Bach Messe in h Moll, Bwv 232 (marc Minkowski) [2008]

Since its rediscovery and first complete performance in the mid-nineteenth century, Bach's B minor Mass has generally been produced with the large, sometimes gargantuan, performing forces typical of that era in the kinds of ensembles gathered for Mendelssohn's oratorios and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Twentieth century scholarship has uncovered information about performances of individual movements of the Mass during the composer's lifetime indicating that, in spite of its length, Bach intended it to be a chamber piece for small vocal and instrumental ensembles…

Bach's Mass in B minor is one of his greatest and most ambitious works of all. She has occupied the composer for more than two decades, from the Sanctus (1724) to the Missa from 1733 to the supplementary Ordinarium theorems of the last years of life. Thus, the work in its rich variety of arias, duets and concertante and fugal choirs forms an essence of his profound skills and personal style. The "greatest musical work of all time and people" (as enthusiastic as the first editor Hans Georg Nägeli 1818) and one of the most demanding choral-symphonic works of all lies in a high-profile, based on principles of historical performance practice recording with Frieder Bernius, the Stuttgart Chamber Choir and the Baroque orchestra Stuttgart before.

Das erstklassige Solistenensemble, der RIAS-Kammerchor und die Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin und nicht zuletzt Jacobs selbst sind Garanten für lebendige historische Aufführungspraxis, so dass diese Interpretation der h-Moll Messe von der Fachpresse entsprechend enthusiastisch aufgenommen und den wenigen Referenzeinspielungen an die Seite gestellt wurde.

Harnoncourt is a strongly individualist conductor, and his individualism is much more strongly pronounced in the 1986 B minor Mass than in the 1968 version. That's why quite a few reviewers prefer the earlier version - finding the later one mannered, even eccentric. I understand their views, though I don't share them.

The Mass in B Minor, Bach's last completed vocal work as well as the climax of his creativity, reveals the overwhelming wealth of his compositional skills. In the history of music it ranks highly, as the "Montblanc of church music" (Franz Liszt) composed during Bach's time as cantor at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Performed in this important composer's domain, the Mass in B Minor casted a spell over its listeners as the crowning glory of the Leipzig Bach Festival in 2013: Under the direction of Bach's successor Georg Christoph Biller, the St. Thomas Boys Choir and an outstanding soloist quintet perform with the prestigious Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, playing on authentic period instruments.

Karl Richter leads a star line-up of soloists including Gundula Janowitz and Hermann Prey in Bach's enduring В minor Mass, a majestic work that showcases Bach's supreme craftsmanship and skill as a choral composer.

Johann Sebastian Bach - Messe in H-moll / Mass in B-minor BWV 232
Concentus Musicus Wien / Arnold-Schönberg-Chor / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
EAC+LOG+CUE | 2x FLAC Image: 450 MB | Artwork (no Booklet) | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Teldec "Das Alte Werk" # 8.35716 ZA | Country/Year: Germany 1986
Genre: Classical | Style: Sacred, Baroque, Mass

…It was unusual for composers working in the Lutheran tradition to compose a Missa tota and Bach's motivations remain a matter of scholarly debate. The Mass was never performed in totality during Bach's lifetime; the first documented complete performance took place in 1859. Since the nineteenth century it has been widely hailed as one of the greatest compositions in history, and today it is frequently performed and recorded…

The Mass in B Minor, Bach’s last completed vocal work as well as the climax of his creativity, reveals the overwhelming wealth of his compositional skills. In the history of music it ranks highly, as the “Montblanc of church music” (Franz Liszt) – composed during Bach’s time as cantor at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Performed in this important composer’s domain, the Mass in B Minor casted a spell over its listeners as the crowning glory of the Leipzig Bach Festival in 2013: Under the direction of Bach’s successor Georg Christoph Biller, the St. Thomas Boys Choir and an outstanding soloist quintet perform with the prestigious Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, playing on authentic period instruments.

Als die Bachforschung Mitte der 80er Jahre beweisen konnte, dass nicht Die Kunst der Fuge, sondern die Zusammenstellung der H-Moll-Messe Bach in seinen letzten Lebensjahren beschäftigt hat, rückte der theologische Aspekt im Schaffen Bachs, den man zwischenzeitlich als in den späten Leipziger Jahren zunehmend bedeutungslos sehen wollte, wieder ins Zentrum der Betrachtung. Freilich besteht die Messe zum größten Teil aus schon vorher in anderen Zusammenhängen komponierten Einzelteilen, aber sie erfuhren zum Zeitpunkt der Kompilation teilweise grundlegende Umgestaltung. Zumindest das "Et incarnatus est" ist jedoch eine sehr späte, möglicherweise sogar die letzte Komposition Bachs. Sie steht in der Messe neben dem "Crucifixus", der Kontrafaktur eines Satzes aus der frühen Kantate BWV 12: Frühe und späteste Schichten im Schaffen Bachs fügen sich völlig bruchlos aneinander.