Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Joseph Haydn, Leonard Bernstein :: Beethoven : Missa Solemnis / Choral Fantasy & Haydn : Theresia Mass

A sterling Missa Solemnis and unmissable Theresienmesse.

quia-nihil-sum | Inverness,Scotland. | 03/03/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I know that Beethoven's mighty "Missa Solemnis" may have drawn you towards this particular volume of the Bernstein "Royal Edition":and quite excellent it is to,despite the unfortunate sonic constraints of a less than ideal recording.However,my chief purpose in reviewing this 2CD set is to draw your attention to a gloriously exultant recording (digital this time,thankfully) of Haydn's tremendous "Theresienmesse".As well as been my favourite of his astonishing canon of "late" Masses,it is perhaps the one that best lends itself to Bernsteins grandiose approach.Truly symphonic in it's structure,we are taken on an exhilarating roller-coaster ride from "Kyrie" to "Dona nobis pacem".I still wouldn't be without the George Guest account on Decca or Trevor Pinnock on Archiv,but for the sheer joie de vivre that Bernstein gets out of that fantastic "Amen" fugue of the Gloria,and the profound pathos he wrings out of the "et sepultus est" in the Credo;this account is hard to beat.So,why not invest in this box-set before the deletion axe falls once more and deprives you of a "right royal treat"."

Commanding 'Choral Fantasy,' almost great Missa Solemnis

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/12/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As long as there is sunshine in the world, this Choral Fantasy from Bernstein and Serkin will survive. The work was a Serkin specialty; he loved it enough to make any performance a great event, and he never missed a season at the Marlboro Festival without presenting it as the summer's finale. Bernstein condcuts in the same spirit of exuberant joy. Five stars.



If only Bernstein's excellent 1960 Missa Solemnis rose as high. In musical terms it's almost there. Bernstein announces his intentions from the first bar. This is dynamic, thursting Beethoven without cathedral reverence. You are reminded throughout of the Ninth Sym., and as an itnerpretation Bernstein's is faster than either Klemperer or Karajan, his two chief competitors among major condcutors. However, his rivals boast better sound, soloists, and chorus.



Even in this credible remastering, the sonics are mediocre, wihtout presence or depth. Events seem to occur at a remove despite Bernstein's energy. The soloists look excellent on paper: Eileen Farrell, Richard Lewis, and Kim Borg are notable artists, and only the alto, Carol Smith, is an unknown. But they don't come together as an ensemble, and Bernstein, never one to be very interested in vocal soloists, hasn't melded them the way Klemperer and Karajan do. The women also sound too far from the microphone. Finally, the Westminster Choir, which was the best chorus in NY at the time, sounds disciplined and vigorous but no match for the world-class London and Vienna choruses on the rival sets. They tend to sound stiff, and the sopranos shriek through Beethoven's fiendishly high writing.



If you can listen through the flaws, this is an outstanding Missa Solemnis, but one can't pretend the flaws aren't there. Four stars.



Sony has generously thrown in a choral masterpiece by Haydn, the Theresa Mass, which belongs to a series of masses the composer wrote near the end of his career. All of them are great, but the Nelson Mass and the Mass in Time of War are better known than this one. Bernstein made excellent versions of all three. This 1979 recording from London features better sound, chorus, and soloists (including Lucia Popp and Robert Tear) than the Beethoven--it's very fine in every way and elevates the Theresa Mass to the exalted level it deserves. Five stars.



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