.audacityteam.org/

Zachary Uram wrote (November 13, 2022):
[To Joel Harband] THANKS!

René Jacobs: Short Biography | Ensembles: RIAS-Kammerchor | Academie für Alte Musik Berlin
Discography: Recordings of Vocal Works | General Discussions
Individual Recordings: BWV 232 - R. Jacobs | BWV 248 - R. Jacobs

Mass in B minor BWV 232: Details
Complete Recordings: 1900-1949 | 1950-1959 | 1960-1969 | 1970-1979 | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2020-2029
Recordings of Individual Movements: 1900-1949 | 1950-1959 | 1960-1969 | 1970-1979 | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2020-2029
General Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19
Systematic Discussions: Part 1: Kyrie | Part 2: Gloria | Part 3: Credo | Part 4: Sanctus | Part 5: Agnus Dei | Part 6: Early Recordings | Part 7: Summary
Individual Recordings: BWV 232 - C. Abbado | BWV 232 - Anonymous | BWV 232 - G.C. Biller | BWV 232 - F. Brüggen | BWV 232 - J. Butt | BWV 232 - S. Celibidache | BWV 232 - M. Corboz | BWV 232 - A. Eby | BWV 232 - G. Enescu | BWV 232 - E. Ericson | BWV 232 - D. Fasolis | BWV 232 - J.E. Gardiner | BWV 232 - C.M. Giulini | BWV 232 - N. Harnoncourt | BWV 232 - T. Hengelbrock | BWV 232 - P. Herreweghe | BWV 232 - R. Hickox | BWV 232 - R. Jacobs | BWV 232 - E. Jochum | BWV 232 - Ifor Jones | BWV 232 - K. Junghänel & Cantus Cölln | BWV 232 - H.v. Karajan | BWV 232 - R. King | BWV 232 - O. Klemperer | BWV 232 - S. Kuijken | BWV 232 - G. Leonhardt | BWV 232 - P. McCreesh | BWV 232 - M. Minkowski | BWV 232 - H. Müller-Bruhl | BWV 232 - S. Ozawa | BWV 232 - M. Pearlman | BWV 232 - K. Richter | BWV 232 - J. Rifkin | BWV 232 - H. Rilling | BWV 232 - H. Scherchen | BWV 232 - P. Schreier | BWV 232 - R. Shaw | BWV 232 - G. Solti | BWV 232 - M. Suzuki | BWV 232 - J. Thomas & ABS | BWV 232 - K. Thomas | BWV 232 - J.v. Veldhoven
Articles: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232 [T. Noel Towe] | Bach’s B minor Mass on Period Instruments [D. Satz] | Like Father, Like Son [B. Pehrson]