Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, John Eliot Gardiner, Sylvia McNair, Diana Montague, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Cornelius Hauptmann, The English Baroque Soloists, The Monteverdi Choir - Mozart: Great Mass in C minor /McNair * Montague * Rolfe Johnson * Hauptmann * English Baroque Soloists * Gardiner

John Eliot Gardiner conducts Mozart's Great Mass with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists. Or rather, what exists of the work: Mozart had imagined a work so ambitious it could never have been completed. What we do have--thanks partly to reconstruction by the conductor of this recording--is one of Mozart's most idiosyncratic works, rich in contrasts between the past (Bach and Handel) and the present (modern Italian composition). A wonderful disc. --Joshua Cody Amazon.com

Like this very much!

Mozart's Great Mass in C minor is top of his all masses composition, and hearing this CD, you'll understand why. A part of the piece itself is beautiful, the singers, choirs, and orchestra in this interpretation showed a deep understanding of the music. Drastic crescendo from pp to ff in the finale of the Sanctus is one of the best part that I like the most, and though sounds very romantic, it showed the maturity of this work.
Jesu Christe (from the Gloria) is also a small, short piece but with deep and grandeur emotions...
Must have! September 17, 2008

a fine recording, but nothing compares to LEPPARD/COTRUBAS/KANAWA

One cannot deny this works beauty , but it cannot stand the test of time as displayed by the early 80's recording by LEPPARD/COTRUBAS/KANAWA emi.
Et incarnatus est, in the above recording is angelic, and I for one have not heard it bettered till this day!!! July 9, 2008

a voice teacher and early music fan

A TRULY GIFTED GARDINER PRODUCES MOZART MAGIC!!!!

This 'Great' Mass in C minor, which was left unfinished by Mozart, was recorded in London in 1986, for the first time on period instruments. Gardiner based his rendition on the Alois Schmitt reconstruction of 1901, with a few correction he, himself, made.
Under Gardiner's capable leadership this music comes alive with marvelous, and at times surprising changes. The wide peramiter of dynamics and tempi is wonderful to hear and causes the listener to pay close attention lest he miss something wonderful!!!
To say that the Monteverdi Choir is good is a gross understatment; they are extraordinary in their sensitivity to the music; their tone quality is bouyant; their diction is precise and they sing with a vitality that is sometimes missing in many choral groups.
The soloists handle the music quite well, but I personally did not feel that Sylvia McNair was 'into' the music that profoundly; this had to be early in her career, so perhaps that is a factor. Diana Montague, who is more mezzo, was much more dramatic in her rendition. Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor) performed in his usual superior manner, as did Conelius Hauptmann, bass.
It is indeed ironic that Mozart, after completing 14 Masses, left unfinished what proved to be incomparably his greatest liturgical works, the C minor Mass and the Requiem! July 1, 2007

Tasteful & sensitive performance

This rendition of Mozart's Mass in c is warm and sensitive. It is an
appropriate classical performance with a nice balance between the singers and
the instruments. The tempos are good and the overall pitch is excellent.
I especially like the "Et Incarnatus Est" movement. After
several listenings I found it became part of my blood stream. I highly
recommend this recording. February 22, 2007

Among the Finest of the Available Recordings

Mozart's MASS IN C MINOR K 427 can be a mixed bag if not under the hands of the right conductor. The work itself is spotty with elements of radiant, exalting beauty along side some (pardon the thought) filler: Mozart himself was aware of this, as the work is unfinished. In the minds of the great conductors the work can sound cohesive and resplendent: at a recent concert with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the LA Phil and the LA Master Chorale, with a bevy of young, mostly Scandinavian soloists who are bound to become well known, the whole seem greater than its parts and it truly soared through the spaces of Disney Hall.

John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir in this wholly satisfying performance, rich in nuance and delicate in attention to the abrupt changes in dynamics that Mozart elected to write. The overall sound of the orchestra and chorus is elegant if not exalting. The recording is particularly blessed with the soloists chosen: Sylvia McNair makes her role in the 'Kyrie' and especially in 'Et incarnatus est' not only beautifully sung but with a spiritual essence that allows her soaring soprano to feel other-worldly; Diana Montague tackles the excruciatingly difficult 'Laudamus te' as though it were the simplest tune on record; Anthony Rolfe Johnson's tenor matches McNair and Montague in fine form; and Cornelius Hauptmann does what he can with the negligible bass role.

There are several fine recordings of this work but for overall effect it is difficult to match the beauty of Gardiner's devotion to the score. Grady Harp, October 06 October 7, 2006

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