Customer Reviews

Missa Solemnis/Mass In

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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. Even if you have one hundred other Missa Recordings, this is a MUST!!!!

Ths soloists are incredible and the Chicago Symphony Chorus is just that - the world's finest symphony chorus. Quite rightly so because the Chicago Symphony Chorus has earned more Grammys than any other SYmphony Chorus in the world.

Buy it. You will never regret it.

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. The soloists are unmatched. Popp is just fantastic and is Minton.

The Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra demonstrates why they are considered the best orchestra in the world. Solti too demonstrates why he is considered one of the greatest conductors in the world.

And of course, we have the famous Decca sound - unmatched. And absolute MUST HAVE CD. Even if you have all the other versions of Missa, this CD is a MUST MUST

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.

As an opera conductor, Solti has the advantage over many other conductors who conduct only orchestras.

If you want a Large Scale Missa Solemnis, this is THE VERSION to get. I have 9 different 'Large Scale versions and this is by far the best. Awesome Choir. Awesome Soloists. Awesome Orchestra. Awesome conducting. Awesome recording. Awesome price.

If you want period instrument Missa, get Gardiner.

The Missa Solemnis doesn't get any better than this 1978 Grammy Award winning version. The choral work is FABULOUS. The Soloists are FANTATISTIC!!!!!

The Mass in C though needs improvement. The Gardiner version of the Mass in C is better.

The Missa Solemnis is in effect an awesome choral symphony of an unheard of scale - one that only Beethoven could have pulled off. The performance of the Missa Solemnis by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus led by Sir Georg Solti and Margaret Hills is absolutely FABULOUS!!! This performance is absolutely deserving of the Grammy it won in 1978 for Best Choral Performance. Note that the Missa was performed in 1978 but reissued in 1997. And it is still selling like hot cakes. Sir Georg Solti is indeed worthy of the honor of winning more Grammys than any other artist. Solti won 31 Grammys. His archrival Karajan only won 15 Grammys.

The cast of soloist is superb. Lucia Popp is absolutely fantastic. Listen to her at the opening Kyrie. Yvonne Minton is a superb contralto. Mallory Walker and Gwynne Howell are fabulous singers.The choral singing is First Class and UNSURPASSED. The Chicago Symphony Chorus is among the best choirs in the world. The audition their singers every two years - even those who are incumbent in the choir!!! This is one performance that I return to over and over again. The music is extremely soothing. Great listening for frayed nerves. Guaranteed to calm your nerves.

At mid price, this CD is VERY VERY STRONGLY recommended.

There is a bonus - Chailly's well liked Mass in C major thrown in. The performance is fine - great singing, great performance but not the best in the world. But who cares? The Missa Solemnis itself is worth the price and should be the real reason you are buying the CD. Nevertheless, the Mass in C is well performed and it is one performance you will go back to over and over again.

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 recording is a more inspired reading. This Mass in C interpretation is completely uninspired with dirge like tempi and a most amatureish sounding choir. Susan Dunn is completely miscast as the soprano soloist (as are the remaining soloists). To the listener's detriment, Chailly opts for a more romantic interpretation versus a more classical, which ultimately ruins the piece.

I purchased this recording on the strength of Solti and Margaret Hillis' chorus. Unfortunately, the chorus for the Missa Solemnis does not live up to its usual brilliance. There are pitch problems as well as energy problems, and at times the chorus sounds so tired that they won't be able to make it through another phrase. The performance is not a total Lucia Popp makes a stunning Soprano soloist (though a bit operatic at times) rounded out by a respectable trio of soloist. The bass being the weakest--there are times where he is actually a beat off and stops singing all together!!

Your money would be better spent on John Eliot Gardnier's versions of either piece.