What are you listening to?

[Jose Echenique]

That´s a picture of the production with soprano Desirée Rancatore and Javier Camarena. It all happens in an airport with airplanes and everything...go figure.

[Seán]

There´s a young Mexican tenor called Javier Camarena that is already singing at the MET and the Salzburg Festival. He has just sung Mozart´s Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Salzburg to great acclaim, and also did Schubert´s last Mass with Claudio Abbado. He is talking with my sister-in-law about doing a record with her company, and I suggested a Paolo Tosti recital. I played him this heavenly recital with the great Carlo Bergonzi and he was delighted. I assured him that Tosti´s canzone would be ideal for his voice, and he agreed. If DG doesn´t steal him first, he might do the recording next July.
How about that!

Pepe, I am impressed, I hope that Javier does record the Tosti recital with your sister-in-law's company and I wish him well.

[Jared]

Just thinking out loud however I would say that although, as you are obviously hearing, Buxtehude's cantata music is beautiful it is just not sexy enough for general consumption. Remember this music predates JS Bach (not by much) and it is therefore written in a more archaic musical language than even Bach's cantatas. Secondly, Buxtehude's music does not have those constant lilting, jaunting dance like rhythms of JS Bach. Furthermore I would contend that Buxtehude is unfortunately still living in the shadow of the genius that is JS Bach.

Perhaps I can entice you to now listen to his complete organ music.............no?.........didn't think so.

I think you have something here Fergus; Buxtehude's cantatas aren't as easy to acquire a taste for as Bach's and I think your above description gets to the heart of the matter... I personally enjoy them greatly, mind.

Sorry Fergus (and Simon) but I'll have to respectfully decline that offer...

[Diapason]

Sorry Fergus (and Simon) but I'll have to respectfully decline that offer...

Most organists I know would agree with you on that one, Jared!

[fergus]

I only have one recording of Membra Jesu Nostri, it is stunningly beautiful music, I love it. The recording I have is by the Bach Collegium Japan under the direction of Masaaki Suzuki. I have long felt that Suzuki does not do it justice. I prefer to listen to Gardiner and Herreweghe in Baroque music than to Suzuki's: Suzuki's is too clean and polished, it lacks emotional depth and warmth: it's sterile in fact, but perhaps that's just me. Am I being unkind?

Although I would not be without all of the Bach music in my collection directed by Suzuki I also agree with you Seán. He is a very eminent figure in the world of music to be sure but his music making, as far as Bach is concerned, can tend to be too clinical, almost sterile at times.

[fergus]

There´s a young Mexican tenor called Javier Camarena that is already singing at the MET and the Salzburg Festival. He has just sung Mozart´s Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Salzburg to great acclaim, and also did Schubert´s last Mass with Claudio Abbado. He is talking with my sister-in-law about doing a record with her company, and I suggested a Paolo Tosti recital. I played him this heavenly recital with the great Carlo Bergonzi and he was delighted. I assured him that Tosti´s canzone would be ideal for his voice, and he agreed. If DG doesn´t steal him first, he might do the recording next July.
How about that!

Make sure that you get lots of commission Pepe LOL!!!

[fergus]

I think you have something here Fergus; Buxtehude's cantatas aren't as easy to acquire a taste for as Bach's and I think your above description gets to the heart of the matter... I personally enjoy them greatly, mind.

They are indeed beautiful Jared but just require a little more work than the Bach equivalent.

Sorry Fergus (and Simon) but I'll have to respectfully decline that offer...

Some day I will have you locked in a dark, windowless room and I will put on repeat play my 6 CD set of Buxtehude's complete organ works at full volume LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Diapason]

I wonder do I agree about Suzuki. I'm probably not experienced enough across the various options to make a really sensible comment, but taken in isolation I don't *think* I find Suzuki sterile. It's probably a performance style that I like so maybe I'm a bit biased the other way. I suppose I like the music without too much interpretative gloss. I'm thinking of similar criticisms of The Tallis Scholars, for example.

That said, the very limited number of times that I've listened to a Suzuki reading of a Cantata I know from elsewhere, I generally find myself going back to "elsewhere" for further listening. Hmmm....

Re: Buxtehude, you can chalk me up as an enormous fan of his organ works (but only in the hands of a genuinely skilled performer, sympathetic to historically informed performance style) but I just can't warm to Membra Jesu Nostri. I must try harder.

[fergus]

You are probably correct Simon in that sterile may be too strong a term to apply to Maestro Suzuki. What I was trying to convey was a sense of performances that may be just a little too "proper" or over clinical. The said performances are no doubt technically excellent but I am one of those who find them somewhat emotionally lacking. However, as I have already said, I would not be without my 4 big box sets of his JS Bach works.

[Jared]

I just can't warm to Membra Jesu Nostri. I must try harder.

I remember being in a small Independent Music shop in Stamford, Lincs (where Sir Malcolm Sargent lived and is buried, if anyone is interested) about 3 years ago and picked up the 'new' Membra by the Sixteen... and was absolutely bowled over by it, on the first listen, in a similar vein to how moved I was by Monteverdi's 1610, 5 years ago and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, about 4 years ago. For me the Buxtehude remains one of my Favourite 5 Baroque Choral works, and possibly always will. I never tire of hearing it.