Search - J.S. Bach, Ziesak, Giulini :: Mass in B Minor

Beauty, profundity -- but not enough clarity

ujg20@cam.ac.uk | Cambridge, England/Tel-Aviv, Israel | 08/25/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a sonically beautiful, intensely moving performance. Giulini, and the players and singers under his direction, present a lyrical, dignified and thoughtful view of the B minor Mass. There is, however, one major drawback: Bach's complex polyphonic textures are too often muddied. This is not, as some people might think, an inevitable result of the use of "modern" instruments and a large chorus: Eugen Jochum, conducting the very same choir and orchestra, achieved much greater clarity in both of his recordings. Giulini's performance proves that there is much to this music besides polyphony, that it can move even when this aspect is not sufficiently attended to. But polyphony IS an essential aspect, and it ultimately enriches expression as well. Giulini's relative failure in this respect sadly mars what is in many other ways a great performance."