Missa Salisburgensis: Ein langer und schoner Aufzug
Missa Salisburgensis: Kyrie
Missa Salisburgensis: Gloria
Missa Salisburgensis: Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes : Sonata XII
Missa Salisburgensis: Credo
Missa Salisburgensis: Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes : Sonata V
Missa Salisburgensis: Sanctus - Benedictus
Missa Salisburgensis: Agnus Dei
Missa Salisburgensis: Sonata Sancti Polycarpi
Missa Salisburgensis: Motet
The Missa Salisburgensis for 53 parts in eight separate choirs, often called "the Mahler 8th of the baroque," is by far the most grandiose work composed before the 18th century. Written (by an unnamed composer genera... more »lly presumed to be Biber) for the 1,100th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Salzburg, it has extravagant scoring reflecting that city's enormous self-regard. This Mass is rarely performed or recorded, and probably not just because of logistical and financial constraints--the work can often seem tedious and overblown. The large number of parts and the reverberant acoustic of Salzburg Cathedral allowed for very little harmonic variety (virtually the entire Mass is in C major) or virtuoso fireworks; the music can make its effects only through variety of instrumental color and sheer massive sound. It is very much to the credit of Paul McCreesh, Reinhard Goebel, and their musicians that the Missa Salisburgensis sounds so engaging here: the grandeur is leavened with plenty of rhythmic snap, and some lighter moments sound tender and almost delicate. Unusually for McCreesh, there are no chants, prayers, or other trappings of a liturgical reconstruction; there are, however, three sumptuous instrumental sonatas and a motet included with the Mass. This may not be the most profound music of the 17th century, but it is surely among the most jubilant. --Matthew Westphal« less
The Missa Salisburgensis for 53 parts in eight separate choirs, often called "the Mahler 8th of the baroque," is by far the most grandiose work composed before the 18th century. Written (by an unnamed composer generally presumed to be Biber) for the 1,100th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Salzburg, it has extravagant scoring reflecting that city's enormous self-regard. This Mass is rarely performed or recorded, and probably not just because of logistical and financial constraints--the work can often seem tedious and overblown. The large number of parts and the reverberant acoustic of Salzburg Cathedral allowed for very little harmonic variety (virtually the entire Mass is in C major) or virtuoso fireworks; the music can make its effects only through variety of instrumental color and sheer massive sound. It is very much to the credit of Paul McCreesh, Reinhard Goebel, and their musicians that the Missa Salisburgensis sounds so engaging here: the grandeur is leavened with plenty of rhythmic snap, and some lighter moments sound tender and almost delicate. Unusually for McCreesh, there are no chants, prayers, or other trappings of a liturgical reconstruction; there are, however, three sumptuous instrumental sonatas and a motet included with the Mass. This may not be the most profound music of the 17th century, but it is surely among the most jubilant. --Matthew Westphal
CD Reviews
Infuriatingly bad sound quality
Ralph H. Peters | Washington, D.C. area | 05/25/2000
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This is a baffling production. Interesting, often-striking music, well-performed, has been recorded so badly that I would simply like to know what happened. Amateur or local recordings, of the sort on display at regional churches proud of their choirs, generally are much better in quality than this--yet this is on Deutsche Grammophon Archiv, usually a dependable, high-quality label. I must stress that the problem is not with the performance, and the idea of such a recording is welcome--were it not for the work's interest and the quality of the performances, I would have rated it one-star. But the overall sound is that of a marching band in a gigantic gymnasium, interspersed with barely-audible voice lines. The crescendos distort, jar and annoy. Even a good car stereo cannot support these false, poorly-taken dynamics, and the sound fares little better on high-quality home speakers. Generally, I only review works I enjoy and wish to recommend--but the feeling of having been ripped-off by this slovenly engineering and production work drove me to write this review as a warning to others."
