Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart(1756-1791)
Great Mass in C minor K 427
Mozart wrote only three vocal/liturgical works from the time of his
arrival in Vienna in 1781 up to his death in 1791: Mass in C minor, Ave
verum Corpus, and the Requiem. It is likely that Mozart started work on
the Mass in C minor shortly after his marriage to Constanze in 1782; Mozart
had promised that he would perform a Mass in her honor when he took her to
Salzburg to meet his father. However, the work was not complete by that
time and never was completed.
Although Mozart's Mass in C minor has five sections, only the Kyrie
and the Gloria sections were finalized in Mozart's autograph score.
Given this incomplete situation, many have tried their hands at
reconstructing the score, and the reconstruction by H.C. Robbins Landon
has been considered the most acceptable likely due to his making the fewest
alterations to Mozart's autograph score. However, there is nothing sacred
about the Landon reconstruction, and many recordings have employed bits and
pieces of reconstructions by others. What can't be found in any version
are the Agnus Dei and half the Credo.
The Mass in C minor has not lacked for abundant recording alternatives,
but the numbers are far fewer than for Mozart's Requiem. Personally, I
find the quality of music in the Mass just as rewarding, exuberant, and
inspirational as the Requiem.
The following versions are offered for your consideration:
Claudio Abbado, Director
Vocalists: Bonney/Auger/Blochwitz/Holl
Rundfunkchor Berlin
Berlin Philharmonic
Sony 46671
Recorded 1990
TT 52:44
Leonard Bernstein, Director
Vocalists: Auger/von Stade/Lopardo/Hauptmann
Chorus & Orchestra of Bayerischen Rundfunks
Deutsche Grammophon 431791
Recorded 1990
TT 53:04
William Christie, Director
Vocalists: Petibon/Dawson/Cornwell/Ewing
Les Arts Florissants
Erato 26093
Recorded 1999
TT 49:18
Colin Davis, Director
Vocalists: Donath/Harper/Davies/Dean
London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Philips 438800
Recorded 1971
TT 55:24
Ferenc Fricsay, Director
Vocalists: Studer/Topper/Haefliger/Sardi
Choir of St. Hedwig's Cathedral
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Deutsche Grammophon 463612
Recorded 1960
TT 57:07
John Eliot Gardiner, Director
Vocalists: McNair/Montague/A.R.Johnson/Hauptmann
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Philips 420210
Recorded 1986
TT 53:26
Michael Halasz, Director
Vocalists: Loukianetz/Burgess/Lippert/Holzer
Hungarian Radio and Television Chorus
Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia
Naxos 8.554421
Recorded 1998
TT 51:57
Philippe Herreweghe, Director
Vocalists: Oelze/Larmore/Weir/Kooy
Collegium Vocale
La Chapelle Royale Orchestre des Champs Elysees
Harmonia Mundi 2981393
Recorded 1991
TT 54:48
Christopher Hogwood, Director
Vocalists: Auger/Dawson/Ainsley/D.Thomas
Winchester Cathedral Choir
Academy of Ancient Music
Decca 425528
Recorded 1988
TT 51:14
Raymond Leppard, Director
Vocalists: Cotrubas/Te Kanawa/Krenn/Sotin
John Alldis Choir
New Philharmonia Orchestra
EMI 47385
Recorded 1973
TT 59:05
Neville Marriner, Director
Vocalists: Te Kanawa/von Otter/A.R.Johnson/LLoyd
Academy and Chorus of St. Martins in the Field
Philips 438999
Recorded 1993
TT 51:20
Peter Neumann, Director
Vocalists: Schlick/Frimmer/Pregardien/Mertens
Kolner Kammerchor & Collegium Cartusianum
Virgin 61665
Recorded 1989
TT 53:15
Robert Shaw, Director
Vocalists: Weins/Ziegler/Aler/Stone
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Telarc 80150
Recorded 1987
TT 57:46
Johannes Somary, Director
Vocalists: Bogard/Murray/Lewis/Rippon
Amor Artis Chorale
English Chamber Orchestra
Vanguard Classics 94
Recorded 1975
TT 57:27
The first section of the Great Mass is the Kyrie which is a gorgeous
creation blending sublime tenderness with tremendous power and gusto.
