Bach: Mass in B Minor / Fasolis et al.

Bach: Mass in B Minor / Fasolis et al.

On this CD:

1. Mass in B minor, BWV 232
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca with Gloria Banditelli, Lynne Dawson, Roberta Invernizzi, Klaus Mertens, Christoph Pregardien
Conducted by Diego Fasolis

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
You wouldn't think of Lugano, Switzerland, as a hotbed of the early-music revival, but conductor Diego Fasolis has been doing some fascinating things there with his Italian Swiss Radio Chorus. Their performances of Palestrina, Carissimi, and Bach (the Magnificat) on the midprice label Arts Music have demonstrated not only skill and musicality but a willingness to make innovative, even unorthodox choices. Here Fasolis and his chorus, with five bona-fide Baroque stars as soloists and the excellent Italian period-instrument orchestra I Sonatori della Gioiosa Marca, turn their attention to Bach's B Minor Mass. At first the results are underwhelming: all three movements of the Kyrie seem somewhat uninvolved. But once the musicians reach the more extroverted and dramatic music of the Gloria, things really pick up. Fasolis isn't afraid of extreme tempos or dramatic gestures: for example, in the opening of the Crucifixus, where most Baroque orchestras play the opening chords solemnly and reverently, Fasolis hammers them like so many nails into a cross. The chorus and orchestra handle everything Fasolis tosses at them with aplomb; the soloists are excellent, with notably sweet singing by tenor Christoph Prégardien and bass Klaus Mertens and a gripping Agnus Dei by contralto Gloria Banditelli. This is a recording of a live performance-radio broadcast, so one can hear the occasional blemish, but there's more than enough excitement to make up for that. This record may not be as extraordinary as Philippe Herreweghe's full-price account, but it's far and away the best budget version--at the price, it's worth adding to any serious Baroque collection. --Matthew Westphal

Bach: Mass in B Minor / Fasolis et al., Music, J.S. Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, Diego Fasolis, Lynne Dawson, Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca, Roberta Invernizzi, Christoph Pregardien, Diego Fasolis, Roberta Invernizzi, Lynne Dawson, Gloria Banditelli, Christoph Pregardien, Klaus Mertens, Italian Swiss Radio Chorus, Choral, Classical, Classical Music, Classical Vocals, Mass

Bach: Mass in B Minor / Fasolis et al.

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