Search - Anton Bruckner, Marcus Creed, Members of the SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra :: Bruckner: Mass in E minor; Motets [Hybrid SACD]

3.5 stars - a beautifully-realized conception but problems p

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 02/14/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Englishman Marcus Creed leads vocal and orchestral forces from Stuttgart in this concert of sacred choral music by Anton Bruckner (1824-96). Hanssler Classics recorded this in March 2007 and issued it last year in hybrid super audio format. I saw at least one best of 2008 list that included this recording, which merges the popular woodwind Mass in E minor to seven other mostly a capella choir pieces.



It's not hard to see why a critic would place this on his or her best of 2008 list. This is a beautifully sung and expertly realized ecclesiastical concept by Creed and his forces. It is as beautifully-sung a performanc as any I know, in both the mass and in the quieter, more contemplative mixed a capella offerings, where Os justi and Bruckner's setting for the Catholic prayer, Ave Maria, stand out. Creed knew what he wanted from this group: a mass and religious music effort clearly tying Bruckner to Palestrina in a modern period performance concept that eschews 19th century romance.



Here, the singers project an intimacy that allows you to pierce the mind and heart of the composer. With voices mimicking the organ registrations from his expertise with that instrument, these brief items portray a composer at once affirmed with and attuned to his creator. As Bruno Walter once said when comparing Burckner (whom he conducted often) to Mahler (Walter was his mentee), Bruckner knew God and Mahler spent all his life trying to find him. You understand that completely from these brief choral excerpts.



However, there are serious faults to this issue. The first is the elocution of the choir -- or the sound, I can't tell which. While magically performed, it is just about impossible to know what the choir is singing without resorting to the score. Either bad engineering or inadequate diretion keeps you from understanding what they are telling you without resorting to the booklet notes or score.



The super audio sound is another deficit. Other than having a somewhat impressive left to right span when you listen through headphones, the super audio sound is among the least impressive I have heard. The singers, who have magnificent technique, often sound fuzzy with little definition between parts and almost no auditory depth. The orchestral contribution is even less well-defined. There is little directional guide as to where any singers or instrumentalists stand or sit. When I compared this recording to the 2007 recording made by Helmuth Rilling, also on Hanssler Classics but in good old stereo, the differences were overwhelming: the Rilling recording had far more defined sound and integrated the voices and instruments better.



The production includes notes in two languages and texts in Latin, German, English and French. If you want the a capella pieces or a late Renaissance approach to Bruckner in the mass, this is a good choice considering the sound and performance debits cited earlier. If you're after the mass or power mated to Brucknerian righteousness, I recommend you get Rilling -- to which this recording makes an outstanding complement.

"