Brian Robins: Interview with Phillipe Herreweghe

"In 1985 harmonia mundi released a recording of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion which was immediately recognised by many as possessing very special qualities. The booklet provided with the set included a learned dissertation on musical rhetoric by the conductor, Philippe Herreweghe that went some way toward explaining why this recording was different. Not only had unusual trouble been taken to give the text a rare communicative power, but Herreweghe approached the score with a warm humanity achieved without sacrificing contrapuntal clarity and rhythmic impetus. More than fifteen years later Herreweghe’s name is synonymous with a long and successful series of recordings of Bach’s choral works that has established him as arguably the pre-eminent exponent of the repertoire. Yet as his extensive discography proves, there is more to Herreweghe than Bach. Brian Robins went to Antwerp on behalf of Goldberg in an attempt to discover more about the man and his approach to music..."

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