Johann Sebastian Bach, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Robert Shaw, Sylvia McNair, Delores Ziegler, Marietta Simpson, John Aler, William Simpson, Thomas Paul - Bach: Mass in B minor / McNair, Ziegler, Simpson, Aler, Stone, Paul; Shaw

Robert Shaw's reading of the B Minor Mass is, in one sense at least, just what one would expect: sober and purposeful, beautifully shaped (Shaw is a master architect), it centers on the chorus. Like all of Shaw's choruses, the Atlanta group has that trademark richness of body and blend, and it sings with utter unanimity as though it were one great voice. Shaw opts for marginally broader tempos than those found in most period-instrument performances but is nowhere near as glacial as some interpreters. Yet oddly enough, the approach seems more idealized, and less passionate and expressive, than one might expect from a conductor famous for giving his singers adrenaline rushes. Proof again that one should expect the unexpected from Shaw, as well as the expected. It's part of his fascination. --Ted Libbey Amazon.com

Solid, but with presentation issues

Shaw's final recording of the Mass in B minor is a devotional, almost religious experience, despite being placed in a concert hall.

The performance here is very much cut from the same cloth as his earlier recording made in 1960 after touring all over the U.S. giving this huge piece in one-night stands. Tempi are broad and spacious, the sound rich and full. The soloists are all top rate. The music breathes in several passages wonderfully, especially the closing "Dona nobis pacem." The pathos of the "Et incarnatus" and "Crucifixus" is especially striking.

Shaw's interpretation falls into the traditional side of that tedious "HIP vs. Everything Else" debate, meaning his orchestra and chorus are quite large compared to more recent interpretations.

The complaint, here is this: look VERY CLOSELY at the track list. The Kyrie, Gloria, and Symbolum Nicenum are NOT subdivided into a track for each movement. That's not a detriment to the performance, but it does make the set difficult to work with when studying specific areas within the piece. The Symbolum Nicenum especially is so long, even a track division after, say, the "Et resurrexit" would be preferable to none at all. It's a shame that such a good performance is marred by Telarc's presentation.

Nonetheless, an all-around great reading (but don't miss some of the others, like Robert King or Karl-Friederich Beringer). May 23, 2008

Lush...Shaw does it again

If lush choral singing is what you're looking for, this is the recording for you. December 11, 2007

Not to detract from Zeidler but my History of Shaw is longer!

Whenever I chance to listening to the "Kyrie Eleison, Dona Nobis Pacem, Sanctus...SAHnctus...SAHNCTOOS!" I must admit they are so deeply entrenched into my bloody emotions...They move from deep in the Pit of my Stomach, to my heart, back to my Spinal-column, finally into my wee bits of Cerebreal Memory! Since 1970's, I first began to listen to Shaw's glorious 33 1/3 RCA Recording: It either sent cold chills or warm thoughts start me to singing or meditating!

Finally in mid-1970's in Westminister Choir College, we began to rehearse in the Cavernous Temple University Cathedral with its' reverb of 35-40 seconds! Alongside those awesome soloists from NYC, adding to the Orchestra from NY Philarmonic, we thoroughly enjoyed heading: Tommy Pyle, Ara Bebarian, Florence Kopplev, and tenor Seth McCoy! Whenever we took a break I had chances to chat with Tom Pyle or Seth McCoy. They gave great Respect, Love and Admiration for Sir Robert. I finally began to understand him as both a kind person and tremendously gifted-human Being...The Only one of his kind!

When we first recorded, "The Christmas Nativity" in the Atlanta Symphony Chorus, I often caught a glimpse of tears trickling down his expressive face, near the ending of Dona Nobis Pacem! He both gave all of himself and asked his singers to do as much from themselves! With fond memories, retired Chaplain Fred W Hood July 13, 2005

Interesting but not quite great

This recording is interesting in that Robert Shaw took a one-voice-to-a-section balance for some of the choruses rather than using massed forces throughout. I like the effect, but am ready to admit that it's not quite kosher. In addition, all of his soloists are excellent except for bass Thomas Paul, a longtime NYC veteran of the Bach-Mozart circuit, who just was not in good voice here. The problem is that, even more so than Sir Georg Solti, Shaw makes "the crooked straight and the rough places plain," sacrificing the exciting edginess of Bach's counterpoint in favor of more homogenous textures. As the performance went on, I found myself more and more engaged by the soloists and less and less by the chorus....not a good thing in a work that is about 80% choral!

Of the existing versions, John Eliot Gardiner's is probably the best, but if you seek out the old Peter Schreier recording on Philips you will be rewarded by a performance whose rhythmic and textual riches will delight you again and again. If you want a somewhat smoother Mass, the Solti recording has more enlivened orchestral and choral playing, though it borders on the over-reverent in tone and Bel Canto in style. March 2, 2004

Indescribably Beautiful and Ingenious

This remains the best recording of the B minor mass that I have ever heard. Each and every phrase soars to new levels. This recording, and of course, this mass, uplift the listener spiritually and intellectually. I own two other recordings of this mass, another by Robert Shaw with his own chorale and another with Herbert von Karajan. This second Robert Shaw recording, although wonderful, remains inferior to this Atlanta recording. I especially love the Credo, which very accurately portrays the trinity in its canonical form along with the unity of the father and the son with the "Et in unum Dominum, Jesum Christum." No recording more convincingly captures the reader's emotions and intellect in a spiritual ecstasy than this Robert Shaw Recording. Enjoy! April 27, 2002

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