Stupendous in every way
William A. Smith | Atlanta, GA USA | 08/02/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am a little puzzled by the reviewers who cite bad engineering on this disk. The dynamic range is enourmous (particularly between the second track and the Kyrie) and the disk does demand equipment to keep up with it. This is one of the most magnificent recordings of 17th century music I have heard, far most exciting than an earlier recording of the same piece. Liner notes are outstanding. This is not music of psychological depth and penetration, but rather ceremonial music on the grandest possible scale, and remarkably moving, particularly in the contexts established in the informative essay in the notes. The final motet to St. Rupert, in particular, is hair-raising. If you like Gabrieli and the Monteverdi Vespers, you will love this. McCreech is arguably the finest interpreter of this material going. This one has a permanent place on my shelf!"
Delightful ecclesiastical bombast
End User | Sacramento, CA | 04/19/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Missa Salisburgensis has most often been attributed to Biber, and it may very well be his, though it lacks some of the more playful and virtuosic turns of much of his other work (the wonderful Violin Sonatas for example). Nonetheless, this recording is a very enjoyable one, more jubilant than masterful. This is a great, bounding, (somtimes slobbery), puppy-dog of a piece, and the orchestration, playing, and singing are all enthusiastically wonderful.
From the opening of the Kyrie on the second track (the first track isn't even part of the Missa Salisburgensis and seems totally superfluous on this disc) Musica Antiqua Koln, and co. bombard you with wave after wave of sonic joy. The instruments blend extremely well, the choirs sing brightly and beautifully and are treated with sensitivity and respect by both conductor and engineer. Recording the piece on site in the cathedral has given it awesome presence and a particularly atmospheric quality; the horns and organs sound especially good. There is some concern with the engineering, as the dynamic range is all over the map (especially between tracks one and two), but if your system can handle the range, it enhances rather than detracts from the great sonics.
All in all, this piece is not remarkably profound music so don't buy it expecting a Bach Cantata (or the incomparable B-minor Mass), but it is the very definition of a "joyful noise.""
One more opinion
richard mullany | waynesville, north carolina United States | 09/08/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I find myself agreeing in many ways with every reviewer. This is an uneven release; I think it's not up to Archiv standards in the matter of balance for one thing. I have a large system and I had to back off the bass some and emphasize the treble some and still found the lack of sibilants interfered with the choral sound. The words are committed to memory by now but I still want to hear those words clearly. I rarely have to move tone controls from the flat position and this is odd to find in Archive. Otherwise this is a huge pice of work!. I especially enjoyed the
"Agnus Dei" opening; the chorus sounds like they truly are calling a lamb to come to them and I found the idea endearing.
Paul Mac Creesh has a flair for these epic productions; I think of his reconstruction of the "Coronation of the Doge" in Venice with music from Gabrielli. Gigantic proportions well done. I play these things about once a year, they tend to overwhelm."
The Mass as Occasion
A. Meurer | Melbourne Australia | 05/10/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"For reasons unknown I was not familiar with Biber and his work in the late Baroque, so when a local FM announcer, without warning, played the Gloria from this mass I was completely gob-smacked. Spectacular!
Written as it was [in 1682] to celebrate the opening of the new Salzberg cathedral, and coincidently the 1100th aniversary of the conversion to Christianity of that city, it is a work on a giant scale. This partially explains the use of two major period music groups ot complete the recording - Paul McCreesh and the Gabrielli Consort in cooperation with Rienhard Goebel and Musica Antiqua Cologne.
It is almost overwhelming to hear, and presumably there won't be many recordings of such a large work. The performers manage to convey the celebratory nature of the work, but listeners should note that those who find massed brass instruments tiring may not relate to this piece - it is quite dominated by those instruments as one might expect given its purpose.
One other slight misgiving is the uneven volume levels in the recording, ranging from the almost inaudible to the "wall of sound". I suspect the engineers may have been tempted to twiddle the sliders too much.
It was recorded in an English abbey, so it's difficult to imagine why that would have been necessary.
That said it is a great performance by proven musicians and certainly conveys the impact the original performance must have had on the citizens of that great European city in 1682.
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1