Customer Reviews

Bach: Mass in Bm

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hearing this recording is an otherworldly experience: the proportion of forces is just perfect for the period and kind of music been performed, the selection of voices is most accurate and stylewise is a sensible middle ground between Andrew Parrot's feeble approach and John Eliot Gardiner's bombastic performance. This is period-styled performance that really honours Bach's intentions in terms of size and approach. This is Herreweghe's 1989 recording re-released in 2009 with greatly improved sound. I was eagerly expecting this re-issue for it was out of print for several years, so it is finally here.

Herreweghe re-recorded it later on with same choir and orchestra ensemble for Harmonia Mundi and a rather different line-up of soloists, which is a great performance as well but, to my taste, this one is more sincere and natural, where the Harmonia mundi recording is a bit too "airy" or "ethereal" for me. The only other set that I consider can compete with, or or even be superior to this one, is Harnoncourt's hard-to-find & out-of-print second recording for TELDEC in DDD, but in that case price could be taken into consideration ($100+ (!) here in Amazon, compared to $12 for this recording, shipping included!) So this is my advise: if you want a excellent recording of a masterwork of Western classical music for a more than fair price, this one is for you hands down!

This is my third, and favorite version of the Mass in B minor. It is perfectly balanced for my taste and I never tire of listening to it. The period instruments give the performance an authenticity that transports me back in time and leaves me with the feeling that this is how this piece must have sounded when it was first performed in the 1700's (no one knows for certain when it was first performed in it's final form).

I feel many versions using period instruments are overwrought but this performance is an exception. The voicing is subtle and understated and allows the nuance and detail of the instruments to shine through. The Choir is also excellent and manages to be both powerful and delicate. Herreweghe's use of a small choir is genius and each vocalist is perfectly matched and up to the task of delivering on the subtle beauty of this complex and demanding music. The soprannos are especially sublime as clearly evidenced in the Missa Laudamus Te duet.

I also have the Gardiner, which is another excellent recording using period instruments. The Gardiner is much bolder and more muscular, especially the strings, and the organ is a little more up front. I switch between these two versions often, but always return to the Herreweghe as my most listened to rendition.

The recording quality is excellent and the MP3 version at Amazon is encoded using LAME 3.97 high bit rate VBR. Very highly recommended!

I know that many reviewers love Herreweghe's Bach and particularly his Mass in B minor. I have many versions, and this is one more good one. Pretty, and with an aura of "religiousity" but lacks transcendence because of the performers' somewhat lack of virtuosity, the small forces used, but mostly because of Herreweghe's refusal to impart enough dramatic 'oomph".The recording doesn't help at all: congealed bass and no depth. Still, for those who read my review previously, no you are not losing your mind, I have revised it substantially. I must admit the performance has grown on me, despite the above reservations. I am listening to the Harnoncourt original as I write, which is simply more alive and pulls you into the music while still observing stylistic decorum, at least for the late '60s. Harnoncourt's tempi, the playing and the recording are all superior to Herreweghe's. Still, I must admit I am listening to the Herreweghe much more than I thought I would.

Don't buy this if you have a good sense of pitch. The recording is at least a half step off pitch!