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Date: | Thu, 18 Jan 2001 17:44:45 -0800 |
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I picked up Niquet's performance of Rameau's Grands Motets, as Gens and
Desrochers are covering the soprano parts and I have fallen in love with
their voices. I enjoy the music very much. Carmelized Bach.
I noticed that the Christie performance of the same music won a Gramophone
award @'75, so I picked that up as well. I like the Gens/Desrochers with
Niquet conducting much better. The voices are lighter, and I don't hear
any 'scrappy moments of orchestral playing,' as Gram reports. Christie's
voices lean toward an 'operatic' sound that doesn't sit as well w/ me.
Not that Christie isn't elegant.
Thanks to Bill Hong, I took the time to go through the Lully section and
picked up his Petits Motets--very nice, and the Salve Regina for 3 sopranos
is wonderful, and the sopranos are light-voiced. Niquet's recordings *are*
available on Naxos here in California at least. I would snap them up.
Speaking of what was available used, I FINALLY found Biber's Mystery
Sonatas w/Holloway! Been looking for that one for a year. I don't hear
the man vs. instrument antagonism I hear in his performance of the Bach
Violin Sonatas; his musicianship really comes through in the Biber. And
the notes on Biber's alternative string tunings are fascinating. Look
for this one--very imaginative, picturesque, touching and quirky.
Podger's new recording of the Violin Sonatas is a joy as well. Channel is
very generous to offer these two CD's for the price of one. Though I'm not
a Bach specialist, I can report that the other two instruments of these
'trio sonatas'--the right and left hand of the keyboard player, so to
speak--come across as clearly and warmly as I've heard. Some great
harmonies in there. So much great stuff.
John Smyth
http://facelink.com/j66560
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