There has been much anticipation concerning the new release on Archiv of
Bach's Magnificat & Easter Oratorio from Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli
Consort & Players.  Before getting down to the review process, I have a few
preliminary observations:

a.  McCreesh seems to already have a fine reputation as a Bach interpreter.
However, the bulk of his recording efforts have involved music prior to
Bach's time.  McCreesh did release a 2-cd set of an idealized occasion
containing some Bach music and music of other composers.  However, this new
release is the first time that McCreesh has to stand or fall on how well he
interprets and executes Bach's music.

b.  McCreesh uses the one voice per part approach(ovpp).  Against all
common sense, this approach remains an issue to this day.  Did Bach
use ovpp based on preference or was it largely a matter of resource
limitations? At this point in time, I don't believe it makes much
difference.  The buying public has many examples of ovpp and multiple
voices per part recordings to choose from.  Some prefer ovpp, some don't.
Personally, I feel that how well the ovpp appproach words depends largely
on the quality of the vocalists, how well they blend together, and what the
recording process might be doing to add heft to the vocalists.  Of course,
the importance of each vocalist is magnified in the ovpp approach.

c.  McCreesh's tempos in this new release have been criticized as being
excessively fast.  This is clearly not the case with his Easter Oratorio
which is of average tempo.  However, his Magnificat is the fastest I've
ever heard of.  Most performances take close to 30 minutes; McCreesh clocks
in at about 23 1/2 minutes.  The next fastest performance on record I'm
aware of comes from Gardiner who takes a little over 25 minutes.  So, tempo
in the Magnificat is certainly a consideration I will be commenting on.

Bach's Easter Oratorio BWV 249 began life as a secular pastoral cantata
now identified as BWV 249a.  Bach subsequently revised it for sacred use,
a practice not uncommon for the era.  The ressurection of Christ is a
big event which is actually the final act which insures the potential
redemption of humans.  Christ's miracles, his trial, his crucifixion - they
don't win the day; only his resurrection has lasting importance.  Take that
away and the rest becomes meaningless.

I'm using two other period instrument recordings for comparison:
Herreweghe on Harmonia Mundi and the ovpp recording by Parrott on Virgin
Veritas.  I have enjoyed both recordings very much over the past few years.

The Easter Oratorio opens with a rousing and celebratory Sinfonia which I
consider one of Bach's most masterful sinfonias; it's hard to keep still
when listening.  At least that's the case with Parrott and Herreweghe; with
McCreesh, I can remain perfectly still throughout.  There's something about
his pacing and attacks which are not sharp and concise.  For example, in
the opening flourish McCreesh's trumpets sound diffuse and the bounce in
the music is indistinct.  Overall, it's a flabby beginning for McCreesh.

The Sinfonia is followed by an introductory Adagio for oboe and strings.
The music is sad, reflective, and lovely.  McCreesh is much better in the
Adagio - very tender and gorgeous.  The same applies to Herreweghe.  It's
interesting to note that Parrott replaces the oboe with a recorder which
ruins the movement for me; I find the instrument, in this situation, to be
poorly projected and it's the recorder which has to provide the melody
line.

The third part of the introduction is a chorus which gets us back to
celebratory music.  It is certainly appropriate since all the folks are
thrilled to see that Christ is not in his tomb, and they assume it's
because he has risen to heaven.  The process of redemption appears to be
in full swing.  Herreweghe does very well and his chorus is effective.  I
prefer Parrott's ovpp regimen for this movement.  His singers sound just as
strong and full as Herreweghe's; also, due to smaller numbers, they provide
greater clarity and detail.  Further, I find that Parrott's vocalists are
happier than those for Herreweghe.  This doesn't mean that McCreesh and his
ovpp approach is automatically a winner, and it isn't.  As in the Sinfonia,
the pacing is again flabby.  The damage isn't all that great since
McCreesh's fine singers deflect the problem.

A recitative for all four voices is followed by a bitter/sweet soprano
aria.  The three versions do fine in the recitative.  In the aria,
McCreesh's soprano Kimberly McCord has a deep and gorgeous voice fully up
to the task.  Barbara Schlick, for Herreweghe, matches McCord; although not
as tonally beautiful, Schlick is most expressive.  Parrott's singer, Emily
Van Evera, has a light and youthful voice which I find does not match well
with the music's intent - nothing terrible, just not up to the level of the
other two performances.

