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Motets
Enrico Bortolazzi wrote (May 4, 1998):
My favourite is Eric Ericson on EMI label (Swedish). With a word I can say perfect! The choir is always well balanced and also the quality of the recording is very good, you can easily hear the two choirs on left and right and the orchestra is always under the voices.
Note that Eric Ericson is considered one of the most important choir directors.
Three or four years ago I listened on the radio the St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) with this choir and the Drottingham Baroque Orchestra executed live at Brescia (Italy) and I liked it very much.
Do you know if Ericson recorded the Passion?
Tomas (Lucas) Ramirez Gil wrote (May 5, 1998):
I like Kings' College performance in the late 1960's, although it isn't the best recording at all!
Laurent Bendel wrote (May 5, 1998):
We had that discussion with a few friends of mine (because we were going to sing BWV 227), so we sat down and compared five HIP recordings (sorry, that's what we like). We had Harnoncourt, Koopman, Kuijken, Jacobs and Herreweghe to compare. We picked "Jesu meine Freude", definitely the biggest and probably the most significative one.
Harnoncourt came a bit behind (the choir is not up to the standard set by the others), but the other four were close.
Herreweghe is a bit peculiar because he does it all with 5 soloists. Jacobs (and Kuijken if I remember well) use soloists only for some parts. That makes a lot of sense, particularly in "Es is nun nichts..", a phrase that is repeated twice, the first time marked f and mf, the second time p and pp (if I'm not mistaken, but are these editorial notes ?). The contrast is nicely achieved by singing the latter with soloists. Koopman performs all of it with a full choir. Note that all used male voices for the altos.
Koopman was the overall winner, although not by much. He had the best chorals and an awesome chorus (ABC is just perfect). Personnally, I find Jacobs (with the RIAS Kammerchor) more dramatic, and he has a few breathtaking moments that nobody else has matched (IMHO).
Bottom line is, anyone of these four is a good choice for those of you who like historical performances. Has anyone done a similar comparison?
Stefan Millgård wrote (May 5, 1998):
(To Enrico Bortolazzi) Eric Ericson have recorded st John passion (BWV 245), which is one of the greatest choir recordings ever. (Of course, in my opinion!) That opinion is shared by many great listeners around the world.
And I just read tanias letter; she said that he also had recorded the st matthew one, too.
I didnīt know that before, but I will immediately buy it.
Also, I would like to recommend his recording of Otto Olssonīs choirmusic in "musica svecia". It really isnīt Bach, but... He didnīt win the Polar-prize for nothing.
Arne Löfgren wrote (May 17, 1998):
(To Enrico Bortolazzi) Iīm new on the list. My name is Arne Löfgren and Iīm living in Borlange middle of Sweden. Now I just want to corect the name of the Swedish orhestra mensioned here. It is not "Drottingham..." but Drottningholm Baroque Orchestra. Drottning is swedish for queen and holm means small island.
I have the B-minor mass (BWV 232) with Ericson and this orchestra and Eric Ericson Chamber choir and I think its really good. Label: Vanguard Classics 99044/45 recorded 1992.
Ericson's Motets
Philippe Yared wrote (May 6, 1998):
I heard one of the Motets in a concert directed by Laurence Equilbey who was Eric Ericsson's student and her "Choeur de Chambre Accentus", this winter at the Al Bustan Festival in Lebanon. If Ericson is at least as good as Equilbey, I can't wait to find his recording! To all choir lovers: this "Choeur de Chambre Accentus" is a marvellous ensemble. I don't know whether they have recorded any Bach but their recording of Brahms and Schumann choral works is a must.
Eric Ericson : Short Biography | Eric Ericson Chamber Choir | Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble | Recordings | General Discussions | Motets Ericson | BWV 232- Ericson
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