Mozart's "Great Mass" in C minor, K. 427, has traditionally been given lush performances that follow from its nickname, presumably attached during the Romantic era. This fragmentary work juxtaposes expansive, operatic arias with one of the first large-scale results of the experimentation with Baroque-style counterpoint that occupied Mozart during the last decade of his life. (Handel's Messiah is even quoted at one point.) Throw in a trio of trombones, and nothing more was needed to persuade conductors to deploy large ...
Read More
Mozart's "Great Mass" in C minor, K. 427, has traditionally been given lush performances that follow from its nickname, presumably attached during the Romantic era. This fragmentary work juxtaposes expansive, operatic arias with one of the first large-scale results of the experimentation with Baroque-style counterpoint that occupied Mozart during the last decade of his life. (Handel's Messiah is even quoted at one point.) Throw in a trio of trombones, and nothing more was needed to persuade conductors to deploy large orchestras and choirs in grandiose performances. This French original-instruments recording by conductor Emmanuel Krivine and his orchestra La Chambre Philharmonique attempts to return to an ensemble Mozart might have recognized, with a choir of perhaps 35 singers. On this smaller frame he builds an interpretation that makes persuasive sense.This is an unusual C minor mass in several respects, but it quickly draws the listener in. Tempos are unorthodox: the big contrapunal sections are...
Read Less