Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Magnificat in D BWV243 [26:51]; Missa Brevis in A BWV234 [28:68]; Missa Brevis
in F BWV233 [24:59]; Missa Brevis in G minor BWV235 [25:30]; Missa Brevis
in G BWV236 [25:47]
Barbara Bonney (soprano); Brigit Remmert (mezzo); Rainer Trost (tenor); Olaf
Bär (baritone)
RIAS Kemmerchor
Kammerorchester Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach/Peter Schreier
rec. November 1993, Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin
no texts or translations included
NEWTON CLASSICS 8802057 [55:59 + 77:02] 
Whilst the Magnificat is justly well known and often performed or recorded,
the five Missae Breves crop up much less frequently. This is curious
given the very attractive and varied music they contain. Perhaps one problem
for some listeners may be that although they were written some time in the
late 1730s they are all based on music originally written for Cantatas written
over ten years earlier. However it is hard to see this as a serious objection
when the music has been so thoroughly rewritten and when the final results
are so good. Indeed it is possible to argue that they are more satisfying
when heard in non-liturgical performance than are the Cantatas, which can
be somewhat unbalanced in their structure when heard simply as a series of
pieces out of their original context. The Masses in contrast consist of settings
of the Kyrie and Gloria only – that is what makes them short
(brevis) – and each is in six sections, the first being the Kyrie
and the remainder the Gloria. The latter always consist of two large-scale
choral movements separated by three arias or duets for the soloists. Overall
they are very satisfying to the listener, especially given the variety of
scoring and musical character that each Mass contains.
Given the ever-increasing number of recordings of the Cantatas appearing,
many boasting an impressive use of historical instruments and understanding
of the latest Bach scholarship, it is interesting to go back to performances
that are not twenty years old but which appear to belong to a much earlier
age in terms of their approach and sound. The recording does not sound its
age in general, but the forces employed – apparently modern instruments -
and the general manner of performance reminded me strongly of the work of
Karl Richter in the 1950s and 1960s and even at times of Karajan’s B minor
Mass of the early 1950s or of the Swingle Singers. This is not necessarily
a criticism although it did take a little time to get used to it. There can
be no doubt as to the technical expertise of all involved. The kind of heavy
vibrato-laden singing and dubious tuning that used to be heard in Bach
in the 1950s and even later is not found here, and there is a general lightness
of approach. My concern, however, is with a sense of anonymity for much of
the time; a lack of real engagement with the character of individual movements.
Also the very light singing style in the choruses can reduce the impact of
the music. It is interesting to note that the Magnificat goes much
better than the Masses, and I suspect that its greater familiarity to the
performers has helped greatly with this. Nonetheless overall I enjoyed these
performances, and with soloists of the distinction of those here it would
be hard not to. The set forms a handy package from which to get to know the
music, all of superb quality but I suspect that its merits would be even more
obvious in more committed performances, preferably in groups using only one
per part and with a more historically informed approach.
John Sheppard
A handy package from which to get to know the music, all of superb quality.