Search - Peter Kooy, Marc Vallon, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart :: Mozart: Great Mass in C minor K. 427; Meistermusik K. 477

My favourite interpretation of this

M. Henri De Feraudy | France | 05/26/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is not a very recent recording, but it was very well recorded at the time.

My first listen to this recording gave me goose-pimples and the purity of the soprano puts me into a trance.

My favourite interpretation of this work."

Marvelous recording of Mozart's "Great" Mass

Eric S. Kim | Southern California | 07/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I must say that I admire and respect the great Belgian maestro, Philippe Herreweghe. His interpretations of Mozart's Requiem and Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem are some of my favorites in my own collection. They have that perfect Classical/Romantic atmosphere, and they do seem to have accurate tempi and dynamics throughout. The period instruments helped as well, as sometimes I feel like I'm really in Austria back in the (really) old days. And now, I have yet another recording from Herreweghe. I felt no hesitation when I purchased another recording of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a god of Classical Music.



I have never heard Mozart's ["Great"] Mass in C Minor before, but listening to it now, I already love it. Herreweghe, with his extraordinary expertise on early music, gives this piece a most perfect feel. The tempi, dynamics, and the overall flow of the Mass are absolutely right. The piece as a whole is not slow and overdramatic (Herbert von Karajan used the same Romantic techniques for Mozart's Requiem, which sounds inappropriate for a Classical Piece), nor is it too fast and dull (John Eliot Gardiner does that sometimes). The grand acoustics make it even better: the echoes make it sound as if it was recorded in a gigantic cathedral, even though it was recorded in an auditorium.



Not only should we thank Herreweghe, but we should thank the orchestra and choirs as well. The Orchestre des Champs Elysees uses period instruments, giving Mozart's Mass the absolute Classical touch. Period instruments may not be ideal these days, but the orchestra pulls it off. As for the two choirs, I have never heard such beautiful voices when it comes to epic church music. The Collegium Vocale Gent and the La Chapelle Royale sound like they sing from the heart: they're full of emotion and verve. There is never a dull moment. The soloists (Oelze, Larmore, Weir, and Kooy) are exceptionally great. True, they are not a top-notch quartet that you find in specific Abbado and Karajan recordings, but they never fail to sing with intelligence in their parts. Put the orchestra, choirs, and soloists together, and you've got a perfect balance. The players and vocalists do not overshadow each other (there are only a couple brief moments when they do, but they're only minor flaws), and they perform as a whole from the Kyrie to Benedictus.



I know the price for this CD is a bit higher than usual, but you can expect an intelligent conductor, an unmatched period orchestra, two beautiful-sounding choirs, an ambitious vocal quartet and some excellent sound quality if you are willing to spend twenty-five or thirty more bucks on your debit/credit card (depending on your choice of shipping).



Grade: A"