You look at the lineup of performers here and you wonder how such a recording could be anything less than first rate. Not only are the vocal soloists of solid reputation, but we also have exemplary instrumentalists such as oboist Richard Earle, violinist Alison Bury, cellist Timothy Merton, double-bassist Anne Trout, and harpsichordist Maggie Cole. What could go wrong? Thirty seconds of listening will tell you all you need to know. All of the sonic balances here are out of whack, from the often piercing vocal treble (Dominique Labelle’s voice would not sound like this in a concert hall) to the big bear of an instrumental bass that gobbles up any midrange or upper-register detail. Sanford Sylvan’s gorgeously expressive baritone sounds as if it were passed through a giant tiled room, giving it a booming resonance that it neither needs nor deserves. The instruments overwhelm the voices, then the voices trump their instrumental partners. But this never seems like a partnership at all–just a strangely noisy presentation of Bach that would have been quite wonderful, if only these fine performers had been spared the electronic interference. Pass, widely.
