Missae Breves : Konrad Junghanel, Cantus Colln

Bach : Missae Breves
Cantus Colln
Konrad Junghanel

ClassicsToday : David Vernier

Most modern discussions of Bach's so-called Lutheran Masses bemoan the fact that scholars and Bach authorities have dismissed their intrinsic musical value because they are predominantly parodies-reworkings of existing music, in this case, movements from 10 different cantatas. Never mind that the "existing music" is all by Bach, and that Bach didn't just insert new texts or change instrumentation, but he actually created virtually new works that stand firmly on their own. And what kind of bizarre thinking determines that a composer using his own existing music in a completely different context somehow makes the new setting inferior to the original? All you have to do is listen - especially to the ravishing choruses in the G major and G minor masses--and you can only wonder how to attach the label of "lesser Bach" to this.

As for recordings, this new release from Cantus Colln containing the four complete extant masses has it all: terrific sound, smart tempos, clear articulation, artful ensemble, and vibrant, energetic performances. Konrad Junghanel's chorus - two on a part - strikes a nice balance between Herreweghe's 18 voices (Virgin) and the one-to-a-part rendition on Chandos. The soloists - very important in these works - are all very good, and the orchestra enlivens every aspect of the performances, especially notable for the contributions of winds and horns. No matter how you look at it, this is first-rate Bach, and first-rate music that never should be relegated to adjunct status, and these excellent performances are proof enough.

BBC Music Choice:

Wollny describes the opening Kyrie of Bach's A major Missa brevis as being unusually lightweight for Bach. Do I detect a hint of disapproval of a Bach embracing a modern style as opposed to an older one, more firmly anchored to counterpoint? Be that as it may, the music in question has always struck my ears as one of the most sublime movements to be found among the Missae breves, so called because they contain only the Kyrie and Gloria sections of the Mass.

Bach's intention in compiling these four Masses included in Cantus Colln's recording has remained to some extent obscure. Two of them, the A major and the G major, have survived in Bach's autograph and seem to date from 1738; the other two perhaps belong to the same period or a little earlier. The greater part of the music was drawn by Bach from his vast store of sacred cantatas, offering us an insight to pieces which he himself rated highly. Some are parodies, others reveal more elaborate re-working. Wollny remarks that because of the re-workings the Masses were long considered to be second-rate music, citing the small number of recordings as evidence. But there have been many recordings over the past four decades and I can think of at least eight.

Konrad Junghanel and his musicians incline towards small forces with only two voices for each of the four vocal strands and a commensurately lean string ensemble. The resulting translucency and butterfly-light articulation are unmatched by any competing version, though Philippe Herreweghe's excellent account of the same music for Virgin, albeit with larger forces, loses little or none of its charm beside the newcomer. Choosing between the two may depend on whether or not you consider that more is less, or a predilection for the one- or, in this case, two-to-a-part principle. To my mind, both versions qualify for benchmark status. Any others that may be around do not.

audaud.com : Steven Ritter, October 17, 2007 - Rate : *****

Listen carefully to these fairly late works by Bach (he was around 53 when they were composed); what you hear you have heard before, if you are a fan of the cantatas at all, especially BWV 79, 102, 179, and 187. Was this a case of recycling for its own sake, or, as ever, was the old master resorting to that eminent practicality that played such a strong role in his publication decisions his whole life? We can't be too sure. Most of his gigantic and well-performed choral works were behind him at this point, and it may strike us as a tad odd that he would create these missae "short" masses at this juncture in his life.

What we know for sure is that Bach, freshly released from the burden of his massive cantata output, began rehashing much of the music into other forms. Perhaps he was anticipating the demise of some of the old forms—his own children no doubt kept reminding him of the need to "update", something he steadfastly refused, but his overriding concern was that his music survive, and he was perfectly willing to take any measures need to ensure that happened. These pieces all have a similar formal structure, with the "Kyrie" a choral movement often in multiple sections, and the "Gloria" consisting of solo and smaller movements book ended by larger choral movements. In other words, this is not the Mass of catholic proportions but of Lutheran sensibilities and it would be welcomed in any Lutheran church at the time, and indeed, was still being performed as late as the year before Bach's death.

Bach was very consistent in his use of the material, sometimes leaving the borrowed music virtually untouched, other times maintaining a structure in the new texts that paralleled that used in the original sources. And perhaps because of this massive borrowing, we don't see many recordings of these works currently available. Michael Corboz had a go at them, as he has at so much else, but only the first two are currently available on the Teldec label. Thomas Folan and his Rochester-based Publick Musick ensemble released these last year on Musica Omnia with a 20-voice chorus and 20-instrument orchestra that has gotten some very fine reviews, and since I have not heard it I cannot make a this-or-that recommendation, except to say that this ensemble has only eight singers (who double in solo roles) and 25 total orchestral members, not always playing at once. So it comes down to choral considerations, and how large and loud you like 'em.

But this group is full and rich, producing a warm and completely satisfying sound so that I have a lot of trouble imagining its better. These are period instruments too, and they play with a soft, beautifully-sculpted sound that rests in the glowing acoustic HM has provided them. Tough choice, seeing how the Folan recording is fully one-half the price of these new discs. I doubt you can go wrong with the Folan recording, but I know you won't go wrong with this one.

Editorial Reviews : James Leonard - All Music Guide

Since the additional movements of the Roman Catholic Mass (Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Credo) that appear in his "B minor Mass" were excluded, Bach's four missa breves (short masses) are essentially two-movement Lutheran works. Naturally, Bach being Bach, he subdivided the expansive Gloria into five shorter movements; set the texts as arias, duets, and choruses; and used an orchestra ensemble including strings, flutes, oboes, trumpets, and organ as a powerful and colorful accompaniment. But at the heart of all four works is the austere faith of Martin Luther, and the German reformer's strength, severity, and occasional sentimentality is at the spiritual core of Bach's sacred music. Superbly sung here by the eight-voice Cantus Colln led by Konrad Junghanel, Bach's missa breves are heartfelt and sincere, with yearning intensity in both the solos and the choruses. Accompanied with a deft sense of style, and splendidly recorded by Harmonia Mundi in early 2006 in L'eglise St. Osdag in Neustadt-Mandelsloh, the Junghanel and Cantus Colln's recording of the missae breves will warm a lot of hearts.

More info about Cantus Colln and Konrad Junghanel : Here

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