Deryk Barker responds to me:

>>So far, Gardiner is doing best with King and Leonhardt close seconds.
>
>Oh dear, are things really that bad?  I thought JEG's one of the  most
>superficial B minors I've ever heard.

Deryk and I are of different minds concering much of Gardiner's recorded
output.  I can assure every list member who enjoys or prefers Bach's sacred
choral works on period instruments that each of the nine versions of the
Mass in b are worthy of a place in your home record library.

Not only are things not so bad, they are very good indeed.  There's not a
"bad" track on any of those recordings.  Usually, the best you will hear
from a non-hip person is that period instrument performances were very bad
in the early days but are getting better.  My opinion is that they were
fine to begin with and, in general, just keep getting more excellent.

Just for the record, after my second posting on the 9 versions compared,
Leonhardt how has a slight edge over Gardiner.  I have no idea how it will
end up, but doing this little exercise has given me renewed admiration for
every version and for the B minor Mass in general.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]