Most of the tenderness emanates from the soprano soloist whose role in the
Kyrie is pivotal. I couldn't ask for a more sublime and purifying voice
than Maria Stader for Fricsay; she is heavenly with abundant expressiveness
on display. My only regret is that Fricsay is not quite as strong and
majestic as some other conductors.
The majesty certainly isn't lacking in the versions from Bernstein,
Marriner, and Davis; it's very impressive, even colossal. However, neither
Arleen Auger for Bernstein nor Kiri Te Kanawa possesses Stader's beauty of
tone; Helen Donath for Davis lacks richness in her voice and sounds a
little immature.
Michael Halasz and his forces give a lovely performance of the Kyrie
with plenty of detail. His soprano, Viktoria Loukianetz, has a very
attractive voice although her low notes can sound a little unattractive.
Unfortunately, this lovely performance is lacking much in vigor and spirit;
its majesty is low and there's a deficiency of weight which is an important
factor in the Kyrie. Christie provides the necessary weight but his
interpretation is a relaxed one with low voltage; what lifts his version
over Halasz is the singing of Patricia Petibon. She has a beautiful tone
which is a little less expressive and strong than Stader's magnificent
instrument.
Abbado's and Hogwood's versions of the Kyrie are a significant improvement
over Christie's in terms of bringing out the power and tension of the
music. On the down-side, although Barbara Bonney has a lovely voice, I
don't sense much personality to it in the Kyrie. Arleen Auger for Hogwood
sounds quite similar to her performance for Bernstein.
Gardiner's Kyrie is splendid. Although he doesn't deliver as much overt
power as Davis or Bernstein, there's not a version which has as much impact
from a undercurrent of tension which permeates the performance. Also, the
Monteverdi Choir is sensational with great power, poetry, and detail.
Sylvia McNair isn't in Stader's league when it comes to expression, but her
voice is lovely and pure of tone. Overall, Gardiner certainly disproves
the notion that period instrument forces can not deliver the majesty and
fullness of Mozart's music.
Peter Neumann and his period instrument forces are't shabby at all;
their majesty is admirable, and Neumann's pacing is exceptional. The
real star of this Kyrie is Barbara Schlick. I've always found her an
interesting singer. She hasn't the purest tone or strongest projection
in the business, but nobody sings with a greater or more heart-felt
expressiveness than her. Schlick has what I call a 'vulnerable' voice
which can often sound as if it's going to have a melt-down. With that
in mind, she's best when vulnerability is inherent in the singing role.
That's just the case in the Kyrie with its recurring "have mercy on us"
theme. Schlick is exceptional and equals the Stader performance.
The Somary performance of the Kyrie would be among the best except for some
loss of tension when it's most needed; Carole Bogard reminds me of Schlick
in terms of the voice's vulnerability, but Bogard has the more attractive
instrument. She's very expressive and alluring in the Kyrie.
The soprano singing goes down a few notches with Edith Weins for Shaw; she
has a 'throaty' quality and sometimes does not project well. For his part,
Shaw could have been much stronger. Mitigating the negatives are Shaw's
gift for lyricism and leading a fantastic chorus. The group glides like
silk through the music with a unison of purpose second to none.
The Herreweghe Kyrie would have benefited from more tension and power;
also, La Chapelle Vocale isn't nearly as unified and detailed as Shaw's
group. But coming to the rescue is the outstanding voice of Christiane
Oelze which is almost up to the standards of Maria Stader.
That leaves us with Raymond Leppard who gives the slowest performance of
the group, clocking in at about eight minutes. I can't say that this slow
tempo is advantageous; it does get a mite lethargic at times. However,
power and majesty are in abundance and Ileana Cotrubas has one of those
heavenly and expressive voices just like Maria Stader.
Summing up the Kyrie, I find seven versions equally compelling. Davis,
Marriner, and Bernstein can't be beat for conveying the Kyrie's majesty,
and Gardiner's choir and his tension-laden reading just have to be heard.
For wonderful singing, the versions from Fricsay, Neumann, and Leppard
are superlative. The remaining versions are fine listening experiences,
although the Halasz sounds as if not everyone showed up to play. Most
striking at this point are the wonderful sopranos on the recordings. When
excellent artists such as Arleen Auger and Kiri Te Kanawa aren't high on
the scale, I know I'm in exceptional company.
