Bach: Mass in B minor

Started by Don Giovanni, April 18, 2007, 11:30:17 AM

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KevinP

Was a time when I could say I had every Mass recording in print and then some, but I've only kept up in spurts. The Dijkstra isn't even listed on Amazon.com except in the complete box (but is on the .uk site), so no, I don't have this one. What did you like and not like about it?

Verena

What I liked the first time round is the fact that the interpretation sounded introverted to me, having a nice « flow ». On second hearing, I found the interpretation - the Kyrie especially - not sufficiently « expressive ». So I guess what I liked the first time is roughly what I didn't like the second time. However, I did like the soloists on both hearings.
Don't think, but look! (PI66)

dissily Mordentroge

#202
Quote from: Parsifal on June 22, 2013, 07:39:34 PM
Now, now.  according to the one true faith (Catholic) the Lutheran church itself was heresy.   :)
According to Rome, still is.
I've gone off all the 'romanticised' earlier recordings these days tending to reach for the Van Veldhoven conducting the Netherlands Bach Society. My only doubt is the somewhat 'sleepy' introduction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FLbiDrn8IE

aligreto

JS Bach: Mass in B minor [Hengelbrock]





This is a version that I have warmed to [more] over the years. I was OK with it originally but, at the same time, I was not overly enthusiastic about it. My original contention was that it lacked fluidity and presence. The older me still holds to these premises, particularly where we have a soloist accompanied by less dense orchestration and also in its slower movements that I feel the performances are not as consistently good. That is where it loses its way for me. It is slower overall thereby losing some of its urgency and impact. I think that consistency is the main issue here. However, all forces perform admirably, instrumentalists, choral and solo vocalists.

Que

Quote from: aligreto on July 19, 2020, 02:23:23 AM
JS Bach: Mass in B minor [Hengelbrock]

This is a version that I have warmed to [more] over the years. I was OK with it originally but, at the same time, I was not overly enthusiastic about it. My original contention was that it lacked fluidity and presence. The older me still holds to these premises, particularly where we have a soloist accompanied by less dense orchestration and also in its slower movements that I feel the performances are not as consistently good. That is where it loses its way for me. It is slower overall thereby losing some of its urgency and impact. I think that consistency is the main issue here. However, all forces perform admirably, instrumentalists, choral and solo vocalists.

What are you favourites?   :)

Q

aligreto

JS Bach: Mass in B minor [Fasolis]





When I first bought this version many years ago I remember being somewhat disappointed with it. However, I have changed my opinion over the years. I now take it for what it is; a straightforward and more devotional take on this work as opposed to the more "laboured" label I gave it back then. The pacing is not, in fact, as slow as I had perceived it before. The performances are more than fine from all forces, both instrumentalists, choral and solo vocalists. It has grown on me with time.

aligreto

Quote from: Que on July 20, 2020, 10:47:44 AM
What are you favourites?   :)

Q

Hello Que. My favourite Mass in B minor is the original performance by Gardiner [Archive Productions]. I also very much like Herreweghe [Virgin] and Bruggen [Glossa] and of course Harnoncourt. Of the "newer" versions that I have heard I do like van Veldhoven. Of course, special mention also has to go to Jochum for a wonderful, "old School" performance.

KevinP

The work I once totally obsessed over.

I remember liking the Fasolis above though I'd have to listen to it again to remember why.

I think the harpsichord in the continuo was more prominent, and I always like hearing a harpsichord in this piece.

Jo498

Fasolis is very good with very good soloist (overall considerably better soloists than Gardiner/DG Archiv). IIRC he was not the first but one of the first with a fastish dramatic Crucifixus section. As I have not been following more recent recordings, I don't know if this is more common nowadays.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

knight66

Quote from: KevinP on August 20, 2020, 10:20:55 PM
The work I once totally obsessed over.

I remember liking the Fasolis above though I'd have to listen to it again to remember why.

I think the harpsichord in the continuo was more prominent, and I always like hearing a harpsichord in this piece.

I remember that well. I think you started a thread about the B Minor and wrote what must have been about the longest post ever which was so thorough and knowledgeable that it was not added to.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Jo498

BTW I cannot see how one could see the Fasolis as "slow" unless compared with the most hyperkinetic versions there are. By a brief glance at the track times it seems though, that Fasolis is bit slower than Gardiner in some "fast" sections but faster in some "slow" sections, such as the Crucifixus, Qui tollis, Sanctus, Agnus Dei.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

KevinP

Quote from: knight66 on August 25, 2020, 12:46:11 AM
I remember that well. I think you started a thread about the B Minor and wrote what must have been about the longest post ever which was so thorough and knowledgeable that it was not added to.

Mike
I

Wow. Thanks, Mike!


vers la flamme

This work mystified me for a long time until really clicking with me roughly 1.5 months ago. I cannot attribute this change to any particular recording, but the music all started making sense to me and now I love the whole thing. Definitely one of my favorites in all Bach.

I think my two recordings are about as vanilla as it gets: Gardiner/Archiv and Richter/Munich on the same label. Of these I think I ultimately do prefer the Richter. Amazingly sung and played. Next I think will be Leonhardt, though I'm not yet ready to pull the trigger on yet another B minor Mass.

Handelian

#213
Quote from: Coopmv on February 08, 2009, 12:09:46 PM
The Mass in B minor recording by Karajan with the Vienna Symphony around 1950 is great stuff ...



This is actually surprisingly 'modern' in its approach, more so than HvK's DG remake (which he was disappointed with). At the time of its release it was considered quite radical in fact with far livelier tempi than usual. Of course now it appears dated but it is a really good performance of the old style Bach.
For an HIP performance I have a great liking for Herreweghe's with the wondrous Scholl singing the Agnus Dei.

Ras

There are many, many good recordings of the B minor mass, but my favorite is Jordi Savall's:
[asin]B009RUNNH6[/asin]

By the way: In December Jordi Savall will release a new recording of the Christmas Oratorio:
[asin]B08KR24ZNL[/asin]
"Music is life and, like it, inextinguishable." - Carl Nielsen

(poco) Sforzando

Quote from: knight66 on August 25, 2020, 12:46:11 AM
I remember that well. I think you started a thread about the B Minor and wrote what must have been about the longest post ever which was so thorough and knowledgeable that it was not added to.

Mike

Can someone link us to that post? thankx.
"I don't know what sforzando means, though it clearly means something."

milk

I'm really enjoying Dunedin these days. I like this direct pared-down approach.

KevinP

Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on November 07, 2020, 07:19:58 AM
Can someone link us to that post? thankx.

It was in the 'old' forum. We had some glitch and had to start again from scratch, but the old forum is still up (read-only) so far as I know. Anyone have the link to it?

KevinP

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,10856.0.html

Seems the old forum might be a thing of the past, alas.

I think at some point I saved a copy of the discussion, but all I can say is that it's on some CD in some drawer somewhere.


staxomega

Quote from: KevinP on February 03, 2022, 04:52:19 PM
https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,10856.0.html

Seems the old forum might be a thing of the past, alas.

I think at some point I saved a copy of the discussion, but all I can say is that it's on some CD in some drawer somewhere.

I would also love to read it if you come across it. I should do a comparison of the three Herreweghe performances to see if I want to pick one up.