Customer Reviews

Mass in B Minor

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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The boy soprani and alti make the Hohe Messe sweeter, the wonderful tenor and bass brilliant, and the ornaments by the instrument soloists, choir, and director alike, a wonderful performance. Comparing it with my experience in a student's chorus and another recording I almost listened to, it is extremely good (I didn't listen to the other recording because it was no match -with the Puccinni soprani and alti- for this one); when listening to it, and getting excited, and depressed and joyful in each piece, I rate it as magnificent, almost unreachable and touching - perhaps almost as much as it would be, directed by Johann Sebastian Bach himself. Note that the booklet is nearly as exciting (e.g. my noteheads and Joh. Seb. Bach's are, since when I read it, alike). The cover is also very good with a(n invisible to internet-surfers) silver cross. An extraordinarilly perfect performance.

This umpteenth recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B Minor is a great effort, which one would expect from the Hyperion label, but speaking as someone who has heard a dozen or more recordings and live performances by a Bach specialist group, I suggest that this recording is not the best. If you run across it for a deeply discounted price, snap it up, but if you are looking for your first B Minor Mass, look for something on the big labels who are used to recording 'big' works of music.