The Mass in B minor holds a very special place in J.S. Bach’s output: a work of grandeur, an opus ultimum, it was not composed as such but is the result of an assembly of pieces written at different times and for different circumstances. Bach worked on it during the years 1748-1749, until his eyesight, which had gradually deteriorated, was completely lost. The idea of bringing together pieces drawn essentially from the vast corpus of cantatas was not unusual; a similar approach was taken by several of his contemporaries, such as Handel, and Bach himself had done so for the short masses he composed in the late 1730s. These were called parodies. Moving from the German text of the cantatas to the Latin text of the masses meant adapting the vocal lines, with additions and deletions, polyphonic and harmonic enrichments, and changes in instrumentation. Throughout his life, Bach never ceased to revisit his works with a view to improving them.

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Bach's Mass in B minor, BWV 232, is unique among his works in that it evolved over a period of years, beginning with a Sanctus written in 1724, continuing through a Kyrie and Gloria of 1733 and the remainder of the movements written at the end of Bach's life, and extending even beyond that into not fully specified revisions made by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to the damaged manuscript. This new recording from a crack group of mostly German musicians and conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann is perhaps the first to incorporate the 1733 sections, using a new edition of the mass made by the Carus label and publishing company on which the recording appears. These are intriguing; Bach's impulse seems to have been to simplify the "Lombardic" rhythms in two of the sections of the Gloria. But really bigger news is the all-around excellent performance, combining soberness, transparency, great feeling, and superlative work from all the soloists, but especially English mezzo Carolyn Sampson. Rademann deploys a 32-voice choir, right in the sweet spot between heavy traditional choir performances and unacceptably minimal readings that assume the choirs Bach used were what he would have wanted if money were no object. It's matched by an orchestra of roughly the same size, and the result is a reading that's agile, rich when the text and music call for it, and precise in the delineation of Bach's lines. Rademann's tempi tend toward the quicker side in the joyous outer polyphonic movements, balanced by quiet intensity in the central text junctions. Sample the Incarnatus from the Credo, CD two, track four, for an example of how the superb Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart and Freiburg Baroque Orchestra respond to Rademann's leadership. The former group, much underrated, illustrates how Germany's high-quality regional choirs are making the transition to medium-sized historical performances that really fit their dimensions better than traditional performances usually did. In all, this is a historically informed performance that reflects the best German traditions. Carus' live sound from the Liederhalle in Stuttgart has great immediacy and hardly sacrifices any of the clarity that makes this such an impressive reading of the great B minor Mass. © TiVo

Without even mentioning the playing styles or instruments, this new version of the Mass in B is clearly a far cry from the grandiose austerity that prevailed in the 1960s and 70s. In fact, it’s almost directly opposed to the mental representation people had of Bach at the time. From the moment the RIAS-Kammerchor enters at the beginning of Kyrie, we’re encapsulated by their angelic, almost naïve tone, which tenderly reaches out to the listener. Not to mention the sheer adaptability of their voices in face of the lengthy, skilful melismas in the vocal score.  The feeling of elation shines through in this performance, recorded near Berlin in August 2021 for Harmonia Mundi. This new recording by René Jacobs follows on from an already established version in 1992 (reissued in 2006), with the same ensembles but with different soloists. The Belgian conductor has made three stark changes. Firstly, with regards to the chamber choir, he has omitted the soloists from the more archaic pieces of this work. Secondly, he retains the chamber choir but reduces its number for the “modern” pieces which require “gentle, moderate and amiable singing” according to the composer and theorist Michael Praetorius (1571-1621). Thirdly, in terms of the “external” soloists, they aren’t part of the choir and are assigned the virtuoso arias and duets, which they sing sporadically during the large choral pieces.  According to René Jacobs, this cast creates a homogenous whole which represents “the choir of believers, the image of humanity in all of its diversity”. In terms of instrumentals, the musicians of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin manage to avoid the pitfalls of a score which can be severely testing for soloists. A special mention goes to horn player Margherita Lulli—a name destined for baroque music! As a former countertenor, René Jacobs utilises a female voice (Dutch contralto Helena Rasker) in Agnus Dei, in line with historical practice. There are no trumpets or thundering timpani in these versions, which are entirely focused on worship and the joy of musical collaboration. © François Hudry/Qobuz

For his new recording of this monument to Bach, John Eliot Gardiner is limited to a light chamber orchestra (obviously the English Baroque Soloists, founded here 37 years ago by Gardiner!), a choir of reasonable size (the Monteverdi Choir, same remark...), and a meticulous - but above all, calm - conducting of the articulations, phrases and lines, almost like a kind of chamber opera. The tempos are rather upbeat, like baroque music back in its heyday - the perfect balance between respecting history and the quest for beauty of sound. Gardiner has nothing dogmatic - making this new recording a particularly welcome perspective among the ample discography(yet unsatisfactory) of this Mass en si. © SM / Qobuz

It would be hard to imagine a greater contrast between performances of Bach's B minor Mass than Otto Klemperer's 1967 recording featuring the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, and Sigiswald Kuijken's 2009 version with La Petite Band. Klemperer's recording features a star-studded cast of soloists and sounds as if it were carved from giant slabs of granite, while Kuijken is seated in the concertmaster's chair, leading a performance with one voice to a part. Musical fashions change, and this recording reflects research and an aesthetic attitude that the B minor Mass does not need to be backed by an army of vocalists and instrumentalists. As with his series of Bach cantatas, Kuijken eliminates nearly all doublings, instrumental and vocal, except for the first and second violins, of which there are two each. Although other conductors have taken similar approaches, most notably Joshua Rifkin in his pioneering 1981 recording, it could be argued that Kuijken has done it best. Aside from the effortless virtuosity of all the musicians, the qualities that most distinguish this performance are its inwardness and its spirituality. Technical mastery is a quality shared by all great recordings of the B minor Mass, but the inwardness and the intimacy of this performance make it unique. Each musician is alone on his or her part, as in chamber music, so each part is infused with individual personality. Under Kuijken's intense and assured leadership, the result is a recording that stands among the greatest ever made, including Klemperer's. Challenge Classics' super audio sound is richly detailed, amazingly clear, and evocative. © TiVo

Recorded in March 2009, this is a magical, mystical, and altogether magnificent performance of Bach's B minor Mass. Twenty years after their first appearance in Warsaw performing this work, Frans Brüggen and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century have returned to it, and the sense of occasion and affection is palpable. With sopranos Dorothee Mields and Johannette Zomer, alto Patrick van Goethem, tenor Jan Kobow, and bass Peter Kooij, and with the Cappella Amsterdam choir, Brüggen delivers a truly great B minor Mass. One could take his performance apart, pointing to his deft handling of the work's color, textural, emotional contrasts, and discussing his lines' clarity, his harmonies' lucidity, and his forms' balances. But as with any great art, Brüggen's B minor Mass is far more than the sum of its parts, and any technical discussions would fall far short of describing the performances' many and manifold glories. Suffice it to say that his account is both deeply human and highly spiritual, and anyone who loves the work should hear it. Recorded live in Warsaw's Lutoslawski Radio Studio, the digital sound is big, bold, direct, and very, very vivid. For some listeners, it may be too vivid, but others may find the immediacy bracing and exciting. © TiVo