Bach Mass in B minor

Bach Mass in B minor concert. In 2017 Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Dresdner Kammerchor at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig as part of the Bachfest Leipzig. Soloists are Christina Landshamer (soprano), Elisabeth Kulman (alto), Wolfram Lattke (tenor), and Luca Pisaroni (bass). Directed for TV by Ute Feudel; produced by Paul Smaczny. Sung in Latin. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Peter Quantrill gives this this lukewarm treatment at page 65 of the February 2018 Gramophone for having “solid virtues but intermittent insights.” Quantrill prefers the Mass in B minor in EuroArts 205 9234, also with Blomstedt leading the Gewandhausorchester. Here’s an official clip for this title:

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Feb 25. We have just completed one of our most ambitious reviews: Einstein on the Beach opera, the surreal 4 and 1/2 hour cult legend. Kudos, encomiums, and accolades to Opus Arte for giving us this authoritative and weirdly fascinating recording, which we grade A+. Absorbing and learning Einstein is uniquely challenging. We try to help out by providing aids not included in the keepcase materials: an accurate libretto and a list of segments in the opera with correct Opus Arte time stamps. Good luck!

We have some other good grades with an A for the recent Met The Pearl Fishers (Les pêcheurs de perles) and a B- for an earlier The Pearl Fishers from Naples. Also, we recently gave an A- for the new Don Quixote from the Vienna State Ballet.