I’ve been sitting on these recordings for quite a while
now, unsure quite how to justify the praise I was ready to
heap upon Ton Koopman’s recording
of the Bachian Latin Masses. I acquainted myself with the scores, a little with
their history, and finally with alternative recordings that I had not heard or
not heard in a while. These works go by several names: Missae Breves, Lutheran
Masses, or, as here on Ton Koopman’s two-CD set, lumped together under
the category “Latin Church Music”. They have not enjoyed as much
attention as the Cantatas or the B-minor Mass because they are almost entirely
parodies of other Bach works. Unjustly so for they are, if anything, further
refinements of existing masterpieces. A “Best of Bach” compilation
by the master himself, if you will.
We know four of six parts from the Mass in F (BWV 233) from Cantatas BWV 102
and BWV 40. The other two are probably from one or more lost cantatas, rather
than being original-but are de facto original to our ears. All six parts
of the Masses in A (BWV 234), g (BWV 235) and G (BWV 236) occur elsewhere, namely
in the Cantatas BWV 67, 72, 79 (twice), 102, 136, 138, 179 (also twice), and
187. Koopman also throws in the chorus from the Sanctus of BWV 232 III (from
what would later become the Mass in B-minor, the Gloria BWV 191, and the Magnificat
BWV 243.
Like the Missa (BWV
232a), the short masses are, well, cut short. Short masses in the Lutheran context
means just going for the Kyrie and Gloria, skipping the Credo, Sanctus/Benedictus,
and Agnus Dei. In the Catholic setting it usually just means skipping the Credo
which, even where it is composed, is rarely performed as part of the service;
being, instead, replaced by a Gregorian chant. The four short masses are different
from the job-application “Missa” in that they are of more modest
size, comparable to the cantatas, not the passions. Christoph Wolff, in the abbreviated
liner-notes (no texts) that made it from volume 22 of his complete cycle into
this convenient extraction, points out that the masses gave Bach “the opportunity
to broaden his audience by including the Catholic court. But perhaps most importantly
it let him extract from his large cantata repertoire some exemplary movements
that, placed in a new context, would showcase his art of composition in a different,
indeed enhanced way.”
The more widely recorded and performed Magnificat was Bach’s first
large-scale work after his move from Köthen to Leipzig (1723), written for
the Marian Feast and later revised to modernize the scoring. The Sanctus (1724)
predates even the Missa (1733) and is the oldest part of what would be the Mass
in B-minor. And the Gloria, written between 1743 and 1746, was intended
for a Christmas Day performance, the exact circumstances of which are not yet
known. Wolff suggests the peace treaty between Saxony and Prussia on that day
in 1745. In it, Bach leans on the Missa for three movements. They are all performed
as well as the short masses - and those are top drawer.
The performances kindled an instant love with these works and comparison to two
of my favorite Bach conductors-Philippe Herreweghe (Virgin) and Konrad Junghänel
(Harmonia
Mundi) confirmed their excellence. I might not prefer Jörg Dürmüller
over Christoph Prégardien (Herreweghe) in the G-major Mass, but Koopman’s
other soloists (Deborah York, Johannette Zomer, Bogna Bartosz, Klause Mertens)
leave nothing to be desired and his choir excels at all times. I also prefer
Koopman’s usually swifter tempos compared to both, Herreweghe and Junghänel.
And I prefer - marginally - the sound of the Challenge Classics recording - direct,
but with a glow - over the slightly recessed resonance with Herreweghe and the
Harmonia Mundi sound - also direct, but minus the glow. One should not forget
the marvelous Purcell Quartet’s
recording (Chandos);
one of their earlier forays into Bach and at the time still radical for being
One-Voice-per-Part. But even if I could somehow replace counter-tenor Robin Blaze
with alto Bogna Bartosz, Koopman would remain my favorite account of these splendid
works.
Brian Wilson’s MusicWeb International review accorded the set the designation
of “Recording of the Month” with which I whole-heartedly concur.
Jens F. Laurson
see also review by Brian
Wilson (June 2008 Recording
of the Month)
Johannette Zomer; Lisa Larsson;
Deborah York; Caroline Stam; Elisabeth von Magnus (soprano); Bogna Bartosz (alto);
Jörg Dürmüller; Paul Agnew; Gerd
Türk (tenor); Klaus Mertens (bass) 
