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From: jormundgard
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  • on dirais une chevre!!!!

  • Bach and this aria require dramatic, accuracy and precision. Whoever thinks this is perfect, has no idea whatsoever about Bach and his work. This is just an average, superficial rendition without dramatic stamp. The tenor too light, the conductor clueless. The aria starts (19) in forte but the tenor does not even deliver mezzo forte, "exaltavit humiles" should develop to fortissimo in (27) with subito decrescendo and? ...the result is a meaning less phrase. The rest just same and further flaws.

  • @David45NV1 Your comments are the product of a Verdi/Puccini/Wagner obsessed society where louder is always and inexorably better. In truth, forte and piano are not volumes, but rather moods, which only have meaning relative to the other dynamics in the piece. Yes, forte is loud and piano is soft, but the dynamic range in this rendition is perfectly in keeping with Bach's markings... The fortissimo just isn't earsplitting... which is a good thing. Most period instruments were softer anyway...

  • @krossk424

    He, you, and I are products of an APPEARANCE-obsessed society, where a mincing, gaunt, gesticulating man is applauded for his intelligence and authenticity, described in terms that have nothing to do with musical ability. He's a singer that brings very little to the table vocally, and has an unremarkable command of his instrument.

  • @jaketaz The wild popularity of the visually boring performances of Pavarotti disproves this point. Just because he chooses not to overdo it and push his voice to something which it's not built to do doesn't make him a terrible singer. For someone interested in big voices and operas, it might be said that he brings little to the table but as someone with a dramatic tenor voice, i find myself wishing for the flexibility and consistency of a Bostridge, albeit minus the visual oddities.

  • @krossk424

    You know as well as I that Pav was an anomaly, and that people prefer skinny singers with no breath support.

    If you don't have flexibility and consistency, that says nothing about Bostridge's ability, only your inability. Leggerios like Pavarotti and Kraus had no problem projecting over large Verdi and Puccini orchestras, and dramatic tenors like Langridge and Vickers frequently sang melismatic music such as Handel, Britten and Mozart.

  • @krossk424 Musical dynamics are clearly indications of relative volume (loudness). Your remark referring them to “mood” instead of to volume is definitely wrong. In any case this rendition doesn’t even show a proper change of mood either! (reflected of course in the voice and not only in the facial expression or in an ev. “state of mind” of the tenor). This rendition with its lacks of dynamic range remains superficial and missing the message.

  • piace moooltooo ;)

  • My goodness gracious, the very first entrance and descending scale may be the most impressive thing I've ever heard anyone sing.

  • Oh, Ian take me now...

  • @jaketaz it doesn't matter if you're right or wrong about those technicalities you pointed out. if you want people to listen to you, you should show a little respect. your first comment calls the singer a "tired hack", and in your second comment you call the video "subpar crap." i don't appreciate such language when I'm trying to listen to beautiful music, and i don't care about how his "melisma drags behind" when I can feel the emotion behind the words and music, ok? it's emotions, not science

  • @payamismyname

    The comments I've made about his mistakes are accurate. If it's emotion, that is completely subjective and open to personal interpretation, in which case I'm well within my rights to call it subpar crap. I have no reason to respect him or you, and I don't agree that this is a recording of beautiful music so that argument doesn't work on me. As I said, this was a reaction to someone saying it's perfect, not to the "emotions behind the words".

  • :34 - melisma drags behind, uppermost note of sequence is out of tune

    :41 is marked legato with a slur over it

    1:05 - he says "dee paw soo eet", it's pronounced "deh po soo eet"

    1:12 - the melismas are marked legato. At "desede" he's behind and sings incorrect pitches, which you see on his face at 1:18

    1:27 - high note is not in tune

    1:37 - this is marked legato

    Christopher Maltman's "Quia fecit" in this series is an example of good singing. Even at this early date, Bostridge is a tired hack.

  • gosh...your  comments are so anal!! just enjoy the music !!!

  • @themastroiannis

    I read more than one comment saying "this is perfect". If I just say "no it isn't", that doesn't mean anything. So I'm saying exactly where and how it's not perfect. If it's good then just say it's good, personally I don't like this guy and when someone tells me he's perfect, I'm going to point out that they're wrong. YOU just enjoy the music!!! If you like subpar crap, I can't do anything about that except speak my mind.

  • @jaketaz It may not be perfect--- I don't know this very well--- but saying Bostridge is a tired hack is greater hyperbole than saying this is perfect. The clarity of the melismas is extraordinarily difficult and he manages sparkling resonance through at least 80% of it. I'm not sure you can find a more impressive tenor for this style.

