Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Jeremy Siepmann, in his excellent audio biography of Bach, states that music comes no greater than Bach's two 'Passions' and this Mass. This reviewer is not going to disagree. It is a paradox that this, one of the finest settings of the complete Roman Catholic Mass, was written by a devout Lutheran. In it Bach fuses Italian melodic invention, French rhythmic dance forms and German contrapuntal mastery to produce a joyous affirmation of his faith. All lovers of classical choral music need a copy of this and in deciding which to buy we are spoilt for choice. This is a brand new recording by an almost exclusively German array of forces conducted by Helmut Müller-Brühl, director of the Naxos Bach Orchestral Edition. Whether this is the best version available is a matter of personal taste but, for this listener, it is certainly an enjoyable performance. That it is the best value recording is unquestionable given the generous price tag of under 10 pounds. It is worth much more.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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