Bach's Mass in B minor, BWV 232, is unique among his works in that it evolved over a period of years, beginning with a Sanctus written in 1724, continuing through a Kyrie and Gloria of 1733 and the remainder of the movements written at the end of Bach's life, and extending even beyond that into not fully specified revisions made by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to the damaged manuscript. This new recording from a crack group of mostly German musicians and conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann is perhaps the first to incorporate the ...
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Bach's Mass in B minor, BWV 232, is unique among his works in that it evolved over a period of years, beginning with a Sanctus written in 1724, continuing through a Kyrie and Gloria of 1733 and the remainder of the movements written at the end of Bach's life, and extending even beyond that into not fully specified revisions made by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to the damaged manuscript. This new recording from a crack group of mostly German musicians and conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann is perhaps the first to incorporate the 1733 sections, using a new edition of the mass made by the Carus label and publishing company on which the recording appears. These are intriguing; Bach's impulse seems to have been to simplify the "Lombardic" rhythms in two of the sections of the Gloria. But really bigger news is the all-around excellent performance, combining soberness, transparency, great feeling, and superlative work from all the soloists, but especially English mezzo Carolyn Sampson. Rademann deploys a 32-voice...
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