The seven-part Gloria begins with the Gloria in excelsis which gets out
the gates with a burst of energy followed by fugal entrances by the chorus;
the pomp and ceremony are on full display as well as many tender passages.
Another Allegro, Laudamus Te, follows the Gloria and the soprano takes
center stage. The music is buoyant and delightful. The soprano has a
virtuoso role involving trills, pauses, and snycopations.
With sopranos in the limelight, I decided to start off with Maria Stader
and Ileana Cotrubas. Both sing beautifully with soaring voices, although
I do prefer the richer tone of Cotrubas. Her partner, Leppard, supplies
abundant power to the slowish Gloria and much exuberance to the Laudamus
Te. Fricsay is somewhat problematic as he sounds rushed in the Gloria with
little impact emanating from the fugal choral entrances.
All of Halasz's performing forces return for their very strong,
rhythmically atractive, and well detailed Gloria. Unfortunately, Viktoria
Loukianetz is not as rewarding in the Laudamus Te as in the Kyrie. She
handles the virtuosity decently, but it exposes some failings of beauty of
tone in stressed passages; I just get the feeling that she's having a tough
time of it as the voice never really lights up the stage or soars.
Arleen Auger sings very well for both Hogwood and Bernstein in the Laudamus
te. Hogwood continues with vigorous performances, but I find Bernstein
getting a little extreme with tempo. In the Gloria, he's like a bullet in
the 2 minute range and the performance is somewhat hectic. Conversely, the
Laudamus te finds him even slower than Leppard; there are times when the
reading is overly relaxed.
Like Hogwood, Neumann directs with strong energy and exuberance. I am a
little disappointed with Barbara Schlick's relative lack of vibrancy in the
Laudamus te. Speaking of vibrancy, that's exactly where Gardiner and his
forces excel in both the Gloria and Laudamus te. The energy of Gardiner's
direction is something to behold, and Sylvia McNair is right in step with
him. She conveys all the vibrancy that's missing in Schlick's performance
as her voice rings out convincingly.
The throaty voice of Edith Wiens continues to be problematic in the
Laudamus te, but Robert Shaw and his chorus perform splendidly; I
love Shaw's perfectly proportioned Gloria for its stately and stirring
qualities. Neville Marriner is also quite stirring although I would have
liked a slightly slower tempo in the Gloria; Te Kanawa's voice displays
fine projection, tone, and energy.
Christie and Petibon deliver the best Laudamus te I've ever heard; their
energy and exuberance can't be beat. So far, I'm very impressed with
Patricia Petibon who has a lovely voice that never quits.
Herrewege's performance of the Gloria is low on energy and not very
rewarding. The Laudamus te is also problematic because of the soprano
singing. Although I should assume from the credits that Christiane Oelze
has the role, it sure doesn't sound like Oelze. In the Kyrie, her voice
has a youthful nature and brightness that's totally missing in the Laudamus
te. Whoever has ownership of the voice, I find it too dark for music which
exudes optimism and good cheer.
Somary and Davis convey the necessary power and exuberance to the Gloria
and Laudamus te, and their soloists sing very well. However, Abbado is too
low-key in both movements, and Bonney shares this quality when she takes
center-stage; the majesty is largely missing.
For the Gloria in excelsis and Laudamus te, I find that Christie, Gardiner,
and Leppard provide the best performances. At the bottom are Bernstein,
Herreweghe, Abbado, and Halasz.
Up to this point, there has been abundant opportunity to get a fair
picture of the conductor and chorus; concerning the vocal soloists, only
the soprano has been on display and has had a pivotal role so far. My
preferred versions are coming from Gardiner and Leppard. Gardiner has
his pulse strongly on the music at all times, and Leppard is receiving
outstanding contributions from Ileana Cotrubas. The Naxos version has been
the least rewarding, and Halasz might not be ready for such prime-time
competition.
In Part 2, I'll hopefully get through the remaining movements of the
Gloria. I did want to mention that the back cover of the Herreweghe
recording quotes Fanfare as follows: "Herreweghe offers the most gentle
rendition of this work that I've ever heard". Assuming this comment is a
tribute to Herreweghe, I find it rather odd. Gentleness certainly has its
right moments, but much of the Great Mass is rousing music. Judging from
his readings through the Laudamus te, Herreweghe might have a problem
rousing this listener.
Don Satz
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