Janácek: Sacred Music

On this CD:

1. Mass (Msa glagolskaja) for soloists, double chorus, orchestra & organ ("Glagolitic Mass"), JW 3/9
Composed by Leos Janacek
Performed by Vladimir Dolezal, Jiri Sulzenko, Pavel Wallinger

2. Vecné Evangelium (The Eternal Gospel), cantata for soprano, tenor, chorus & orchestra, JW 3/8
Composed by Leos Janacek
Performed by Vladimir Dolezal, Jiri Sulzenko, Pavel Wallinger

Janácek: Sacred Music, Music, Jiri Sulzenko, Leos Janacek, Vladimir Dolezal, Pavel Wallinger, Cantata, Choral, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Orchestral & Symphonic, Romantic Mass

Kodaly: Missa Brevis; Laudes Organi / Janacek: Mass in E Flat
Average customer rating:

An interesting showcase

Kodaly: Missa Brevis; Laudes Organi / Janacek: Mass in E Flat
Leos Janacek , Zoltan Kodaly , James O'Donnell , Choir of Westminster Cathedral , and Andrew Reid
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Janácek, Leos | ( J ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Kodály, Zoltán | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00004R61P
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

Missa Brevis: Introitus
Missa Brevis: Kyrie
Missa Brevis: Gloria
Missa Brevis: Credo
Missa Brevis: Sanctus
Missa Brevis: Benedictus
Missa Brevis: Agnus Dei
Missa Brevis: Ite, missa est
Laudes Organi: Introduction
Laudes Organi: Audi chorum
Laudes Organi: Musice! milites
Laudes Organi: Gravis chorus
Laudes Organi: Nunc per voces
Laudes Organi: Tali modulo
Laudes Organi: Huius artis
Laudes Organi: Fiat amen
Mass In E Flat: Kyrie
Mass In E Flat: Credo
Mass In E Flat: Sanctus
Mass In E Flat: Agnus Dei

Amazon.com

To the average secular humanist, Zoltán Kodály's Missa Brevis can be a bewildering experience. It's an erratic expanse of music, ranging from deep-throated organ runs to angelic boys-choir arrangements--all over, one might say, God's green earth. The familiar "Gloria in excelsis Deo," sung solemnly by a solo male voice, blossoms instantly into full-bodied polyphony; the brief but elaborate organ works that bookend the mass proper threaten to smother its memory. Pairing Kodály with Leos Janácek makes more sense as concept album than as seamless listening experience. Both wrote church music in the early 20th century, but the differences between these works are more striking than are their similarities. Janácek's vocal settings are highly sophisticated, concerned less with the specific words of God than with their haunting spirit. He favors shifting vocal parts, in contrast with Kodály's formal rounds; when Janácek's voices do align, it's for stark dramatic effect. The choir is remarkable in its enunciation and ensemble, but the volume levels on this recording vary so widely as to unnecessarily complicate the selection of an appropriate listening level. Paul Wingfield's opinionated liner notes remind us that the Lord's work is fraught with human ego. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews:

An interesting showcase.......2000-07-06

This is the last recording made for Hyperion by Westminster Cathedral Choir under James O'Donnell. It is quite an interesting combination of works to say the least.

Most of the programme is given over to the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly. The opening "Missa Brevis" is a remarkable work - it has a fine sense of melody and a tonal language that is at times unpredictable but nonetheless bearable if you're used to Mozart or Haydn or Schubert. There are some really haunting moments here - the austere and lyrical opening of the "Kyrie" gives way to a passage for trebles and high organ accompaniment of the most radiant quality, including some unbelievably quiet top Cs! By contrast, such movements as the "Gloria" and "Credo" manage to be joyful but at the same time rather staid. As the work draws to a conclusion, the contemplative and ethereal mood returns. It is not hard to imagine this in liturgical performance.

The centre of the programme is taken up by an unusual cantata, "Laudes Organi," in which Kodaly sets an ancient Latin poem extolling the use of instruments (especially the organ) in worship, as well as offering praise for the makers of such instruments. The harmonic language of the Mass is also evident in this much more exuberant work, although for some reason I find myself taking it with a pinch of salt; it doesn't come across as convincingly as the Mass, although in its own right it is well-written.

The disc concludes with a very special 'new' work: the "Mass in E flat" by Leos Janacek. This has often been referred to as the "Unfinished Mass" and has been a topic of interest to musicologists and Janacek scholars for many years - it is known that he wrote it as a study model for his composition pupils who sought to write short mass settings, and that the work was a prototype for the celebrated "Glagolitic Mass." There have now been at least two attempts to reconstruct the original sketches of the "Unfinished Mass," and the version recorded here is the most recent, made by musicologist Paul Wingfield (who describes the process in an informative booklet note). This is an interesting glimpse at Janacek's style: he had no religious convictions whatsoever and it certainly shows in places (the lack of a "Gloria" and the formal, almost stiff construction of the "Agnus Dei" are obvious examples). Nonetheless, like the Kodaly, one can imagine parts of this being performed in liturgical offerings, and it appears that Westminster Cathedral Choir are the first to try it out in that way.

This is certainly an interesting showcase of the now-legendary musicianship at the Cathedral. The daunting expressionism of the Kodaly Mass is ably met by the boys, a testament to James O'Donnell's choir training abilities, and the balance of voices throughout the rest of the programme is admirable. What is particularly arresting about the programme, however, is the performance of the Cathedral's sub-organist Andrew Reid. Each of the three works includes substantial passages for organ: the Kodaly Mass begins and ends with movements for organ alone; "Laudes Organi" naturally takes an opportunity to milk the resources of the organ (and test the stamina of its player!) and the Janacek Mass calls for some remarkably flambuoyant playing, particularly in the "Sanctus." Because of this, I feel that the disc is more of a presentation of the Westminster Cathedral organ that of the choir - not that there's anything wrong with that...

