After the the long Gloria comes the Credo which consists of the emphatic
"Credo in unum Deum" followed by the operatic "Et incarnatus est".  Some
have complained that the "Et incarnatus est" is too operatic to be in a
sacred work, but I don't share that view.  The piece is so beautiful that
it belongs wherever I can find it; also, it provides a magical contrast
with the previous and next movements.

Shaw and Abbado are emphatic enough in the regal and majestic "Credo" and
certainly provide much feeling in the "Et incarnatus est".  However, the
Gardiner performances have that ounce of tension not in the above versions.
Another crucial consideration where Gardiner has the edge concerns the need
for the soprano voice to ring out *above* the orchestra.  I'm sure that
Barbara Bonney can rise up just as well as Sylvia McNair, so my conclusion
is that Bonney and Wiens are overly integrated into the orchestral fabric.
I almost forgot to mention Gardiner's wind instruments(flute-oboe-bassoon);
they sound so lovely and emotionally rich with crystal clear projection.

There's no voice integration issue with the Davis version as Helen Donath
easily rises above the orchestra.  Also, she sounds much better to me this
time, very poignant and also reverent.  Fricsay is his vigorous self, and
Maria Stader excels.

I have praised Ileana Cotrubas regularly, but she really goes off the
charts in the "Et incarnatus est".  Her singing just melts my heart every
time.  Projection is exceptional as she soars above the orchestra.  Any
indecision I had concerning whether I prefer Stader or Cotrubas is erased
with this movement.  For his part, Leppard displays his customary and
exceptional pacing, strength, lyricism, and balance.

Neumann and company are a little reticent in the "Credo", but the soprano
aria is very comforting and has Barbara Schlick in top form which is quite
formidable competition.  I prefer Schlick to Kiri Te Kanawa for Marriner
whose projection could be stronger.

I've been reserving a spot for someone on the bottom rung, and Christie
fully deserves the designation.  The problem, and likely the controversial
aspect of his Great Mass, concerns the very quick tempo he uses in the
soprano aria.  He shaves almost two minutes off the piece which generally
clocks in at over eight minutes.  Assuming that this music has a
luxuriating and etheral quality, Christie blows it all off and sounds as
if he's auditioning to be the conductor for some additional "Speed-Runner"
cartoons.  Patricia Petibon is again sterling, but she has to put up with
Christie.  That's too much to ask even of Contrubas.

The other deserving soul at the bottom is Halasz.  His phrasing can lose
some lyricism, and his chorus does not always blend well.  Further, in
music which can expose every tiny vocal flaw, Viktoria Loukianetz's
instrument is fully exposed as not being of strong tonal beauty.

Bernstein and Hogwood do not fully satisfy in the majestic "Credo".
Bernstein loosens his grip too often, and Hogwood is quite speedy and his
chorus somewhat perfunctory.  Somary is a step up, but I don't find Carole
Bogard as alluring as she is in the opening Kyrie.

Herreweghe has been comforting(?) us throughout his performance, so I
figured he would finally be in his element with the "Et incarnatus est".
However, "Mr.  Comfort" provides less of it than the majority of other
conductors.  Herreweghe does well but avoids addressing the deepest
emotional aspects of the music.

Mozart's Great Mass concludes with the Sanctus and the Benedictus.
The Sanctus has a magnificent "Osanna" fugue which even makes a second
appearance at the conclusion of the Benedictus which engages the four vocal
soloists.

Gardiner goes out in great style.  As usual, he captures the essence
of the music's soul and his four vocalists blend beautifully together as
they heartily rejoice in their faith.  Fricsay's "Benedictus" is a slow
proposition, and the tempo kills the music's exuberance.  Even worse, when
the reprise of the "Osanna" fugue enters, the wide difference in tempo
between the two is ridiculously abrupt.  There's also the matter of poorly
articulated strings in the "Benedictus", most pronounced right at the
beginning.  Christie's "Benedictus" is quick with great bounce and
exuberance; his four vocalists perform splendidly.

I could complain about Bernstein's quick tempo in the "Benedictus", but
that's nothing compared to the whizzing speed he uses for the "Osanna"
fugue.  It's too fast, and there's no space to breath.  All the power is
there, but the performance still has a perfunctory element.  Halasz and
company provide a very enjoyable final two movements.  After listening to
Bernstein and Christie speeding down the run-way, it's a pleasure to hear
a better paced and balanced performance.  Power and majesty are in fine
supply, and the singers interact well.

