Ulvi Yurtsever wrote:

>BTW, generally I can't stand boy sopranos, the only element in
>HIP I can't manage to appreciate.

I've tended to feel that way also, but the survey I did of recordings of
Bach's Mass in B minor gave me a greater appreciation.  Pinnock and King
used boy soloists, and they were sometimes very effective.  There's an
innocence to their voices which can be very appealing.  At the other end,
their voices can be problematic due to the immaturity.

I keep doing these surveys mainly because of all the additional insights
I get about the works themselves and the variety of interpretation which
can work well.  But, the most insight I've received is how well an artist
can do in one piece of music, then perform only competently in another,
although both pieces are from the same composition.  I am enjoying the
surveys so much that I probably won't stop with Bach - just move through
the alphabetical chain, covering only those composers and works I greatly
appreciate.  With Bach, that's most everything he wrote.

Don Satz
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