J.s. Bach: Violin Concertos
Label: PanClassic Catalog: PC10277 Format: CD Letzbor/Ars Antiqua Austria/St Florianer SängerknabenJohann Sebastian Bach The ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria under the direction of the violinist Gunar Letzbor have devoted this double CD to instrumental and vocal works by Johann Sebastian Bach with reissued recordings originating in 1995 and 1996. CD 1 focuses on the virtuoso potential of the violin featuring the two Violin Concertos BWV 1041 and BWV 1042 with Letzbor as soloist and the Double Violin concerto in which Daniel Sepec takes on the equal role of second soloist. These works are augmented by the Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 BWV 1049 in which the concertino group includes not only solo violin but also two recorders which in this recording are performed with great virtuosity and sinuous tone by Kees Boeke and Michael Oman. Bach’s arrangement of the Stabat Mater by Pergolesi known as Psalm 51 “Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden” BWV 1083 (CD 2) was only rediscovered during the last few years and is seldom performed. Bach replaced Pergolesi’s text of the Stabat Mater with the Lutheran translation of Psalm 51 and undertook a number of alterations to both vocal and instrumental parts. Bach attached great importance to the exact musical illustration of individual words of the text, producing an orchestral score with greater complexity and more heightened contrasts than the original Pergolesi. The special feature of this recording is the assignment of the St. Florianer Sängerknaben, a boys’ choir from which the excellent soloists have also been recruited. The CD is augmented by the Cantata “Himmelskönig, sei willkommen” BWV 182 in which the male vocal parts are sung by the Kepler Consort. Price: $35.98 |