Davis concludes in a similar fashion to Gardiner but even more strength;
offsetting this is the less attractive voice of Helen Donath.  Regardless,
I think Davis has given us the most stirring "Sanctus" of the fourteen
versions.  Marriner delivers the power as usual, but I find his tempo in
the "Osanna" fugue too quick to bring out its splendor; further, his bass
Robert Lloyd sounds like his mouth is stuffed with mashed potatoes.  By the
time Marriner's Great Mass ended, I was dying for some lunch.

Finally, Herreweghe really comes to life in the last two movements; he
must have eaten his Wheaties the morning of the performance, and a combo of
mashed potatoes and Wheaties is sounding mighty fine right now.  Seriously,
this is the Herreweghe I expected and seldom found.

Whatever I expected from Shaw in the last two movements, I got something
much better:  incisive direction, ample power, fantastic pacing.  Add in a
tremendous chorus, and you have a thoroughly rousing and joyous conclusion
to the Great Mass.  Hogwood is again excellent, and the performance takes
off when the four vocal soloists enter and interact so well.  Abbado's
version also lifts off with the vocal soloists; his "Osanna" fugue sounds
a mite uninvolved with some rough and quick phrasing which could have
benefited from a re-take.

Neumann signs off with rather subdued and demure performances; I keep
imploring him to go with gusto, but to no avail.  Somary is much more
animated and demonstrative, continuing to impress this listener.

God and his flock are in high spirits in Leppard's "Osanna" fugue.  Also,
Leppard turns on the power switches right from the start and never lets go.
The pure strength and command is stunning; it's no wonder I like this
"Osanna" more than any other.  No wanting to slight the vocal quartet, it
performs beautifully led by the magical Cotrubas.

Summaries:

 From my perspective, there are two most crucial aspects of performances of
the Mozart Great Mass in C minor.  One is to capture the strength, poetry,
and majesty of the work.  Mozart has given us a mass which is loaded with
power; any version which slights this aspect gets low marks.  The second
critical component is the Soprano I.  Whether the music calls for a solo
voice, duet, trio, or quartet, the Soprano I is always in the picture.
Versions which do not rank high in this area are problematic.

With the above in mind, here are my conclusions in no particular order:

John Eliot Gardiner's version is an excellent one highlighted by Gardiner's
energy, tension, and his exceptional Monteverdi Choir.  Although the
soloist singing would have benefited from a greater intimacy between Sylvia
McNair and Diana Montague in their duet, the overall level of vocalism is
quite high.

I am recommending the Fricsay recording mainly because of Maria Stader.
Fricsay himself isn't always satisfying with his losses in tension, too
slow tempos, and a rather harsh recorded sound which can be unkind to the
chorus.  It's probably best to sample Stader before buying; if she isn't
extremely appealing, I can't see much reason to acquire this issue.

A more qualified recommendation goes to the Christie version.  He has great
singing, particularly from Patricia Petibon, and their partnership in the
"Laudamus te" is unforgettable.  However, Christie can often go slack; he's
best when he retains his exuberance.  Another major problem comes from his
fast tempos which utterly destroy the "Et incarnatus est".  I really can't
recommend a Great Mass which butchers the most gorgeous and poignant music
of the work, but Petibon fans will love her peformances.

I have to recommend the Bernstein with its zest for life and great
strength.  On the other hand, he engages in some extreme tempos which pull
his version down significantly.  For this recording, I recommend sampling
Bernstein's "Osanna" fugue; if that sits well with you, the disc should be
very enjoyable.  Frankly, I'm a little disappointed.  Bernstein's Kyrie was
fantastic, but he never subsequently regained that high level.

The Michael Halasz recording on Naxos has 'price' as its most attractive
offering.  I had previously stated that Halasz and his forces might not
be ready for prime-time.  Alhthough I still stand by that statement, I'm
feeling a little guilty about it.  I think the group does its best, which
is more than I can say for all the other versions.  I consider the Halasz
an enjoyable issue which only looks significantly deficient compared to the
best versions.  The disc has been well engineered and offers good value.

Speaking of the best versions, the one from Colin Davis is my second most
preferred interpretation.  He always delivers the 'big bang' when needed
and does it with style and grace.  If he had Ileana Cotrubas instead of
Helen Donath, I'd likely be declaring Davis the best disc.  His performance
is on a Philips "Duo" which also has his Requiem and Coronation Mass.
Snapping up this 2-cd set would be a very good move.  Davis has been a
stellar Mozart conductor for decades now.

