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Tue, 13 Apr 1999 09:02:10 PDT |
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About the time that I started listening to Bach's cantatas, Mass in B
Minor, and the St. Matthew Passion, I bought Gardiner's account of the St.
John Passion. Not liking it to the degree that I liked the other sacred
choral works, I put Gardiner on the shelf and have not listened to the St.
John Passion for many years.
Jonathan was recently so enthusiastic about the new Suzuki version on
Bis that I decided to get back into the work by acquiring the Suzuki and
rehearing the Gardiner. I'm very glad I did so. I think that the reason
I was not impressed years ago was because of the abundance of choral
passages in relation to arias. Well, with the passage of a few years,
I now have a different view of the work where the recitatives, choruses,
and arias fall into a natural pattern which I appreciate greatly.
In comparing Gardiner to Suzuki, what most strikes me is the beauty and
richness of the choral passages in the Suzuki version; Gardiner does well
here but I prefer Suzuki. Soloists are excellent in both versions;
recorded sound favors Suzuki.
I thank Jonathan for steering me back toward the St. John Passion. I just
hope that I can content myself with the two versions I have and not go out
and acquire additional recordings. My list of music to buy is overflowing,
and I need to scale it down. When you owe the Feds a big chunk of money by
15 April, a new air conditioning system is needed, and your car needs a new
clutch, there isn't much left over for discretionary purchases. I sure do
hate income taxation - it's so inefficient and invasive.
Don Satz
[log in to unmask]
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