J S Bach: Lutheran Masses, Vol.2 [CD]

When it comes to BWV 233-236, the term "Lutheran Masses" is something of a misnomer: there is nothing Lutheran about these masses, and, strictly speaking, they are not even masses (i.e., they are not complete settings of the Ordinary). Because Lutheran aesthetics emphasized accessibility of liturgy to congregation, a true-to-the-word Lutheran mass would have been written in German and would have been based on easy-to-sing chorales meant for audience participation. The masses here, however, were clearly not meant for congregational (or even choral) singing. The choice of the language (Latin) and the intricate vocal and instrumental writing in these masses suggest that they were meant to be experienced on a more disassociated, more individualized, level. Can anything convey this intensely personal approach to worship better than a one-voice-per-part approach? I think not. I am very happy with this recording. It's been playing pretty much nonstop since I bought it a week ago. It is a worthy successor to Vol. 1 (which you should also buy). Some of my friends (including Matthew Westphal whose editorial review appears on this page) complained about the performances of Chance and Argenta on this disc. But I don't think that they were that bad. Sure, they don't sound as good as they once did, but they don't sound bad enough to ruin a group performance which is buoyed by the strong contributions from Harvey and especially Padmore. In fact, the overall blend of voices sounds surprisingly agreeable. All voices are also well balanced in terms of volume (something I didn't think was always the case with Vol. 1, although that was my only quarrel with Vol. 1). The absolute highlight of this disc are solo arias Gratias (Harvey) and Quoniam (Padmore), both from BWV 236. Notice also that the tenor line is frequently doubled by a viol. Can you get that level of detail in a choral performance? I doubt it. Soloists-as-chorus really works!

I heard a bit of this CD on the new releases program on my local radio station a couple of weeks ago, and I immediately ordered it. It came today. What a great recording! A one-per-part instrumentation, coupled with an excellent recording job, enables hearing every note of every player and singer, and this performance is worthy of that kind of reproduction. I know that my title for this review contains the netiquete equivalent of shouting, but I repeat: If you love Bach, BUY THIS CD!

Does Joshua Rifkin's One-Voice-Per-Part (OVPP) theory really *sound* as awful as it appears on paper?

Not at all. In my perspective, as part of the growing number of OVPP "converts," the theory is not only wonderful to hear but necessary to the music in that all voice lines can be heard clearly.

And these performances are a prime example of OVPP: neat and clear. The sound is actually more convincing than the sound of a 12 to 16 voice choir we are used to hearing. The archaic sound is just more believable for the music of Bach, in my mind.

Balance is also an important issue regarding OVPP, and I'm glad to say that both Volume 1 and 2 of this edition of Bach masses keeps balance well in mind.

The soloists are each top-rate and the authentic, orchestra is likewise great.