Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Kyrie. Kyrie eleison
2. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Kyrie. Christe eleison
3. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Kyrie. Kyrie eleison
4. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Gloria in excelsis
5. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Et in terra pax
6. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Laudamus te
7. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Gratias agimus tibi
8. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Domine Deus
9. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Qui tollis peccata mundi
10. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Qui sedes ad dextram patris
11. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Quoniam tu solus sanctus
12. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Cum Sancto Spiritu

Disc 2:

1. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Credo in unum Deum
2. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Patrem omnipotentem
3. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Et in unum Dominum
4. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Et incarnatus est
5. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Crucifixus
6. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Et resurrexit
7. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Et in spiritum sanctum Dominum
8. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Confiteor
9. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Credo. Et expecto
10. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Sanctus. Sanctus
11. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Sanctus. Osanna
12. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Sanctus. Benedictus
13. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Sanctus. Osanna
14. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Agnus Dei. Agnus Dei
15. Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1): Gloria. Dona nobis pacem

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #156555 in Music
• Released on: 2009-03-31
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .42 pounds

Album Description
Marc Minkowski's first recording of Bach! Bach's Mass in B minor is one of the most famous masterpieces of sacred music of all time, and this recording presents the B-minor Mass in its "original" version, i.e. with a vocal ensemble of 10 soloists. The CD-book features a limited edition format of 2 CDs + 100-page booklet on laid paper.

Philly.com, David Patrick Stearns, March 15, 2009
So much wonderful Bach is on CD these days, these excellent recordings lack a top recommendation if only because of the ample competition. Dip into most any three minutes of the Brandenburg recordings and your jaw might drop at the virtuosity. But the Swiss Baroque Soloists on Naxos or Concerto Italiano on Naive produce a similar reaction and then some. The new Richard Egarr recording has the considerable advantage of SACD sound, though Egarr's own harpsichord isn't as well recorded as on his recent, excellent recording of the Well-Tempered Clavier Book I.

Because Marc Minkowski has been such an important figure on the early-music front for so long, one can't help approach his recording with particular anticipation. It doesn't trump the best of the others (Bach Collegium Japan on Bis), but occupies its own niche. Minkowski is interested in the piece's architectural attributes, which he apprehends with vocally pure, often minimally inflected performances from 10 soloists instead of a conventional choir. But when emotion is clearly called for, he delivers it with minimum restraint. Also, his soloists are often singers you'd want to hear under most circumstances.

Contralto Nathalie Stutzmann's "Agnus Dei" is one of the most emotionally riveting versions ever recorded.

Cleveland Plain Dealer, Zachary Lewis, March 27, 2009
The term "authentic" doesn't quite encompass this performance. Beyond the small orchestra and tiny band of singers typical of most historically informed groups, Minkowski often treats Bach's choral masterpiece as if it were another Brandenburg Concerto. That is to say, fast and light. Solos benefit from warm instrumental playing, a slightly more relaxed pace and savory, vibrato-free vocalism. But in choral sections, textual and dramatic details often fall by the wayside in the name of spirit