Bach: Mass in B minor [Original recording reissued]

There is considerable debate among Baroque scholars about whether or not Bach's choral works should be performed one voice per part (OVPP). Apparently, there is evidence that they were originally performed in this way, but I am not an expert so I will not pass any judgement on this.
This recording is OVPP, and, at least here, it seems to work brilliantly. It is easier to hear Bach's individual lines of counterpoint, which are often more difficult to follow than, say, Handel's. The sound is altogether more intimate, and yet the performers also seem able to rise to the grandeur of movements such as the Sanctus and the jubilation of the following Osanna in Excelsis. Nevertheless, it is in the quieter, more serene sections where this recording excels. Listen to the Et Incarnatus Est and the heart rending Crucifixus for wonderful examples. The Symbolum Nicenum section as a whole is, quite simply, perfect. It is hard to imagine the Credo In Unum Deum in particular sung any better. Overall, the small choir is excellent (especially the bass, although sometimes I found the tenor too restrained), as is the orchestra. Andrew Parrott is praiseworthy too, choosing very successful tempos and fully conveying the power of this amazing piece. I do have some criticisms- the orchestra occasionaly seems to overpower the modest choral group, and there is the slightly weak tenor whom I mentioned earlier. Nonetheless, these are only small criticisms, which occur rarely during the performance, and the tenor actually has a very beautiful voice (listen to him at the opening of the Credo, and in his Benedictus aria).
This recording will not be what everyone is looking for. If you want a more large scale, majestic performance, then Gardiner's recording may suit you better. However, this CD will disappoint few- if you are new to the work then Parrott will make an excellent guide, and if you already know it well then this will no doubt allow you to listen from a fresh angle, letting you feel like you are discovering one of Bach's greatest achievements all over again at a new level of authenticity. If you already own a more large scale recording, then this should sit alongside it perfectly, providing a delightful contrast. And really, who can resist this price? This is an innovative, full price performance at a super-budget sub-Naxos price. Outstanding.

In my lifetime the number of performers deemed necessary to perform Bach's major choral works has shrunk from a fairly mammoth scale to almost nothing. Now, while I accept the authenticists' arguments about contemporary performing practice, I am still left with a niggling feeling that the sheer scale and grandeur of Bach's inspiration and conception has been short-changed by the rigorous, somewhat puritanical application of these theories. I am not pleading for a return to the serried ranks of the Huddersfield Choral Society in their heyday - those sort of numbers certainly do muddy the waters of Bach's thrilling counterpoint. Nevertheless, at the back of my mind lies a strong suspicion that at the back of Bach's mind when he was writing these works lay a sound that was fuller and richer than we get from Andrew Parrott and the leanest of forces on these discs of the great B Minor Mass. (I admit I am a little less worried as it applies to the Passions which could be argued to benefit from a more intimate scale - though even there the choruses for the `turba' seem a little sparse for a crowd baying for blood as in the `Kreuzige, kreuzige' chorus from the John Passion.)

Certainly we know that contemporaries like Handel would pretty much take as many singers as they could get for any given performance of their choral works. Pragmatism like that applied to performances from the time of the Tudor and Renaissance church composers and were still necessary even for the supremely demanding Wagner who was frequently seeking to fill out the string sections of his orchestras with extra players. Did Bach really conceive the grand moments of the Mass - the Gratias agimus, the Credo, the Sanctus or the final Dona nobis pacem - with such a lean choral sound in mind, despite the added glories of trumpets and drums? Even quieter moments like the wonderful, mystical harmonies of the Et incarnatus or the heartbreaking, shifting harmonies of the Crucifixus with its amazing cadence and transition to the burst of joy of Et resurrexit seem a bit undernourished with such a small group of singers.

Having said that, the singers here are an impressive array of specialist performers, led by the likes of Emma Kirkby, Rogers Covey-Crump and David Thomas. I certainly have no quibble with the use of `authentic' singing techniques in Baroque music. The additional purity of intonation, the lack of Romantic appurtenances that they bring to a performance benefits this kind of music no end. And these are all - even the altos of the Tolzer Boys' Choir - top-notch interpreters of this music. I'm a little less happy about the direction of Andrew Parrott, though. In his efforts to remain true to a performing practice that eschewed modern over-interpretation, he ends up being a little four-square and plain-Jane. Certainly compared to John Eliot Gardiner's classic recording for Archiv. There, I think, you will find the best of period performance. The choir is large enough to give the necessary gravitas to the grander movements. And there is terrific lift and ebullience to Gardiner's rhythms in the faster movements (e.g. the Gloria, Cum Sancto Spiritu, Et expecto, etc.) It's not a matter of tempi - they are, for the most part, pretty similar in both performances - it's a more a question of (dare I say) spirit.

In summary, I would still choose Gardiner as the performance I return to most. However, at such a seriously low price, the Parrott is worth exploring if you want to hear for yourself the strictest period performance theories put into practice.

This recording was first choice in BBC Radio 3's 'Building a Library', and gets a maximum 3 star rating in the 'Penguin guide to compact discs'. The soloists are excellent and include the wonderful Emma Kirkby, who has a very natural warm voice. The tempi are generally brisk and lively throughout, making a welcome change from some other more ponderous recordings.