I have very mixed feelings about the Marriner recording.  In some ways such
as projection and majesty, he's one of the best.  Marriner can let speed
get the best of him, but my primary reservation is voice engineering and
placement.  I don't think its advantageous to have the singers sounding so
distant from one another.  Another negative is mixing von Otter and Te
Kanawa together.  So, I am mixed up and so is the recording.  Sample either
the vocal duet or the trio; if satisfied, the disc should afford many hours
of pleasure.  If not, don't take it home; you'll get mixed up also.  In
these days of conflicting priorities and signals, we don't need additional
confusion in our lives.

When I hear Herreweghe's name I think of his Bach cantatas and the St.
Matthew Passion where his comfort is sublime and his majesty commanding.
Unfortunately, neither of those two qualities gets much emphasis from
Herreweghe in Mozart.  Outside of being a good version for light reading
late at night, I can't recommend the recording.  There obviously are plenty
of folks who consider the Herreweghe Great Mass a sublime treasure.  Best
to sample first to figure that one out.  As for me, I'll have to find a new
home for it.  The disc is not 'Satz' oriented at all.

I was all set to give Robert Shaw the 'thumbs-down', but then he goes
and astounds me in the last two movements.  This version of the Great Mass
has some problems, and I've mentioned them sufficiently.  All I'll say at
this point is that choral buffs would likely find the performances more
compelling than I do.  I am going to keep this recording for the choral
work and the concluding movements; it also comes with Shaw's version of
Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

The one version which I think would please the greatest number of listeners
comes from Christopher Hogwood.  I don't recall making any negative remarks
about his performances.  I consider it a mainstream version all the way
except for the use of boys in the choir, and that's no problem at all.
Hogwood has command of the technical aspects and also delivers much emotion
when needed.  With fine singing and choral contributions, I
enthusiastically endorse the disc.

Of the fourteen versions, there is one which I have trouble remembering -
the Abbado.  There are no major screw-ups and much fine singing, but
there's also a lack of distinction from Abbado at every turn.  I would
recommend this cd only to fans of the performing artists.

Neumann's version presents him in two different lights.  There's his demure
side which reminds me some of Herreweghe's performances.  Then we have his
commanding side, and when Neumann takes command there are only a small
number of versions which can match him.  The vocal soloists are excellent,
headed by the Barbara Schlick's expressions of vulnerability.  Overall,
this is a good version which sometimes disappoints.

My 'favorable' surprise of the fourteen versions comes from Johannes Somary
whose pacing is generally exceptional.  Also, his vocal soloists are a
formidable quartet; Ann Murray is my favorite of the four.

That leaves only my recording of choice - the Raymond Leppard disc.
This isn't just a matter of my love of the Ileana Cotrubas voice.  Leppard
paces the work splendidly and brings out all its majesty.  He also gets as
tender and comforting as any other conductor of the work.  There are times,
such as in the "Benedictus", when I would have liked a slighter quicker
tempo; that just means that there's a little room for improvement from
the 'perfect' version whenever it surfaces.  In the meantime, I consider
Leppard almost perfect and easily the best recording of Mozart's Great Mass
in C minor.  In Part 1, I noted the catalog number of this EMI disc; it's
the original issue on cd.  That one has been retired, and the disc now is
on EMI's Red Line series.  The catalog number is CDR 573751, and I suggest
you obtain it without delay.

Getting down to crunch time, owning the Leppard version makes most of the
other recordings rather superfluous if you only want one or two versions
for your library.  I recommend the Gardiner for the two-version buyers.
It's on period instruments and much quicker than Leppard's.  Dare I suggest
a third? I'd go with Davis.

Well, it's been quite a treat listening to the different versions of the
Great Mass.  Just one last item.  Concerning the music after the Gloria,
the conductors do use different editions or combinations of editions.
Frankly, I consider these particular distinctions not of significant
impact.  That's the reason I didn't bring it up earlier, seeing no need
to confuse the issue of basic performance quality.

I see on the horizon a review project for Mozart's Requiem, and I didn't
need a psychic to tell me.  It's a more serious affair than the Great Mass,
so I'll have to switch to my austere mode.  I do already have a good number
of Mozart Requiems, but some research will surely unlock the gate to a few
more.

Other new reviews soon to be unveiled include the piano music of Poulenc,
Satie, and Scriabin.  There's also a Hartmann Symphonies project in the
wings as well as the Shostakovich String Quartets.  Whatt happened to Bach?
He's here with me, always.

That reminds me that I need to re-start my engines with the review of
Bach's Goldberg Variations.  When I got to the "Black Pearl" and realized
how long it was going to take me to cover that one variation for almost
fifty versions, I backed off and moved on to other projects.  It will be
completed, but I want to return to it when I feel a strong urge to immerse
myself.

Don Satz
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