  • @jaketaz I agree with your comments. 

  • @jaketaz You're clearly not a singer, or at least not a very good one. let's go line by line.

    :34- it was common practice in that era to add extra time to the longer valued notes. a french tradition, to be exact.

    :41- sounds quite legato to me.

    1:05- this is where i know you're not a tenor. in that range modifying on ohs and eehs is essential to making a good consistent sound.

    1:12 and 1:37- the score is not the bible. Bostridge is making a point by punching these.

    cont'd

  • @krossk424

    Well I guess you don't know

    A) That French style only allows for extended notes if time is recovered by bar's end

    B) That his vowel choice at 1:05 is an inevitability because of his ridiculous jaw position, regardless of what he want to modify it to

    C) That you can't read Bostridge's mind and don't know if that's intentional. Would you say "And. He. Is. Exalted, humbling us", especially if instructed by Bach to speak the sentence in a normal way?

  • @jaketaz

    A) he does recover the time by bar's end. I don't like the choice, but i respect it as a period-appropriate option.

    B) His jaw is released as it should be. You're reading into the camera angle, which is screwy.

    C) i'm not endorsing the choice.... The music, not the text, is what would suggest that articulation. Legato is more abnormal in speech than accents; he chose to ignore that marking in favor of something more musically interesting. The score isn't set in stone.

  • @krossk424

    Why don't you like the choice? Because he drags?

    Released? Forcing your jaw down isn't relaxation, it's just tension the in opposite direction. What I'm "reading into" is the visible separation of his mandibular hinge beneath his facial skin (overextension), and the distance of his jaw compared to his mouth size when closed. It's too far open.

    If the music at 1:37 suggests staccato, why are the upper strings playing it legato?

  • Comment removed

  • @krossk424

    Yeah it's clenched. It's also flat, I don't know what else to tell you. The sky is blue and that note is flat. Just because it's more clenched than it is flat, doesn't mean it's not flat. It's not incredibly flat, but it's flat all the same.

    My first post was a reaction to someone saying it's perfect. I said it's not. You don't have to pull out every extraneous bit of knowledge you have, just to ultimately agree with my original point.

  • @jaketaz Haha... it's not flat. I agree the note is bad, but being flat isn't one of its problems. I also agree this performance isn't perfect.... Most people knowledgeable in classical voice pedagogy would agree. Apparently knowledge is a problem... but you made several points which are patently untrue. Just as you pounced on someone for a comment that wasn't meant to be taken literally, i've picked apart your comments to show your criticisms to be inaccurate.

  • @krossk424

    I have perfect pitch. Since you don't, I will tell you that if you slow the recording down you can easily hear its flatness.

  • @jaketaz Sorry, you're not right. He does a little sliding off at the end of the note which could be interpreted as flatness (which i think sounds gross tbh) but it's not flat. Just clenched.

  • @krossk424

    Right, singing pitches lower than what is written, and out of tune with the surrounding accompaniment could be interpreted as flatness, because that's what flatness is.

  • 70, eh ? Well, I'm 69 - does that count ? This rendition by Ian Bostridge is by far one pf the best I have heard in decades. The English have produced some fine soloists and Ian is no exception here.

  • This is silly. Only 70 year olds will enjoy that!

  • I love English tenors and Bostridge is par excellence.

  • Did they lower the key or are they using a different edition than what I'm using?

  • @Livethe3rd Baroque tuning?

  • he sings it great. And as regarding his look, he probably shows the seriousness of the meaning behind the words.. The prideful He will humble, and the humble He will exhault..

  • he sings it great. And as regarding his look, he probably shows the seriousness of the meaning behind the words.. The prideful He will humble, and the humble He will exhault..

  • regarding his look, he probably shows the seriousness of the meaning behind the words.. The prideful He will humble, and the humble He will exhault..

  • Grande Ian Bostrigde en los lieder también maravilloso

  • I read all the comments and I totally agree with the "strange look " that created so much arguing. There's something disturbing about him , especially in concerts where he looks awkward probably due to his anorexia. I feel better when I hear and not watch him and his sound is anorexic too. I really wonder why is this singer so succesful He always sings grumpily , even Die Forelle, as if singing made him angry and frustrated.

  • Bach machtvoll,stark,unbestechlich in seiner Musik...

    Bravo

  • Bravo Monsieur Harnoncourt vous savez faire donner aux musiciens et aux chanteurs le meilleur d'eux-mêmes! une pure merveille!

  • HE IS MAGNIFICO! EXCELSO! He looks like a member of the The Austrian Royal family,

  • @Nacidodelmar Actually Harnoncourt has a relation with Habsburg family.

