money-makers. will doubtless listen and weep. By comparison, Even in the better-known works in this initial the famous Walter Gerwig version (Nonesuch release there are unexpected turns. The well- H 71137) sounds too guitaristic, although alute known and oft-recorded cellist Anner Bylsma is employed. Kirchhof gets far more tonal and has chosen to play Bach's gamba suites on nei- dynamic contrast out of his and , ther a gamba nor acello, but rather on the cello and his ornamentation of the famous (aude piccolo, where the lighter tone emphasizes the Jethro 'Rill) bourée from BWV 996 is positively treble line. In addition, his continuo player dazzling and true to its Baroque identity. Any- employs atrunk organ rather than the - one with aserious interest in Bach ought to sichord which Bach specified. There's noth- have this recording. Iwill probably have more ing inherently "wrong" about either of these to say about this performance in future. choices—Bach cheerfully transcribed, arranged, The Bach releases in this issue conclude with and reworked his compositions (and others') the ; although JSB wrote only afew of for any number of instruments; the question these, they each represent avaluable conspec- is, would the resultant sound be appropriate tus of some aspect of the composer's genius. to the music? At first Iwas put off by sonorities The Stuttgarters do well with them, although which rather differ from the expected, but Icould wish for a bit more in the way of about 15 minutes into the disc Ifound myself dynamics. The addition of instruments (as indi- enjoying it agreat deal. Bylsma's playing prob- cated in the manuscripts) definitely works, and ably can't be bettered in terms of precision and Bernius has clearly done his homework. fluid articulation; he has, after all, been play- Leaving Bach, we go back ahundred-odd ing this music since before Iwas born. If you years to Heinrich Schütz's magnificent Christ- require a gamba in these suites, there is Kuij- mas and Easter Historien. The Christmas work ken (with Leonhardt on ) on DHM is huge and elaborate, with complex and varied 77044-2, afine performance at budget price, scoring. Everyone involved in this recording but I'd have to choose Bylsma/Van Asperen for does splendidly, especially Christoph Pregard- my first recommendation. This was the first of ien as the Evangelist, and the two male altos, the Vivartes Iheard, and it put me in agood David Cordier and Christopher Robson. The mood for the rest. Stuttgart Bach Orchestra play beautifully, par- The Bach lute suites are astory in them- ticularly the brass section, which will make you selves, astory Iintend to consider in afuture forget everything you've heard about period review For now, let me try to very briefly explain wind sound. what lutenist Lutz Kirchhof is trying to do with The Resurrection story is asimpler work, them. He appears to reason thusly: Bach was and receives an equally fine performance from familiar with the sound of the lute (he owned Bemius and his forces. The well-known soprano one, and knew several prominent lutenists of Mieke van der Sluis does very well with the dif- his day); therefore, when he wrote/arranged ficult writing for Mary Magdalene, and Chris- these works, he "heard" them as being played topher Robson handles the strangely chromatic on that instrument. However, the composer role of Jesus with élan (though Ithink there himself did not actuallypiay the lute, and so may be some sonic manipulation going on). On was unaware that the structures he had writ- the whole, an extremely valuable disc. ten (in ordinary notation rather than tablature) Antoine Brumel's Mass Et ecce terrae motus could not actually be played on the instru- is an interesting work, written in alate Gothic ments of the time in their ordinary tunings. In style, but using harmonic and contrapuntal the days since Bach's death, many guitarists and techniques more usually associated with the lutenists have played these pieces in different . This performance by the Huelgas keys and tunings with those changes necessary Ensemble is its first appearance on disc, and it's to render them playable. Kirchhoff reasoned, awelcome one. Considering that no less an however, that it would be useful to hear as pre- authority than Orlando Lasso admired this cisely as possible those sonorities which had work, my comments are essentially superflu- existed in Bach's mind when he set them ous, but I'll make them anyway. Brumel's writ- down. So here we have, for the first time, the ing is both daring and complex, and he makes lute suites ofJohann Sebastian Bach in the orig- use of considerable vocal range. Iwas struck inal keys and tunings. 3 Ipresume no one told particularly by the beauty of the Credo with its Kirchhof that this was an impossible feat, so he glorious and vivid harmonies. went ahead and did it. In addition to the complete Et ecce Mass, we Make no mistake: this recording is an abso- also have the sequence , written in a lute tour de force of lute technique—lutenists more archaic style. (Brumel's , from 31 pmmise Iwill eventually gm to the ‘mied problem of which, which this sequence is taken, was the first poly- if any, of these were actually intended for the lute. phonic Requiem of which we have record.)

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