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Lorraine - Bach: Mein Herze Schwimmt Im Blut / Hunt Lieberson, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

Bach,J.s. / Lieberson / Los Angeles Chamber Orch
Release Date: 03/26/2013 
Label:  Yarlung Records   Catalog #: 96298  
Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  Lorraine Hunt Lieberson,  David Shostac,  Margaret Batjer,  Brook Ellen Schoenwald
Conductor:  Jeffrey Kahane
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Number of Discs: 1 
Length: 0 Hours 42 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews


Bach’s cantata BWV 199 begins “My heart swims in blood/The results of my sins/Transform me into a monster,” and ends, “And through my grief and pain/No longer am I excluded/From His bliss or His heart.” Serious, pious, introspective stuff, indeed, and this recording, in superb sound, features the lamented Lorraine Hunt Lieberson performing the cantata live in Los Angeles in 2003.

The disc’s brief playing time (the cantata takes just 28 minutes) should not put you off: there is a lifetime of great and deep music-making here. Lieberson’s flawless tone, utterly even and capable of a dozen shades of dynamics and colors, along with her almost uncanny ability to convey feelings as rich as Read more those expressed here, turns this half hour into an almost intimate experience, as if one were hearing the confession of a dear friend or a dear soul. Her simplicity is epic, to coin an oxymoron; she can drive one to tears. I’m unaccustomed to gushing like this, and my connection with devout anything, let alone Christianity, is less than tenuous, but I was stunned by the beauty of the singing, playing, and sincerity and so will you be. It’s like listening to the truth.

A quick, sharp performance of Bach’s Fourth Brandenburg serves as a curtain-raiser. The solo violin (Margaret Batjer is the leader and soloist) takes a wild ride in the last movement, and throughout, the performance is brilliant and exhilarating.

-- Robert Levine, ClassicToday.com
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Works on This Recording

1. Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:  Jeffrey Kahane
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Period: Baroque 
Written: 1714; Cöthen, Germany 
2. Brandenburg Concerto no 4 in G major, BWV 1049 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  David Shostac (Flute), Margaret Batjer (Violin), Brook Ellen Schoenwald (Flute)
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Period: Baroque 
Written: circa 1720; ?Cöthen, Germany 

Sound Samples

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049: I. Allegro
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049: II. Andante
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049: III. Presto
Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:  ( 1 Customer Review )
 Poor Lorraine April 28, 2013 By Jim  D. See All My Reviews "Passionate devotees of the art of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson might be interested in this disc; it’s hard to imagine who else it was intended for. Though offered at full price, it contains less than 45 minutes of music, of which the late mezzo only sings about 28 (a single track with no cue points), the rest being filled with a rather driven performance of the fourth Brandenburg Concerto. Yes, Lieberson sings well, but this solo cantata is one of a pair already available on CD. (In fairness, I need to note that the other recording also runs less than an hour.) For a real tribute to a fine singer, someone should issue her rendition of Elgar’s “The Music Makers” from the BBC Proms! Sound is not bad; while the performances are apparently live, there’s no applause or audience noise (but I can barely hear the harpsichord, either). Copious and adulatory notes, which the singer may deserve, but not the disc." Report Abuse
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