Bach: Mass in B Minor BWV 232 - Leonhardt, La Petite Bande

Johann Sebastian Bach

Mass in B Minor BWV 232

La Petite Bande, Gustav Leonhardt

Simply the most perfect vision and interpretation of this masterpiece of Bach...Anything else to say is completely useless...I listen this recording in complete silence and admiration. Perfect!

This recording of Bach's monumental Mass in B minor by the Netherlands Bach Society Collegium under the direction of Leonhardt is, in my estimation, one of the best available today. Although I've spent years pouring over Gardiner's critically acclaimed 1980's recording of the mass (which is also silky smooth and technically perfect), Leonhardts' strikes similar chords, with outstanding performances and excellent recording techniques which lead to, similar to Gardiners', a superb rendition of the Mass.

You might be aware that Bach's Mass in B minor was the result of a longtime effort of many years, culminating in the period immediately before his passing. The great composer selectively borrowed various pieces from his earlier cantatas and other works (much like Handel routinely did with his own works), and then reworked the pieces to integrate them into this grand project. Bach additionally wrote some new sections for the Mass to meet his requirements for this work. The eventual result was a work that is not only a superb piece of musical craftsmanship, but one that is now routinely referred to as the pinnacle of western music. That acclamation may indeed be true.

Getting introduced to the Mass can take some time. The work is well over two and a half hours long, and the drama and pathos throughout it can make one feel that you have just run through a marathon. But one never wishes to end that marathon. This is music sublime, beautiful, entrancing, spiritual, emotional. The work is bigger than us, yet simultaneously intimately personal. There are moments of introspection, and moments of pronounced joy. The music is hauntingly beautiful, yet each movement is for a purpose beyond just beauty: the movements, and the work as a whole, are designed to make us meditate on the greater story Bach is telling. And Bach truly succeedes in his effort.

The Mass is best enjoyed with excellent performers and a good recording. That is difficult to achieve because of the size and complexity of the work. Gardiner's 1980's recording with The English Consort certainly fits the bill, but this recording by Leonhardt and The Netherlands Bach Society Collegium is also right up there are the top, and is an easy recording to recommend. The recording itself is rich and full, with excellent frequency response all the way down to the lowest notes, and with little or no distortion or noise. Why can't every recording of superb performers be so good?

Five stars for performance, five stars for recording