Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl-Friedrich Beringer, Windsbacher Knabenchor :: Bach: Mass in B Minor

Absolutely sublime

04/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this recording from the BMG Music Club, and it has slightly different cover art than the one pictured here. There are many versions of the Mass in B Minor, and I can't claim to have heard them all. The Harmonia Mundi version is quite good, but this version is the best I've heard. The singing, instrumental playing and sound quality are just superb. This work never ceases to amaze me; I mean, the variety of musical themes that Bach creates, each one beautiful and memorable, is stunning. Ultimately, the melding of choral and instrumental parts is perfect. This is great music, whether you're a knowledgable Bach fan or new to his art. Bach obviously produced a ton of great music, but this has to be his crowning achievement."

A singular recording

diekunstderfuge | 12/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the opening peals of "Kyrie eleison," to the final declaration of "dona nobis pacem," this is a recording to make any music lover salivate. It is music that, in a cathedral, would epxand to fill every cubic inch of available space. It is music that you can almost reach out and touch.



The first "Kyrie" is taken at an appropriately reflective tempo, and the suspensions benefit immensely from Beringer's choice of a more restrained tempo. This is true as well for the second "Kyrie," which is highly chromatic and whose overlapping crucifix motives are wonderfully exploited by Beringer's solemn tempo (yet, there is always motion, always impetus).



The Windsbacher Knabenchor really begins to shine in the "Gloria," especially as we come to the fugue on "et in terra pax." The "Gratias agimus tibi" is like listening to liquid gold; it is a testament to Bach's humanitarian genius and insight that he returned to this music for the "dona nobis pacem" that ends the Mass: note his subtle tribute to the new declamation by replacing dotted-note figures with longer notes (as in the head motive to the second fugue subject "propter magnam gloriam").



The "Cum sancto spiritu" is an absolute feast of virtuosity, and here the Windsbacher boys give any coloratura soprano a run for her money. It is hard to say whether his position at the St. Thomasschule was an influence on Bach's approach to vocal writing for children, but it is clear that Bach respected the children's chorus to a degree that few other composers have matched (Mahler comes to mind).



The sound engineering of this album is solidly executed, and the result is a sound that possesses both warmth and clarity. Such clarity of sound is crucial in Bach recordings, for without it, the counterpoint that is the cornerstone of Bach's music suffers. The orchestra is well-balanced, and with this we can see that Beringer has a keen understanding of how to respect Bach's counterpoint. This is evident both in the ensemble performances, as well as in the arias, where the instrumentalists' solo skills are tastefully showcased.



While the more powerful names (Gardiner, von Karajan) may have gathered more attention, it is my belief that this recording is absolutely the best of the B minor Mass I've heard. Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale have done great Bach work for Harmonia Mundi, but I prefer their performances of the Bach cantatas, as well as the Magnificat.



This recording is a jewel in the collection of anyone who appreciates the splendor of Baroque music."

Pure sunlight

kelsie | Plainview, Texas United States | 04/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The star of this Mass recording is undoubtedly the Windsbacher Knabenchor. These kids (and young men) are simply astounding. For those familiar with the U.K. group Libera, imagine an ensemble with Libera's pure, warm tone combined with a huge dose of technical precision and agility, and you've got the Windsbachers. They literally pour their hearts into this music.



Unlike other recordings with boys' choirs, Beringer pulls out all the stops: tempi are REALLY fast, even in the fiendishly difficult melismas from the "Cum Sancto Spiritu," "Osanna," and especially the "Pleni sunt coeli." The trebles sing with a dead-on accuracy that's beyond-words incredible, especially for a choir of children. It simply has to be heard (especially the fugal "Pleni sunt coeli"). The chorus, despite being smaller than most SATB setups and half-composed of kids, is astonishingly vibrant and powerful; the imperial "Confiteor unum baptisma" is a thunderous declamation on the belief in one baptism, leading to a life-affirming peroration on the resurrection of the dead that's as powerful and robust as any traditional offering.



Beringer's style is very different from the more traditional conductors (Karajan, Jochum, Shaw, and especially Klemperer), lacking their solemnity and especially Klemperer's overwhelmingly religious conception of the piece. This is a concert hall Mass (for an equally-as-great "church" setting of the Mass, see Thomaskantor Georg Christoph Biller's recording with the Thomanerchor (Bach's choir) at the composer's Thomaskirche).



Beringer's orchestra is augmented by an extra trumpet ensemble; the sonic clarity of the brass, combined with the warmth of the chorus, gives this set an unmatched vibrancy and sunlit ambience. Beringer really takes the score, blows the dust off it, and lets the music breathe anew. The soloists are all wonderful, the orchestra plays confidently and magnetically; there are a few balance issues between the trumpets and the rest of the forces, but these are minor.



Overall, Beringer's recording is a beautiful, exuberant reading of Bach's and Western music's greatest masterpiece. A wonderful, triumphant achievement more than worthy of this timeless music."