Magnificat

God is always present in our life, in fact He is the permanent witness of our actions. We, sinners, are constantly measured and weighed by God and yet all our actions are under our sole responsibility. This gives to the music a great density, a real sense of fate and tragedy, particularly in the « Quia fecit mihi magna » (The almighty has done great things for me...) with the bass. There is no escape for our mistakes. There is no possible hiding place. Our mistakes are weighing heavily on us. And yet joy, happiness are possible in our live provided we do what we are supposed to do and our good deeds are also under our sole responsibility. Hence Bach is able to reach perfect joy in this Magnificat because he celebrates our freedom to do what is good. That joy and happiness is then communion with God and his commandments, and our acceptance of his constant scrutinizing of our lives. This dilemma is best expressed by the soprano in the third piece « Quia respexit » (He has seen the humility of his servant and all nations will say I am blessed...) in which the humility, hence obedience, of Mary, of any serving christian, is the only way to be blessed, to reach happiness in God, in the path of God. And the chorus « Omnes generationes » reaches a sense of power, of force in the universality of the solution. It is this very happiness of the positive christian solution that triumphs in « Esurientes implevit » (He has satisfied the poor and sent the rich away...), the happiness man can reach when he does in his life what God has stated in his teaching through Jesus. And this dilemma makes this Magnificat an extremely modern message to the world, even if later on in history and in our modern world this joy, this happiness and equilibrium will not be found in everyday life and in a God that has been pushed away or rejected. The loss of God will mean the loss of certainty, balance and satisfaction in humble submission. Bach is a lesson of humility for today's humanity though in today's godless world this humility is often forgotten and the concept of God is just shifted onto man himself who may easily become proud and domineering if not tyrannical. Finally this Magnificat is extremely difficult to perform because the slightest excess in speed, the slightest heaviness in rendering, the slightest excess of clarity in the soprano's voice, the slightest excess of metallic harmonics in the trumpet may distort the message and either make it fall into irresponsible submission, or into unacceptable optimism, or even into foolish blindness. Bach is standing at that point where all contradictory forces meet, and that has to be in the hands of man and under the eye of God. And this recording conducted by Gardiner is slightly too fast and definitely too clear in the voices and the music

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

This CD is a real tribute to the mastery of Johann Sebastian Bach. John Eliot Gardiner gives a crisp and brilliant interpretation, using period instruments, of the Magnificat in D major, BWV 243 and the virtuosistic cantata "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen" BWV 51. The Monteverdi Choir is just superb, fresh voices with the proper amount of balance and complete technical assurance; their performance make this difficult peace sound very easy. The soloists on the Magnificat (Nancy Argenta, Patrizia Kwella, Charles Brett, Anthony Rolfe-Johnson and David Thomas)are just fine, with voices that match very well the quality of the chorus. Then we also have on this recording the magnificent Emma Kirkby, bringing her best qualities to "Jauchzet". The freshness of her voice, united with her virtousistic flexibility, give great pleasure. She is definitely the best of all the singers of Early Music. Her greatness is complemented by the superb trumpet playing of Crispian Steele and again the conducting of Gardiner and the magnificent ensemble of the English Baroque Soloists. The sound is excellent, the performance stellar. What more to ask? Just buy it!

This is the way a Magnificat should sound! Gardiner's rendition of Bach's Magnificat clearly magnifies the glory of the Lord. It is clear from this recording alone that Bach was indeed a master-craftsman. From the explosive opening through all the carefully considered solos, ensemble and singers blend seamlessly. Thomas' bass aria and Brett's & Rolfe-Johnson's duet are some of the highlights of the non-choral numbers. The voices of Brett (male-alto) and Rolfe-Johnson (tenor) combine very well, perhaps because they are both males? The Monteverdi Choir never fails to sound enthused about what they are singing. The "Fecit potentiam" and "Gloria Patri" are as much pep-rallies as prayers. The disc is topped off nicely by the inclusion of the cantata/motet Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen. Emma Kirby's soprano floats over the many rises and falls of her five movement cantata with grace. Her effortless technique and crystal clear voice are perfect. Gardiner gives her just the right amount of orchestral support - almost throwing her higher during the final soaring "Alleluja". This is a terrific period instrument recording, perfect balance, perfect soloists, GREAT choir!