The next recitative and aria for tenor deal with the tomb being empty,
the rising of Jesus, and the 'sleep' and rest that can now be savored.
The opening motif of the aria has a 'winding sheet' effect largely created
through low-lying violins.  Herreweghe's aria is a delight with a fully
realized winding sheet effect, supreme relaxation, and a great tenor
contribution from James Taylor whose voice is ever so soothing and
pleasureable.  When listening to Parrott, I was somewhat taken aback by
his very brisk tempo; he takes a 7 1/2 minute movement and shaves off 2
minutes.  Of course, the winding sheet can move at any speed, but Parrott's
interpretation has little affinity for resting; he wants to keep things
moving.  Also, Parrott's tenor Charles Daniels is a little nasal and no
match for James Taylor in tonal beauty or interpretation.  McCreesh brings
us back to a more reasonable tempo, and he directs as well as Herreweghe.
His tenor Paul Agnew is also as effective as Herreweghe's Taylor.

In the next recitative and aria for alto, the sense of urgency and
impatience is heating up.  This reflects the condition that although Jesus
has likely risen, nothing on Earth has changed.  In present time, believers
take for granted their faith which has come down through many generations.
Back then, faith must have been more tenuous without the tradition that we
now have.

Surprisingly, the alto aria is a lively one which I feel does not align
itself well with the text.  Regardless, the music is infectious.  McCreesh
has no problems with pacing this time, but his alto Robin Blaze is
problematic.  I've not thought well of Blaze in the past in terms of his
expressiveness, but his voice is usually very impressive.  But not this
time.  The tonal beauty is largely missing, and the man sounds petulant
instead of urgent.  Parrott also has alto problems in Caroline Trevor who,
if anything, is more of a trial to listen to than Robin Blaze.  But there's
worse to come in the voice of Kai Wessel for Herreweghe; the way it sounds
to me, Wessel has nothing of value to offer in this aria.  So it's thumbs
up for the conductors and instruments, thumbs down for the challenged
altos.

The Easter Oratorio concludes with a recitative for bass followed by the
Chorus.  Jesus has made a commmand appearance on Earth to bolster the faith
of his followers.  Now they have no doubt of the resurrection.  The Chorus
begins with a fanfare and ends with the gates of heaven opening wide to
take in Jesus; this is highly rousing and uplifting music.

Herreweghe, Peter Kooy, and the chorus are great; it's so easy to picture
those gates opening majestically.  Parrott has equally fine success with
David Thomas and the smaller number of singers.  Everything goes equally
well for McCreesh except for his bass Neal Davies.  Mr. Davies was a bit
of an irritant in the first Chorus with his blustery tone.  In the
recitative, Davies is more irritating since he has center stage.  Also, in
the concluding chorus I just seem to be more aware of his presence.  On the
bright side, you couldn't ask for a more majestic opening of heaven's gate.

Overall, I find McCreesh's Easter Oratorio to be a fairly good version
with a few problems, about as good as the Parrott recording.  McCreesh
gets excellent support from Kimberly McCord and Paul Agnew, but Robin Blaze
is not very effective and Neal Davies has little to offer.  Also, McCreesh's
pacing in the Sinfonia and first Chorus does not have sufficient spine and
reduces my musical enjoyment.  Parrott is also let down by his vocal
soloists with David Thomas the only one fully satisfying.  More than any
other factor, the better soloists for Herreweghe make his version the best
of the three.  Only Kai Wessel is less than excellent, although I can't
imagine less plesureable singing from a professional.  Another advantage is
that Herreweghe always has good pacing and doesn't stray from reasonable
tempos.

Part 2 will cover the Magnificat in in D major, BWV 249.  It should be
interesting to hear those faster tempos that McCreesh uses.  Since the
Magnificat has a bass aria and an alto aria, Robin Blaze and Neal Davies
aren't going to disappear.  Perhaps they will do better and McCreesh won't
create any problems either.  What I am certain of is that I don't feel that
McCreesh has yet shown any qualities that would lift him to the top ranks
of Bach conductors.  Hopefully, his Magnificat will erase my doubts.

P.S.  - I'll be out of town in Las Vegas next week, so I won't be posting
any reviews during that period or listening to any music either.  I leave
all that behind when I'm a visitor in a strange land.  Besides, it's good
to get a break and come back refreshed.  When I do return from a trip, I
am always starving for Bach's music; I like the anticipation.

Don Satz
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