  • @britravellor wow! there is something noble and aristocratic in his manners! I am love w/ him

  • @Nacidodelmar Alas I have to tell you, you are not the only one!! We have a page on Facebook,.

  • I love you, Ian Bostridge

  • If I could nick-name this guy: it would be String-Bean!

  • heavenly !!

  • non capisco.

    avevo scritto un commento per nulla ingiurioso, pertinente, documentato.

    rimuovere le idee altrui è segno di illiberalità e ignoranza.

  • DESDE URUGUAY..DIVINO

  • I like the tone and style of the soloist; however, his tempo, especially in his melismas, is... inconsistent. This is a slower tempo than many use nowadays, although I feel like his dragging is due more to his technique than anything else. If he can learn to control his breath better and use his abs/diaphragm to pulse the beat within his runs I think he could be quite successful in this movement, especially with such a fabulous orchestra to back him up. As of now it falls short.

  • @actorboy2 Totally agree. He's pulsing from the chest, and slowing it down.

  • The audio is nearly perfect in this video. Thanks for the upload.

  • @simoenta finalmente qualcuno che capisce qualcosa, non so come si possa tollerare un cantante di questa rinomanza che tiene la faccia rivolta verso terra e una postura vocale così sbagliata, altro che Peter Pears... se fosse vivo oggi Pears, canterebbe Andrea Chenier

  • Comment removed

  • espetacular, todas as peças

  • Ian ,what a God-given voice..

  • hervorragend, zweifellos.

  • Ian Bostridge, come to me. I need you so...

  • Comment removed

  • Is it Ton Koopman in the front line of audience, the second chair from the left?

    I hope that this strange-looking singer learn to keep the face straight up, and not towards the floor, when singing.

  • Stupid comment.

  • @keleagi Why do you find my comment such stupid? 

  • @lojundolo Why in heavens name would you call an accomplished tenor, anyone "strange-looking". Do you know what strange defines as? I am confident you do not, or you would be careful saying things that really refer, perhaps to you.

  • @keleagi Hi, excuse me, perhaps I did not use the exact words in English; but I see that perhaps you'd like quarreling and being offended for someone that surely does NOT need our words, and so I WON'T continue an interesting discussion about vocal technique and singers' postural problems.

  • Je peux pas m'arrêter d'écouter ça en boucle depuis 4 jours ... Ca devient maladif.

  • La calidad de la voz, la interpretacion sobria ,el adueñarse del rol ,para exaltarlo, son caracterisicas formidables de este baritono

  • @JorPove Es un tenor... No un barítono.

  • @JoseCarlosCristiano Tienes razon absoluta...es un error de mi parte. Es un tenor especializado en arte barroco.

  • Je trouve ça extraordinaire.

  • quanta bellezza!

  • Does anyone know why the music is played here in F minor and not in F# minor as in the original score?

  • to caio

    because the instruments are accorded as they were in the baroque period a semitone less. excuse my english

  • In the early 18th century folks tuned to an A 415 instead of The A 440 we use today. This is a historical performance ensemble, so they are using the A415 tuning (thus it sounds a half step flat) :)

  • I think he's just wonderful. He's intelligent, flexible and in tune all the time. What else do you want?

  • @drtmuir Someone that understands how one looks effects the over all presentation. He looks like he is about to charge the conductor. sounds great but it just doesn't look easy enough.

  • AMAZING!

  • Not my favorite Bostridge performance. Must have had an off night.

  • Magnifique !!!!! Fabulous !!!!! Wunderbar !!!!! Nagyszerű !!!!! Esplêndido !!!!!!

    All pieces of this Magnificat are jewels, this interpretation is simply one of the very best I have heard or seen.

    Bravissimo !!!!

  • @wellwhynotafterall they are jewels right

  • @wellwhynotafterall yes great interpetation. the director is magnificent

  • @wellwhynotafterall : yes i agree, it's wonderful all the way

  • Ian, I can't stop watching this video. You rock.

  • I love Ian Bostridge

  • What a fantastic!! such a nice interpretation!

  • un bach de toute beauté !!

  • Awesome! Fantastic interpretation!

  • the soloist looks hot

  • Ian, you're awesome.

  • Fantastic voice!

  • i'm sure... this interpretation is not the best, this tenor sounds uncertain with notes.... i prefer some tenors that give some weight to the melismas....

  • Perhaps not the best (he is the best lieder singer tenor, oratorio is perhaps not his best), but uncertain?! no way!

