Their Famous Dominant

Brahms’s Missa canonica is something of a rarity: composed around 1856, the work lay unperformed until 1983 despite being regarded highly enough by its composer for him to have re-used some of its material in the popular motet Warum ist das Licht gegeben?. The absence of both Gloria and Credo settings (these texts being too long to be easily suited to the form of a canon) probably explains the neglect, yet the four movements of this work show all the hallmarks of Brahms’s compositional mastery and deft handling of choral effect that are well known from his many motets, six of which, including the sublime Op 30 Geistliches Lied, are also recorded here.

What better introduction to a new Chopin programme than the Barcarolle op. 60? A pure masterpiece! Debussy recommended its study to his pupil Catherine de Romilly: "You will work on it until you play it well, and for years if necessary!" Written in the summer of 1846, in parallel with the Polonaise-Fantasy op. 61, the work brings together all the subtleties and the most refined colours of Chopin’s universe. After a short, questioning introduction on the dominant, the left hand begins a calm, swinging accompaniment that introduces the shimmering theme in thirds and sixths, which is most bewitching! The utmost flexibility is obviously required here, and it is not until the bridge in A major that the tempo slowly comes to life.