Mass In B Minor BWV 232: II: Duet (2 Sopranos); Christe Eleison
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: III. Chorus: Kyrie Eleison
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: IV: Chorus: Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: V: Chorus: Et In Terra Pax
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: VI: Aria (soprano): Laudamus Te
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: VII: Chorus: Gratias Agimus Tibi
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: VIII: Duet (Soprano - Tenor): Domine Deus
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: IX: Chorus: Qui Tollis Peccata Mundi
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: X: Aria (Alto): Qui Sedes Ad Dexteram Patris
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XI: Aria (Bass): Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XII: Chorus: Cum Sancto Spirtu
Track Listings (15) - Disc #2
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XIII: Credo In Unum Deum
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XIV: Patrem Omnipotentem
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XV: Duet: (2 Sopranos): Et In Unum Dominum
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XVI: Chorus: Et Incarnatus Est
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XVII: Chorus: Crucifixus
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XVIII: Chorus: Et Resurrexit
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XIX: Aria (Bass): Et In Spiritum Sanctum Dominum
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XX: Chorus: Confiteor
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XXI: Chorus: Et Exspecto Resurrectionem
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XXII: Chorus: Sanctus
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XXIII: Chorus: Osanna In Excelsis
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XXIV: Aria (Tenor): Benedictus
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XXV: Chorus: Osanna in excelsis
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XVI: Aria (Alto): Agnus Dei
Mass In B Minor BWV 232: XXVII: Chorus: Dona nobis pacem
For Bach lovers who never have gotten comfortable with the sound of period instruments--or youngsters who want to check out how Bach was performed before the likes of Harnoncourt and Hogwood changed everything --this is... more » as good a "conventional" 20th-century-style B-Minor Mass as you will find. Eugen Jochum packs the performance with dramatic gestures and grandeur: his mighty opening "Kyrie" hits you right in the gut; very slow tempos give the "Et incarnatus" and "Crucifixus" an imposing solemnity; the sudden hush at the start of "Et exspecto" and huge four-beat crescendo moments later are remarkable. The orchestra plays gracefully and with particularly good balance for a symphony orchestra doing Bach; the choir's blend and clarity are not ideal, but their sound is powerful and Jochum makes sure that the important lines are heard. Soprano Helen Donath sings blandly, with a vibrato so quick and wide she can only approximate pitch, but the male soloists, especially tenor Claes H. Ahnsjö, sound quite comfortable with Bach's writing. Mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender's voice seems more suited to Mahler, but she proves herself yet again a great artist. Any performance-practice purists who have strayed here accidentally should flee immediately to Herreweghe (if not Rifkin), but those who love the grand, old German tradition of Bach performance should be very pleased with this one. --Matthew Westphal« less
For Bach lovers who never have gotten comfortable with the sound of period instruments--or youngsters who want to check out how Bach was performed before the likes of Harnoncourt and Hogwood changed everything --this is as good a "conventional" 20th-century-style B-Minor Mass as you will find. Eugen Jochum packs the performance with dramatic gestures and grandeur: his mighty opening "Kyrie" hits you right in the gut; very slow tempos give the "Et incarnatus" and "Crucifixus" an imposing solemnity; the sudden hush at the start of "Et exspecto" and huge four-beat crescendo moments later are remarkable. The orchestra plays gracefully and with particularly good balance for a symphony orchestra doing Bach; the choir's blend and clarity are not ideal, but their sound is powerful and Jochum makes sure that the important lines are heard. Soprano Helen Donath sings blandly, with a vibrato so quick and wide she can only approximate pitch, but the male soloists, especially tenor Claes H. Ahnsjö, sound quite comfortable with Bach's writing. Mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender's voice seems more suited to Mahler, but she proves herself yet again a great artist. Any performance-practice purists who have strayed here accidentally should flee immediately to Herreweghe (if not Rifkin), but those who love the grand, old German tradition of Bach performance should be very pleased with this one. --Matthew Westphal
"Jochum is the best "spiritual" conductor i know. This Bach's Mass is no exception: the fluid and ethereal sonority of the music as well as the strenght of the choir makes this Mass version one of the best."
I love this performance
Gregory M. Zinkl | Chicago, IL | 01/30/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I could blather on like I usually do about the glorious playing of the Dresden forces and Jochum's terrific, inspired performance. But I won't! I love this recording, warts and all. The overall emotional thrust is terrific, and even if the tempi are slower than the period crowd would vote for, they are never lugubriously heavy. An enjoyable performance that my partner and I have enjoyed many times.And it's a bargain!"
Solemn, but solid
Joshua F. Fisher | Coralville, IA USA | 05/12/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Eugen Jochum here finds a way to take the music at a slow pace to give it the solemnity that a sacred work of this magnitude demands, yet still capture the varying moods of the piece. The powerful, heavily fugal "Gloria in excelsis Deo" slides easily into the (appropriately) gentle "Et in terra pax." Even more wonderful is the way Jochum builds up the chorales to spectacular climaxes, most notably in the "Gratias agimus tibi" and the aforementioned "Et in terra pax."In this endeavor, he is aided by the chorus, which functions as a team, as a single unit, rather than as sections of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses pitted against one another in a chaotic survival of the fittest (or loudest). This approach can sometimes tend to obscure the words and blur the textures, but for the sake of drama, a singularity of purpose is absolutely essential.The weakness of the recording is undoubtedly the soloists. No one would argue that this is Helen Donath's best recording, and Brigitte Fassbaender struggles to restrain her dark, powerful, Mahlerian voice. She and Donath seem to cancel each other out in their two duets. Robert Holl's bass tends to be stuck way down in the basement, and his singing is rather uninspired at times.The solo movements are saved, however, by some wonderful solo instrumental playing, most notably that by the solo violin in the "Laudamus te." The ultimate saving grace for this recording, however, is the wonderful direction of Jochum, who keeps the music serious, but interesting."
Good performance, so-so sound
pyramidcvv | Western US | 06/07/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Since I like the solemn, slow tempos of the older recordings of this work, this recording is made for order for my taste. But the sound is not too great. There were times when the chorus seemed to have lost their microphones. The tenors in the chorus are often impossible to hear. Also, the trumpets can get a bit shrill in their trill passages, but I've noticed that in lots of other Mass albums (except the first Helmut Rilling album). This is a live 1957 performance: a real historical find, and no audience noise. Budget price, too."
A solemn performance
Musicus | Oslo, Norway | 09/26/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"To me, the most important is and remain the spirit of the interpretation, so usually I can easily forgive some technical flaws in performance and recording/mixing, provided the spirit of the music appeals to my imagination. Still I find this Jochum-recording slightly disappointing. Perhaps the reason is that I am used to his Christmas oratorio (Weihnachts-oratorium) from 1973, both intimate and glorious, perfect on all levels, but sadly out of print... This is not out of print - september 2005 - if you search B0007RO57K on Amazon you find the reissue. I have to agree with the other reviewers that this b-minor mass - it is from 1982, not from the 50ies - suffers from some weak singers and a dubious sound quality; it is something foggy about it. Jochum's forces are too big here - unlike the Christmas oratorio - but despite these drawbacks, we still have Jochum's baton, his wand! There is an incomparable dignity to the phrasing and pacing; this is a solemn performance and it grows in my mind by repeated listening. I also like Herreweghe's very different interpretation - Amazon-search B000005Z2W - which in fact has all the clarity, all the transparency I miss by Jochum's 1982-recording. I need them both.
P.S. July 2006: Yes, I did need both, because I had not found Rilling's b-minor mass yet. That one leaves no wishes open and gets the final fifth star, Amazon search: B00004S584."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
