J.S. Bach: Magnificat in E flat major, BWV 243a (Ton Koopmann, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra)

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• published: 26 Jan 2015
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Bachfest Leipzig 2003 / From the Church of St. Thomas, Leipzig Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir Deborah York, soprano Bogna Bartosz, alto Jörg Dürmüller, tenor Klaus Mertens, baritone Ton Koopmann, conductor and organist 0:46 I. Magnificat (Chorus) (3:01) 3:46 II. Et exsultavit (Contralto) (2:27) 6:16 Vom Himmel hoch (Chorus) (1:27) 7:42 III. Quia respexit (Soprano) (2:12) 9:55 IV. Omnes generationes (Chorus) (1:20) 11:12 V. Quia fecit mihi magna (Bass) (1:53) 13:07 Freut euch und jubiliert (Soprano I & II, Contralto, Tenor) (1:22) 14:30 VI. Et misericordia (Contralto, Tenor) (3:40) 18:10 VII. Fecit potentiam (Chorus) (1:45) 19:55 Gloria in excelsis Deo (Chorus) (1:04) 20:57 VIII. Deposuit potentes (Tenor) (2:06) 23:04 IX. Esurientes (Contralto) (2:54) 26:00 Virga Jesse floruit (Soprano, Bass) (3:29) 29:28 X. Suscepit Israel (Chorus) (1:49) 31:18 XI. Sicut locutus est (Chorus) (1:13) 32:30 XII. Gloria Patri (Chorus) (2:05) +++ Although Ton Koopman has busied himself with Bach's music for decades now, he still finds it fascinating "to see what a genius he is, the multifarious, colourful, incredible ways he reaches the heart". The Dutch harpsichordist, organist and conductor chose Baroque music as "his" music while he was still a student in Amsterdam - so much so that he was turned out of the composition class when he refused to compose in any style other than that of the 17th and 18th centuries. Through his teacher Gustav Leonhardt he came in contact with the early-music movement at its beginnings in the 1960s, which he remembers as a wild time: "We had to play in little churches, and we played in jeans, and everybody had long hair. We were more like rock groups. When we first played Bach's St John Passion in Amsterdam, people were smoking little sticks [joints!] ... I mean, in a church!" Then, as now, the first task for Koopman when he starts a new project is always to make a close study of the historical sources: I think it's important for a musician to do more than just play, you should have something to say about the music, know all there is to know about the style, and know where to go for sources that will help you out with contentious questions." lt was in order to pursue this particular kind of perfurming style, off the beaten track, that Koopman founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1979. The ensemble, made up of leading musicians with international reputations, meets to rehearse several times a year. Conductor and orchestra are a seasoned team. "When you have played with people for a long time - some musicians have been playing with me for 30 years - they understand with very few words what you want them to do; you can then focus on the finer points and make the performance more beautiful, more special." In concerts around the globe they find enthusiastic audiences for their music, but the regular appearances at the Bach Festival in Leipzig are especially dear to Ton Koopman's heart because "Leipzig is the city of Bach, quite simply, and for everyone who plays or sings Bach's music it is a second home."