Missa Solemnis/Mass In

 

 

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I find that Gardiner's Missa is rather martial. Gardiner's Missa is kind of a glitzy affair because Gramophone praised it to the skies, and gave it 2 awards - Choral Award & Record of the year Award. It certainly has its merits - orchestral playing and a chorus that is astonishing in its virtuosity. But you know what? Like pepechenique, I found it kind of martial - it is superbly played no doubt but it is lacking in its ability to move. The playing is rather bland. Just listen to Klemperer's recording, which is fantastically intense. Or Solti's first recording - which though it puts the soloists unduly in the spotlight, has a 'feeling' which is missing here. However, the biggest surprise for me was Solti's SECOND recording with the Berlin Philharmonic. That recording topped it off. It is the best I have heard - for me, it certainly outshines this Missa and Solti's first recording.
Solti's 2nd recording has the distinction that the balance between chorus, soloists and orchestra is superb. For once, you can actually hear the orchestra in many parts of the Gloria, Credo and Sanctus with the chorus, whereas in other recordings, the orchestra inevitably gets swamped by the chorus when the chorus comes in at full force. And the Berlin Philharmonic is at its virtuosistic best!! They play magnificently - and when I say they are magnificent, they are MAGNIFICENT!! I agree with Gramophone's assessment that the soloists (Varady, Vermillon, Cole and Pape) give the impression of listening to each other and knowing their 'ebb and flow' in the piece - when they are important and when they should recede. THIS is really rare. PLUS all 4 soloists sing very beautifully - none of them are trying to 'stand out' but take their place dutifully (as they should) in the fabric of the whole piece. One of Solti's great attributes as a conductor was his constant development as a musician. In his second recording, he surpasses his first recording in the understanding of the architecture of the piece. In his recording, some parts of the Missa drag somewhat and doesn't quite gel together. Here, his understanding is total. The parts flow logically from one to the next, there's no unduly slow tempi, and for the first time in my history of listening to the Missa Solemnis, I actually UNDERSTAND the architecture of the piece as a whole. I used to listen to sections without seeing the big picture, now I see the big picture of the Missa in Solti's 2nd.

Gardiner, in my view, has missed some of the insights in Solti's second recording. As another example, in the Et Vitam Venturi fugue, Solti's transition from the slow to the fast and back to the slow is fantastic. When he ends the fast section (which is as fast as Gardiner's - maybe a few seconds slower), you still feel the forward momentum of the music. In Gardiner's case, the transition from slow to fast is splendid (but any conductor can do that). But when he ends the fast section, I feel that the music stalls somewhat.

This first recording has the fabulous Lucia Popp in top form, and the magnificent Chicago Symphony Chorus. But the balance is sometimes off - soloists too prominent or orchestral detail obscured. I shall keep searching for the perfect Missa Solemnis (which doesn't exist).

I think it's because of the time lag between posting and the message appearing - probably didn't realize it.

Why do I get the feeling all these REVIEWS with lots of CAPITALS were all written by the SAME PERSON ?

Seriously, you can't beat the Klemperer version of this.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Legendary Missa
Solti's legendary 1978 Grammy Award winning Missa Solemnis - at this incredible price makes this CD a MUST BUY!!! It is a MUST for every serious Missa fan. Read more

Published on Sep 14 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
This Missa is absolutely superb. Outstanding recording and playing from one of the world's greatest conductors. At an incredible price too.

The Kyrie is beautifully sung. Read more

Published on Sep 9 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME!!!
Solti has shown himself to be just what he is reputed to be - the greatest conductor in the world. In the superconductor class with Karajan and Bernstein. Read more

Published on Sep 7 2002 by Mni

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB CHORAL WORK BY SOLTI!!
The Missa Solemnis doesn't get any better than this 1978 Grammy Award winning version. The choral work is FABULOUS. The Soloists are FANTATISTIC!!!!! Read more

Published on Aug 31 2002 by Daniel

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!! FANTASTIC!!! SUPERLATIVES!!!!!!
The Missa Solemnis is in effect an awesome choral symphony of an unheard of scale - one that only Beethoven could have pulled off. Read more

Published on Aug 29 2002 by Daniel

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the Worst....Not the Best
I originally purchased this recording two years ago for the Missa Solemnis; the C Major Mass was a nice coupling, but if you are buying for that piece, John Eliot Gardiner's... Read more

Published on Jan 15 2002 by Gregg M. Howell

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