In 1962, Walter Legge
invited Klemperer to make a recording of Bach's Mass in B
minor for EMI. Although the Mass was a work that Klemperer
was strongly drawn to, he nonetheless declined the offer.
He was reluctant to conduct the work using the vast forces
that were typically employed for performances as he believed
it should be performed with numbers similar to those that
Bach would have envisaged. Several years later he proposed
a recording of the piece using "authentic" forces
of a choir of 48 and under 50 instrumentalists - hence this
recording.
The Mass is an extremely
important work. Bach originally composed a short version
in 1733 as an offering to the new Elector of Saxony. The
great composer then spent a decade studying Mass settings
by composers both living and dead and only in 1748-9 did
he complete the full version of the B minor Mass, recycling
some of his best music thus far. To this day it remains a
mystery why he composed the work, given the fact that it
wasn't commissioned. It is suggested that he saw it as the
highest musical form, setting the greatest of Christian rites
and therefore both a personal statement of belief and the
pinnacle of his life's work.
The Mass clearly meant
a great deal to Klemperer, also, who stated that "for
me Bach's B minor Mass is the greatest and most unique music
ever written". On top of his "authentic forces" condition,
Klemperer was very picky about way it was recorded and the
choice of soloists. He worked hard to ensure that he captured
the musical and dramatic effects he wanted - for example,
making the choir sit down for Et Incarnatus Est to
create a disembodied, ethereal sound - which works brilliantly.
The outcome is a wonderful recording.
The Mass opens with the Kyrie, taken
at a steady pace, which unfolds nicely
and is appropriately full of pathos.
The soloists are all excellent - Baker
with her rich, mature voice outstanding
in Laudamus Te, the tenor Nicolai
Gedda quite - but not too - dramatic
with just the right amount of vibrato,
and baritone Hermann Prey and bass Franz
Crass both lyrical and dexterous. Baker,
meanwhile sings the stunningly beautiful
Agnus Dei with an incredibly
deeply-felt searing intensity. The
singers work well together in the duets
- particularly Baker and Giebel in a
gorgeous rendition of Et In Unum
Dominum.
The BBC Chorus are excellent,
producing a gloriously full sound in Gratias Agimus Tibi,
in an incredibly passionate Cum Sancto Spiritu, and
in the exultant Sanctus, full of joy and glory - they
are also wonderfully otherworldly and eerie in Et exspecto
resurrectionem Mortuorum. Nor does the New Philharmonia
Orchestra let the side down - listen, for example, to the
beautifully gossamer instrumental introduction to Domine
Deus or the tender, melting strings in Agnus Dei.
Klemperer has the balance
just right in this performance - it is neither soupy and
sentimental nor cold and clinical, but retains a wonderful
dramatic quality without ever going overboard. The individual
lines are allowed to sing out with clarity, and Klemperer's
respectful approach does justice to the spirit of the piece
as well as to the written music itself. Overall, this performance
is full of a sense of radiance, beauty and nobility and
is one I can heartily recommend.
Em Marshall
EMI Great Recordings of the Century themed review page
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Agnes Giebel
(soprano), Janet Baker (alto), Nicolai Gedda (tenor), Hermann
Prey (baritone), Franz Crass (bass)