BMG is offering Bach's Mass in B Minor this month conducted by
Helmuth Rilling. I have Gardiner's version and I have always found it
disappointing, especially for a piece of music that once was praised as
the greatest work of all ages. Bloodless is a term that comes to mind.
I replaced my St. Matthew's Passion, a boring truncated version
conducted by Furtwangler, with one conducted by Rilling and I was
enthralled. Am I likely to have such an experience with this version of
the Mass in B Minor?
John Parker
Tucson, Arizona