J.S. Bach: Magnificat

Bach probably completed his final version of this Marian canticle in D major sometime between 1728 and 1733, with its conjectured first performance at the Thomaskirche on July 2 1733. In its original form in E-flat major it had been written for Christmas Vespers ten years earlier. Bach removed all suggestion of Christmas from his working text. He lowered the key a half-tone in order to better accommodate the trumpets, thus brightening the sonority for what he regarded as a joyous and universal song of praise that was no longer tied to the liturgical year. With its thrilling trumpet-driven opening, the vigorous forward thrust of all 12 movements, its lack of recitatives, commentaries or chorales and its through-composed melodic brilliance, the Magnificat is one of Bach's most popular works, generating dozens of fine recordings over the years.

This performance recorded in 2009 by the superb Belgium based Ricercar Consort under Philippe Pierlot offers us beautiful latinate Bach: lyrical and suave yet powerful and emotionally satisfying. There is clarity and precision in each of the contrapuntal lines, whose blending sounds almost effortlessly contrived. One can "hear into" the music, creating an exemplary illusion of depth as layer after layer of sound is combined to build a stunning musical edifice. Both voices and instruments are superbly recorded and the result is a Magnificat of rare beauty. Also included on the CD is the Missa BWV 235, one of Bach's wonderful "little masses" based on movements from his cantatas. Also included as evidence of Bach's initial inspiration are two organ preludes and fugues related to the Magnificat. There was also a 43 minute rehearsal DVD included in this package (at least initially), making it an even more enticing collection. This has become my favorite performance of both the Magnificat and the Missa BWV 235. I recommend these performances for their sonorous beauty, for their expressive clarity and emotional precision and for that Gallic vision of Bach that reminds us how much the great North-German composer owed to his Italian and French models.

Mike Birman

... plus a lot of superb musicianship! Praise should be specific:
* The oboists Emmanuel Laporte and Jean-Marc Philippe brilliantly clarify why Bach and other baroque composers assigned so much of their most exciting music to the 'double-reeds'; the modern symphonic oboe is a degenerate honker in comparison to the mellifluous expressivity of its baroque forerunner.
* Soprano Maria Keohane has the perfect 'clarino' technique for singing Bach's most triumphant compositions; she and the three trumpeters make a thrilling quartet.
* Alto Carlos Mena fully justifies the decision of many conductors these days to assign the alto parts to countertenors; his voice is lushly affective in his "Esurientes" solo with obbligato from two traverso flutes.
* Conductor Philippe Pierlot has chosen a robust celebratory interpretation of the Magnificat, with bold contrasts of tempi among the twelve sections. His most exuberant sections remind me of the recent recording of the Magnificat conducted by Emmanuelle Haim, while his softer, tenderer sections surpass Haim's in delicacy. He's a formidable rehearsal perfectionist; that's obvious in the tight control he keeps over tempi and balance of voices.

There are dozens, literally dozens, of recordings of the Magnificat. This has to be one of the top five. On the other hand, there are only a sparse few recordings of Bach's 'Lutheran' Missa Brevis BWV 235, and this one is surely the best. All the generous vigor of Ricercar's Magnificat is sustained in the Missa, which Pierlot clearly regards as a triumphant declaration of Power and Glory. But in addition to its emotional plenipotence, this mass has remarkable contrapuntal complexity. It requires extremely transparent balance of all voices and instruments. And that's what Pierlot achieves; I hear passages in this performance that were mere background rumble in other recordings, including even other one-voice-per-part recordings.

This CD is accompanied by a DVD (NTSC format) 'film' of the generation of Pierlot's Magnificat interpretation. It's a composite of film footage from rehearsals, sound editing sessions, and live performances. That is, it's not a filmed performance of the Magnificat in entirety. I can testify that the rehearsal moments are as veritably representative of real rehearsals as anyone could wish for. You won't see/hear extended read-throughs; instead you catch Pierlot stopping the band after two or three bars, adjusting an attack, demanding more or less vocal effort of a singer, rejecting the imprecision of tempo in a passage that might have seemed awfully good to any casual listener. It's a very educational experience, watching this little film, particularly if you've never had the painful pleasure of rehearsing under a precise conductor.

I heard this music on the radio and felt a thrill. This is an exciting performance of Bach's Magnificat. I ordered the CD the same day. I play it once a day and I'm still really excited: marvellous music, perfectly performed and: what a recording quality! Thanks to conductor, performers and sound-engineers!