Topic: 272) Bach B minor Mass
Dear Natalia, thank you again!
Recorded in London, November 1952 in Vienna and in November 1952 and July 1953 in London.
Elisabeth Schwartzkopf soprano
Marga Hoffgen contralto
Nicolai Gedda tenor
Heinz Rehfuss bass
This legendary recording of Bach’s B minor
Mass was made, most unusually, in two places
and with two orchestras. The Vienna
Philharmonic Orchestra was booked,
anonymously, to record the choruses with the
Choral Society of the Friends of Music,Vienna,
while the reduced forces of the Philharmonia,
with the section principals for instrumental
solo parts, accompanied the solos and duets
in London. Critical comment on this recording
when it first appeared in 1954 was virtually
unanimous. The Record Guide (Collins, 1955)
remarked “The principal qualities of Karajan’s
reading are lightness, absolute clarity of
sound and rhythmic buoyancy, all of them
qualities that many performances miss …
Karajan, and [the] engineers, allow us to hear
all the vocal and instrumental parts. Choral
and solo singing are delightful”.
(Naxos.com)
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Updated: Thursday, 27 September 2012 11:08 AM MEST
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