Bach: Violin & Voice

The quality and value of this product is excellent, the purchase was a gift and it was very much appreciated.

I'm a musician/singer and saw the 6 minute video of Hilary and friends on YouTube. I loved it immediately. All of the participants were top-drawer, and seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. I had to have the CD. I play it over and over - basking in the joy that the performers take in playing/singing Bach. Hilary Hahn has a formidable technique and a radiant tone. Her bowing is exceptional as is her intonation. (I'm not a violinist, but as a singer, pianist, and teacher, I am acutely aware of some of the less than perfect pitches that abound. The singers are both wonderful - beautiful voices, great facility and musicianship and superb Bach interpreters. The orchestra sounds great, and the cellist, oboist, and organist can be praised for their crucial contributions to the whole. The conductor gives the solo instruments and singers the ideal support and tempi. (With one exception which I found a bit too fast - but that's just my personal issue. I would have found it difficult to breathe at that tempo.)All in all, I heartily recommend this CD and commend Hilary Hahn for coming up with the idea.

With so many artists re-treading the same ground in classical music-- endless recordings of the same popular warhorses, especially by violinists-- Hilary Hahn is charting her own path. First, these are not overly-recorded pieces: a couple selections from the St Matthew Passion and Mass in B Minor, plus a bunch of cantatas. Second, no other recording of these pieces (I listened to a bunch for sake of comparison) sound anything like Hahn's-- she places the violin and voices front and center for this recording, regardless of where Bach's sheet music and previous recordings place them in the orchestral mix, and that's a great thing. Third, Hahn continues her musical journey with this album, applying her signature style (clean, fast, crisp... dare I say, American?) to music that's never been recorded with that kind of violin sound.

In sum, this is new music. Which is exactly what classical music needs.

Baritone Matthias Goerne and soprano Christine Schäfer are stellar. Hahn shines. It's a great album. Looking forward to Hahn's recording of Jennifer Higdon's violin concerto.

Toss three well-known musicians into a studio with minimal rehearsal, and this is what you get. The participants sound bored stiff, particularly Hahn. I'm generally a fan of her playing, but here she is monochromatic and inexpressive. Schaefer is clearly over the hill, and Goerne sounds indisposed.

All of these artists have done much better work elsewhere - both they, and Bach deserve better than this mishmash of "bleeding hunks", perfunctorily performed.

Poor ensemble at times, a thin orchestral timbre, dreadful tuning and wobbly technique from Christine Schaefer, and (dare I say it) a rather hoarse version of Matthias Goerne's once-lovely basso! Plus I find Hilary Hahn's playing utterly uninteresting. Who's to blame for such a botch-up, I wonder? Goerne has recorded some of the most mellifluous Bach ever, and though he's not ostensibly an "early music" specialist, he's shown great sensitivity to historically informed performance practices. Schaefer, I fear, just doesn't know much about such practices, or else she doesn't have the vocal technique to execute them. In any case, this would be my choice for least appealing 'topselling' CD of the year.