St. Luke Passion Main Performer or Conductor: George Barati Accompaniment/Orchestra: Akademie Kammerchor Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper Instrumentation: Choir Orchestra Individual Works: La Passione Secondo Luca (Saint Luke Passion) Format: Compact Disc Record Label: Sarx Catalog Number: 2026-2 Year Released/Recorded: 1995 Total Playing Time: 130 minutes Comments: This spurious Passion, according to catalogues, can only be heard under the present recording. There is much to be said for the music but little to recommend the recording. If only in terms of recording quality, the microphones are too close to the vocalists, causing the orchestra too often to fade into the background. At the level of performance, one suspects that it is a live performance although no indication is given on the CD jacket cover. The intonation of the singers as mediocre at best and frankly amatuer at worst. Also, at a time when the original instrument practice has brought us vocal performances shorn of the excesses operatic voices were once prone to, this performances is a step backward. I can only hope that another more professional recording becomes available. While there are moments much more like one of his bach's older relatives, or like a young Handel or even a Vivaldi, the passion as a whole is suffused with a feeling of greater works to come. The recitatives are immediately recognizable as the old Master's. Save your money and hope that this work is not ignored so completely as it has been. Acknowledgements: Thank you to the following for submitting this recording and for your comments: Patrick Gillespie Date First Submitted: 02/14/1997 Purchasing: Suggested Purchasing Sources Note: Inclusion in this database does not guarantee the availability of any recording. Some recordings may be out-of-print or no longer available.