J.S. Bach: H-Moll Messe "Agnus Dei" David Daniels

[ladomi7962]

Magnifique!Une de mes versions préferées, avec Alfred Deller et Nathalie Stutzmann!!!Deller et Stutzmann m'ont fait pleurer en premier, Deller, le plus touchant!

[mtv565]

At least Daniel's high notes are not flat like Scholl's. This is a fact. Not just an opinion.

[SwornDuty]

I noticed, this is the nice corner of youtube where people do not necearrily rage about how crap the video is.

[civileso]

@SwornDuty Relatively so, I'd say. But we too get idiotic pee fights once in a while here. :)

[3780321]

Daniels ,,Agnus Dei'' is more better for me, i feel more soul, more colors... Scholl is colder, too accurate for me...i dont know how to say this in another words, i have no musical education, i cant analyze this professionaly...

[toogoodbw]

Just to be clear is this a countertenor or a woman?

[CristaoCatolico07]

Lindo.

Brazil.

[mtv565]

I find that this version is better than Andrea Scholl's version because this version is more natural-sounding, less rigid, words are pronounced more clearer.

[sorinestera]

@mtv565 you are right with natural-sounding and the pronounciation. But artistical intensity stays in interior aspects only, not in exterior once. So, better is what is more intens. Now, if this version is more or less intens... you judge it. For me, Scholl has more intensity.

[mtv565]

@sorinestera In terms of intensity, I find Carolyn Watkinson's performance of this aria from BERLIN CLASSICS CD of Mass in B minor to be the most intense. Go buy the CD and listen for yourself. Even more intense than Scholl's. In terms of clarity and pitch, I prefer Daniel's version.

[mannvishnu]

Yes this is sacred music BUT Bach's sacred music is very operatic and human! and absolutely not ascetic. For me vibrato is good when the singer is a very high musician like Daniels.... and someone know the Susuki version? It is phenomenal and no matter with Daniels, Scholl or Jacobs and others...

[mannvishnu]

Yes this is sacred music BUT Bach's sacred music is very operatic and human! and absolutely not ascetic. For me vibrato is good when the singer is a very high musician like Daniels.... and someone know the Susuki version? It is phenomenal!

[koledy123]

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pecata mundi: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, dona eis requiem. grant them rest. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, dona eis requiem. grant them rest. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, dona eis requiem sempiternam. grant them eternal rest.

[Gerwent47]

Je ne suis pas d'accord avec Jack 75002. Vous faites du sectarisme.

Scholl est particulièrement nul à l'opéra.

Il ne sait pas se tenir, et sa voix manque de puissance dans pratiquement tous les registres.

Je trouve l'interprétation de Daniels beaucoup plus vibrante que celle de Scholl, même si elle ne répond pas aux canons de ce répertoire.

Il l'interprète avec ses tripes, et c'est ce qui compte.

[jack75002]

Ce pauvre David Daniels chante ça comme un opéra comique! il est pathétique ! la seule interprétation est celle de Scholl...

[Gerwent47]

@jack75002

Vous vous trompez complètement. L'Agnus Dei est justement une oeuvre au caractère pathétique.

Scholl n'a pas l'apanage de l'interprétation de cette oeuvre.

Il est particulièrement limité à l'opéra, c'est pour cette raison, qu'il se garde bien de trop s'engager dans ce domaine.

Je ne suis pas un fan de Daniels,mais j'admire son côté iconoclaste et son culot.

Il chante cette oeuvre avec tout son être.

Scholl fait que copier--coller de René Jacobs du temps où il chantait.

[Zofzoeif]

Bravo !

[sophelet]

I have to agree that there is too much vibrato generally in this performance. The line has to have "spin" of course, and Daniels' voice is lovely, but I think it's not quite right for this piece. I think the tempo is much preferably to the performance by Scholl, though.

[Rhoda444]

Also, Daniels said in an interview that he doesn't sing this kidn of repertoir any different to opera - that is how he does it, and I like it personally.

[Rhoda444]

I like the emotion in David Daniel's performance - he connects with the piece. these are dramatic words. Although I love Scholl's performance, I actually prefer Daniel's because it engages me emotionally. Whether that is right or wrong I do not know, but I like it and it's a personal choice. Jaroussky has a lovely recording of this piece too, but his French accent on the Latin distracts me somewhat, so for me Daniels is my favourite recording of this.

[BillyBluesjah]

nope, not feeling it for the vibrato usage :/

[Varese13]

Baroque music is in many ways closer to romantic opera than not. It was an era that had to do with "affekts", sentiments, feelings, however standardized they may have been. It was a reaction against Renaissance abstraction and reflected the era of enlightenment, which was all about feelings as well as logic and thought. So Daniel's approach is quite on the mark, although I think the tempo is a bit lethargic.

[EspejojepsE]

This kind of art feeds your soul. Beauty

[pianomags]

oh for gawd's sake...yabba yabba yabba. Love it, straight to favourites.

[maxjamesorgans]

Personally I think this is a brilliant recording all there is the occasional not which is a bit too vibratoey (I know that's not a word so don't pedantic about it).

[ObliquePerfection92]

not the best interpretation, I much rather prefer Andreas Scholl's which is the most beautiful I've heard of "Agnus Dei". David Daniels sounds too much like he's singing Puccini instead of Bach, not that Puccini is bad just that his singing is far too... un-Baroque, yes? The vibrato is far too much for Bach; the music was written at an improper count as well. The Andreas Scholl interpretation still reigns at the pinnacle for Mass in B minor "Agnus Dei".

