Lorraine Hunt Lieberson has been scantily represented on CD, and that makes this gorgeous, deeply felt release all the more valuable. Here she sings two Bach cantatas composed for solo voice. Her mezzo is not particularly heavy, but it can darken or lighten expressively, and she uses its dusky qualities handsomely. Ich habe genug was originally written for solo bass, but Bach revised it a few years later. The way the voice works with and around a solo oboe (amid the accompanying strings) is beautiful. Of particular note are the aria "Schlummert ein"--a lullaby which Lieberson sings with a long, sustained, hushed tone--and the final aria, in which the singer looks forward to her death and eternal peace; the latter is remarkable for its joyful, flowery vocal line, as upbeat as the lullaby is serene. Lieberson catches the mood, and her rhythmic accuracy, leaning on the beat, brings out the joy in the singer's religious fervor. The second cantata, similarly scored with a prominent solo oboe, begins with a recitative ("My heart swims in blood") and is a confession of guilt; by its close the tone has again turned vivacious, as the sinner looks forward to salvation. Lieberson's voice is capable of level upon level of dynamics, her soft singing is as impressive as her more outgoing expressions. This is a beautiful disc from an important singer. --Robert Levine

Choc du Monde de la Musique. R10 Classica

Included in GERARD LESNE: 10 CDS FOR A DESERT ISLAND @ Goldberg Magazine. ClassicsToday.com 9/8.

Mit diesem neuen Album markieren die Vokalkünstler SLIXS erneut einen Höhepunkt stimmlicher Bearbeitungen von Bach'scher Instrumentalmusik. Die tänzerisch-florale Ästhetik ihrer Interpretationen ist inzwischen zum Markenzeichen von SLIXS geworden. Ein intimes wie intensives Hörerlebnis, welches barocke Sinfonik und Jazzgesang vereint. QUER BACH 3 ist das umfangreichste und ambitionierteste Album einer Trilogie, in der Instrumentalstücke von Johann Sebastian Bach sängerisch neu entdeckt und zelebriert werden. Extravagant und verspielt, aber auch feinfühlig und behutsam schwingt sich das Sextett leichtfüßig zu Höhenflügen auf, die trotz der Vielzahl bisheriger Bach-Adaptionen unvergleichlich sind, ihrem Ursprung jedoch treu bleiben. Eine Empfehlung für Liebhaber lustvoller Vokalartistik, und für diejenigen, die das ihnen Vertraute neu entdecken möchten.

Probably written for the virtuoso Kapelle at Cöthen (BWV1042) or the concerts of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum which the composer often directed himself from the violin, Bach’s three well-known violin concertos are joined here by the splendid Concerto for three violins BWV1064, reconstructed from the surviving version for three harpsichords. A dazzling firework display under the bows of the matchless violinists of the Freiburger Barockorchester.
Freiburger Barockorchester celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012. A glance at the ensemble’s schedule shows a diverse repertoire played at leading concert halls and opera houses, ranging from the Baroque to the contemporary and from Freiburg to the Far East.
The Freiburgers’ artistic credo, however, remains unchanged and involves assigning demanding solo concertos to players from the orchestra’s own ranks. Cultivated, yet at the same time exciting, ensemble playing has thus become the orchestra’s international trademark.
The FBO collaborates with leading artists such as René Jacobs, Andreas Staier and Thomas Quasthoff and enjoys a close cooperation with harmonia mundi France. The artistic success of this musical partnership has been demonstrated in numerous recordings which have won awards including Edison, Gramophone, ECHO Klassik and a Classical Brit Award.
Under the artistic directorship of its two Konzertmeisters Gottfried von der Goltz and Petra Müllejans, and under the baton of selected conductors, the FBO presents around 100 performances per year in a variety of formations from chamber to opera orchestra.