Customer Reviews

Bach: Mass in B minor [Hybrid SACD]

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

 

 

The B Minor Mass is a parody, in the finest sense of the word. Much of the music is derived from Bach's cantatas. However, this is no mere cut and paste job - with typical genius, Bach fitted it all together into a homogeneous, harmonious whole, and the result is one of the towering masterpieces of music.

Having done such a magnificent job in the BIS cantata series, one would expect Masaaki Suzuki and his Bach Collegium Japan also to deliver the goods on the B Minor. And so he does. Suzuki's B Minor is as a B Minor should be, a gloriously uplifting experience, deeply felt and beautifully realised. Suzuki realises, as did Gardiner in his excellent cantata series, that Bach's devout Lutheranism is at the very core of his being as both man and musician, and seeks to let these qualities shine out. He succeeds wonderfully well and produces something that is more than just playing the notes. He encourages sterling performances from his soloists (both singers and instrumental), choir and orchestra. Indeed the only errors I noticed were a few slightly fluffed trumpet passages, but then these passages are wickedly difficult for the natural valveless instrument. All in all, a splendid performance, one of the best I've heard, with what seem to me to be well-judged tempi throughout. Unusually, Suzuki has gone for a cast of non-Japanese solo singers (there is usually at least one Japanese solo singer in the cantata recordings).

How does it compare with others? Gardiner's recording was a trailblazer - as a critic put it, before Gardiner, people talked of original instrument B Minors and modern instrument B Minors, after Gardiner, it didn't matter any more, so high did Gardiner set the bar. Without having actively compared the two, this version seems fully Gardiner's equal.

I have an SACD player, but only two-channel, so I can't comment much on whether the SACD sound is better. Played through my CD player, the recording sounded just as good.

P.S. I've now had a chance to compare this version with Gardiner's on DG, and I find that I still prefer Gardiner's. Some of Suzuki's solo passages are better done, but Gardiner has the Monteverdis, the choir that performs miracles on command. In addition, Gardiner's reading is more dramatic, with more light and shade, which personally I prefer. However, this is not a choice between good and bad, but excellent and slightly more excellent, and there are folk who will reach a different conclusion. And of course surround sound (which I don't have) could make for a more enjoyable experience for the audiophilically inclined.

The recordings of Bach Collegium Japan with Masaaki Suzuki have enriched the catalogue with profoundly spiritual performances of Bach's music, particularly the fecund cantatas. I've followed and treasure those recordings, but this version of the Mass in B Minor achieves even higher place in the verdant fields of music scholarship mystically realised. Scholarship is one thing, and a binding premise, but these are performances of spiritual insight and understanding, and they are extraordinary. Once again, Suzuki gives bold new meaning to 'original' instrumentation, with ideas akin to Stravinsky's "radical of the original". With only 12 strings and 18 singers and glory the more sumptuous for its modesty, Bach Collegium Japan realizes a B Minor Mass for the ages. The singing is unearthly, and particularly soprano Carolyn Sampson's singing is gratifyingly free and pungent, and consistently listenable. Countertenor Robin Blaze illuminates Qui sedes like a lampsmith. Bach Collegium Japan has enlisted more than its fair share of gifted countertenors; for me, Blaze lacks Yoshikazu Mera's shining simplicity, but his work here is consonant with the palpable caste of spiritual attainment that pervades the entire recording. I've not heard Bach unearthed like this since Gould! Bach Collegium Japan's recordings reach deeper with each successive effort. Music making this profound proffers an exposition of the genius of belief itself. Bach ascendant! Recommended without reservation.

Since its release in 1985, John Eliot Gardiner's recording of the Mass in B Minor has been my favorite and one of the most highly recommended. This 2007 performance led by Masaaki Suzuki narrowly nudges Gardiner from first place.

Although Suzuki employs somewhat smaller forces than Gardiner, this is nothing like a one-voice-per-part performance. Suzuki gains clarity without sacrificing grandeur. He lets Bach's masterpiece unfold at an ideal pace, whereas Gardiner seems slightly forced or rushed at spots. Suzuki's soloists and instrumentalists are more polished, and the SACD sound is first rate.

Paul Van de Water

Gardiner's B minor has set the standard for years, and I love the recording still. But in his usual fashion, so often displayed in his cantata recordings, Suzuki combines clarity and rhythm that nearly equal Gardiner with an extra dose of lyricism and sheer loveliness of sound. The result is a B minor that is outstanding in musicality and spirituality. As a bonus, try his recording of Cantata 147.

I ALREADY HAD TWO VERSIONS OF THIS MASS (HERREWEGHE'S AND THE SIXTEEN'S), BUT THIS ONE IS A WORTHY ACQUISITION TO WHICH I INTEND DO ADD GARDINER'S VERSION. GOOD SOUND, GOOD PERFORMANCE, DIVINE MUSIC. SUZUKI IS A CONDUCTOR WHO UNDERSTANDS BACH AND, FROM WHAT I HEARD, BELIEVES IN THE MESSAGE CONVEYED BY THE MUSIC (WHICH IS A MOST WELCOME BONUS TO ME).