[leondertien]

@ObliquePerfection92 totally agree! Also I like the tempo they used in Andreas Scholl's. It makes the song much more filled with feeling.

[nikosaspros]

i wish comments had been disabled for this video...

[nikosaspros]

I wish I had such accurate an ear to hear so many flaws in such beautiful performance.

[TheJamesalden]

Is this David Daniels any relation to Charles Daniels?

[kozzzh]

Hmm... IMHO This guy's singing got nothing against Scholl's

[Kotarinka]

Too much vibratto in vocal for Bach, especially for Messe and scanty sound in the orchestra. Scholl's version is better and more correctly.

[kozzzh]

yeah, his vibrato sounds somewhat gay... sorry it is. Maybe too mannered, he sings like an old fat lady, shame!

[TheAspenTom]

Vibrato is unrelated to sexual orientation. Otherwise I agree with you.

[Heartlessiceboy]

@kozzzh I'm Agree that his vibrato is too much and for baroque in general,for example his vivi tiranno or his furibondo or Al lampo dell'armi,despite he is a very precise singer his colorature never sound totally clean because of the vibrato,Daniels is like the male version of Jennifer Larmore

But how can you say that a vibrato sounds gay?what makes a vibrato gay or straight?

[kozzzh]

@Heartlessiceboy

I'm not saying he's gay) I mean that his voice is too mannered, affected (don't know how to say it in english, in russia when somebody talks like that we call it gay, not the person but the way his voice sounds) Well, I can not explain why it sounds gay to me but it does ;)

[Heartlessiceboy]

@kozzzh Ok I was just curious about it.

Regards

[ufayad]

A friend of mine attended a production of Orfeo & Euridice starring Daniels and she said his acting was quite effeminate as well.

[sophelet]

@kozzzh There is no such thing as "gay" vibrato. However, I agree that there's too much vibrato here. 

[pincet7]

It's beautiful, that"s all. Too much distracting vibrato. On the other hand, in Jaroussky"s interpretation his Slovian ancestors" genes seem to appear so light and misty it is. Scholl, with German machinery precision, is aiming at my heart and killing me in such a sweet way...

[kozzzh]

Scholl's voice is almost unhuman in its accuracy, that's how Agnus Dei should sound, not like romantic opera

[Norbeone]

There should be no 'should' in music. You may not enjoy his use of vibrato and I, too, would prefer less of it, but our opinions do not banish his performance into the not-worth-listening-to or the 'incorrect' categories. I wish people adopted a much more open-minded approach a la Glenn Gould.

[mtv565]

@kozzzh But Scholl's voice is flawed that alot of his high notes above A are flat and out of tune. Even too flat for baroque tuning.

[jewish1972]

this version is even better than Jaroussky`s 1

[cuicuimusic]

that's beyond good.

[brouwerboys5]

It's beautiful, and definately a David Daniels rendition of Agnus Dei. That's his voice. I miss some pathos, some truth in the text. And sadly... the last high e-flat. Not in tune and a bit pushed.

[wowmom1976]

brouwerboys5:

Well, somebody didn't like what you said, but you are right regardless.

[rayangreene]

I like David Daniels ; he's one of the most versatile countertenor down here (he is even brilliant in some Romantic arias, which is unexpected from a countertenor). The voice is very nice and smooth indeed, but what poses problem is the fact that the aria's a lamento and he just doesn't sing it like that. He sings it in a rather aggressive manner which doesn't suit the aria. Try Ferrier or Forrester rendition if you want a more suitable version.

[mradaChris]

This is a spectacular rendition of this song!

chris

[encoreandbravo]

In my opinion, this is the best rendition of this masterpiece ever. The focus is on soft instead of slow and Daniels's extraordinary voice and intelligent use of vibrato underline the message. Moreover, his careful interpretation portrays perfectly what it is about: emotion, faith and praying: Miserere nobis - Have mercy upon us.

[clyfton]

This just sounds vulgar. His vibrato is serously unsettling. Andreas Scholl's recording seems sublime compared to this!

sry folks, just my honest opinion :)

[jackeddemon]

a agree with you. although his vibrato might seem amateurish, he only does it at the end of notes. imagine if he did it all the time

[clyfton]

It's not so much the "placement" of the vibrato, but rather the fact that he over-does it and also has a tendency to drop his tone slightly (so in essence his singing is flat).

He just needs to relax a bit :D

[jackeddemon]

yea. gotcha. also, he shouldn't be doing almost any vibrato for that matter - this is baroque music.

[neochmia]

I would say that it is too relax ! :)

[thejazztenor]

i dont know about vulgar and unsettling, somepeople might think its too much, but until they prove better it doesnt matter what they, as spectators, have to say. i think they are both phenoms

[beholt]

Great! I am looking forward to buy this cd. Love Daniels!

[flamencoprofundo]

Thanks so much for this - it is so comforting to listen to, and it is such a joy to be able to watch Bachs incredible Werk while listening - an equilibrium of melodies

[mradaChris]

Absolutely stunning!

[mradaChris]

so beautiful and relaxing!

[yuehchopin]

謝謝你！美！

[profondement]

Sigh...I LOVE David Daniels! Such an exquisite Counter Tenor! He was made for Handel and love Bach!!! My absolute hero :p Thank you for all your divine uploads civileso :) x