  • Comment removed

  • I didn't enjoy this too much. He sounded small, one entre sounded uncertain and it seemed that he was not very comfortable with some parts.

  • --> wcbroccoli, One reason for the universal appeal of music lies in the emotional rewards that music offers to its listeners. IMHO I believe any music should be interpreted in a way that reaches the audience while respecting its essence. Of course I am familiar with the concept of a historically informed performance and with the fact that The Maginificat was composed 1723 but that was not my point. My point is the lack of dramatic in the characterization due to the light interpretation.

  • A Deposuit "light" following the trend to interpret everything "light". Unfortunately this doesnt serve Bach. This is a very dramatic aria which demands a more dramatic interpretation!

  • You think this should be sung like an aria from a late 19th c. Italian opera?

  • --> wcbroccoli, Todays perception for dramatic interpretation and characterization is quite different as it used to be in the past. Examples can be seen on TV and movies and pop music. Opera and in general music underlies also a perceptional trend. We are not the same people as the ones in 17th century as far as perception is concerned. Todays threshold for dramatic, relating to intensity and heaviness is much higher as it used to be. I hope that answers your question.

  • -> Torquemada0:

    You think Bach should be performed with the gushing sentimentality of a late 19th century opera, with a catch in the throat?

    Or should Bach be performed according to pop music fashion, with a catch in the throat?

    Are you familiar with the concept of a historically informed performance?

    Do you really think this Magnificat was composed in the 17th century? Do you even care?

  • Get in there.. super!!! What flexability and control of tone.

  • Out of his league?

    You're saying an English tenor is out of his league for singing oratorio?

    Why is he horrible? Because he didn't do the long phrases in one breath? Because his voice isn't drowning out the orchestra behind him? Music is not all about showing off or the loudest / highest voice.

  • Out of his league??? Are you on crack?

  • his voice is far too small for this piece, this is triumphant piece that needed a little more gut into it... not a Schubert Lied... continues to be out of his league...

  • this is my first time hearing this work of music. uh...i think that it would be nice to have a gutsy tenor on this and not one that is light especially in contrast to the mood the orchestra is setting...kinda like "thou shalt break them" from messiah? right?

  • un disastro... sia NH che IB

  • bostridge is out of his league in this... sorry

  • Is it true? I don't know much, but I like his interpretation

  • Replies like that are useless. You could bother to tell why you think that. Maybe you can enlighten us.

  • The English singing style is so much more masculine then the italian I love he´s matured voice!IRONY!!

  • Nice!!!

  • bravo !!!!!!

  • Is Ian Bostridge!

    so great !!!

  • I like the voice and the personality of the whole version. Baroque double bass! Lovely.

  • did you listen To Herbert von karajan version ??

  • Baroque Double Bass...where did you get that from? They are modern DB's being played with Baroque bows. That and they have metal as opposed to gut strings.

  • sure looks like a baroque set-up to me... I doubt these players are just using tapes across their fingerboards.

  • Technically, the Double Bass is a modern instrument i.e. post 1600 and is in the Violin family. What I think you may be referring to is the Viola da Gamba, that has frets and a few more strings. The Viola was considered too quiet for group work so the Double Bass was used instead. In fact it is the only string instrument that has the sloping shoulders of the previous Viols.

  • well, this is concentus musicus wien i'm pretty sure, which is a period band--the violins and winds are certainly baroque instruments, i'm assuming the basses are too. i'm no expert, and can't tell from the brief camera time, but they might be violones? almost certainly gut strings in any case..

  • they are violones--you can pretty clearly see the six strings in the next movement.

  • This is a period instrument ensemble;

    surely they'd use strings of plain gut and wire wound gut.

    The gut sound was preferred over metal, but pure gut meant that the lowest strings of bass instruments had to be very thick and long (82cm +).

    In the late 1600s they began using

    gut spun with wire for the lower strings.

    This compromise retained the

    gut sound but with less thickenss and length.

    Note the frets. These appear to be violines.

  • terrific

  • the tenor seems to struggle with following the orchestra. They play around too much with the tempo imo.

  • I agree, tempo is a little bit fast. PLease see the Karajan and Araiza Version. It's slower, but more powerful...This is not a bad version...

  • This tempo is hardly too fast. If anything, it is too slow. Listen to John Mark Ainsley sing this in the Richard Hickox version of the Magnificat.

  • The tempo is just right for a historically informed performance such as this one. Karajan's is a modern interpretation, very "Romantic" rather than "Baroque" and therefore doesn't necessarily follow the "research" concerning the tempi of these older pieces.

  • Great vocal, this piece has real power!

    Thanks for posting.

  • Comment removed

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