Tracks:

Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass): I. Uvod (Introduction)
Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass): II. Gospodi pomiluj (Kyrie)
Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass): III. Slava (Gloria)
Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass): IV. Veruju (Credo)
Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass): V. Svet (Sanctus)
Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass): VI. Agnece Bozij (Agnus Dei)
Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass): VII. Allegro (organ solo)
Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass): VIII. Intrada
Psalm 83
Passover Psalm, Op.30

Amazon.com essential recording

Janácek's Glagolitic Mass straddles his various styles. There are the heavy, idiosyncratic treatment of rhythm and the fresh yet often complex treatment of melody--elements that can be found in the composer's popular instrumental works. But with its stunningly high tenor and soprano solo parts and its lush choral and orchestral scoring, this work also has the yearning and drama of such Janácek operas as Jenufa. It's a fascinating work, rendered powerfully here. The soloists Eva Urbanova, Marta Benackova, and, especially, Vladimir Bogachov, are outstanding. Along with the members of the Slovak Philharmonic Choir, they sing the Old Church Slavonic text with great interpretive clarity. The disc ends with Zemlinsky's Psalm 83, composed in 1900 and premiered in 1987, and Korngold's Passover Psalm op. 30, which was completed during the composer's Hollywood years, a commission from Rabbi Jacob Sonderling. --Gwendolyn Freed

Customer Reviews:

Light and reverent--a different Glagolitic Mass.......2005-11-03

This is famously an atheist's Mass. Janacek didn't believe in God, so he composed a stark, rugged, barbaric yawp, an outcry of primal, pre-Christian emotion. In keeping with this intent, most performances contain a lot of shrieking--the choral and solo parts are fiendishly hard to sing without shouting--but here Chaily has given us a reverent Mass (insofar as that can be done), one where the jagged edges are blended and smoothed.

The soprano and choir are especially light-voiced, although the tenor is quite thunderous, an odd anomaly. Chailly's tempos are occasionally slow, especially for the brass-dominated introitus. The Vienna Phil., needless to say, surpasses all other orchestras in this music for golden glow.

If you want a plush, beautifully blended performance, this is probably unique in the field. The sonics ae full-bodied but not terribly clear--you can't make out what the choir is singing most of the time (for the one listener in ten thousand who knows the language). The organ, which plays a prominent part, is splendidly voiced. There are many more echt-Czech readings on CD, but to my knowledge only one other that is even more civilized than Chailly's: a terrific live performance from Chicago under Pierre Boulez (available on a 2-CD set from the CSO website).

A definite must-have..........2003-11-27

Very original, full of stark contrasts and vibrant melodies, and not a single bungler in the cast! It's the sort of thing that will turn you into a Janacek fan. Amazon was even good enough to put some samples up, so listen to them.

Makerras or Chailly?.......2000-09-05

I just picked up Decca's new Glagolitic Mass with Chailly and the Vienna Philharmonic. It's been fun lately to compare it with what I thought would be *the* recording of this particular mass: the Makerras on Chandos with the Danish National Orchestra. Makerras gives us the "modern" Janacek--it's fast and lean and the composer's inimitable soundworld is displayed in stark relief. Chailly & Co. deliver a performance from right out of the Austrian countryside--the brass sound is burnished and warm, the Vienna strings are weighty and glowing, and the woodwinds are wonderfully pungent throughout. Chailly takes things a bit slower--allowing more of Janacek's delectable harmonic progressions to come through than Makerras does--though without any loss of forward momentum. I find Chailly's Introduction especially gratifying. As for the soloists, the new Chailly wins hands down. In the Gloria, Eva Urbanova floats the high Bbs on the word "Bogu" beautifully, while Tina Kiberg, (for Makerras), is noticeably strained. Vladimir Bogachov nails the stratospheric solos towards the end of the Credo--he's the best I've heard in this section. Thomas Trotter absolutely revels in Janacek's outrageously wicked and quirky organ solos--in fact, he seems more in tune with Makerras' unapologetically modern vision of the Mass than that of Chailly's bucolic take.

Percussion is not as pronounced in the Chailly, partially because Chailly uses the standard performing version, which simply employs less; and partially because of the recording: Decca's sound is more homogenous and resonant than the Chandos sound, which in this case is slightly harsh and brightly lit. Don't get me wrong though-- the Decca recording and performance provides plenty in the way of excitement and visceral impact. Usually Makerras is my unquestionable choice for Janacek, but this time around I think Chailly, London, and the Vienna Philharmonic have delivered a *great* performance.

Tracks:

Introduction
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
Organ Solo
Intrada
(Gloria) Gloria
(Gloria) Laudamus te
(Gloria) Domine Deus
(Gloria) Domine Fili unigenite
(Gloria) Domine Deus, Agnus Dei
(Gloria) Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris

Dvorak: Stabat Mater Op58; Janacek: Slavonic Mass

Average customer rating:

Dvorak: Stabat Mater Op58; Janacek: Slavonic Mass

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Stabat Mater, Op.58: Stabat mater dolorosa - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Stabat Mater, Op.58: Quis est homo, qui non fleret - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Stabat Mater, Op.58: Eja mater fons amoris - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Stabat Mater, Op.58: Fac, ut ardeat cor meum - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Stabat Mater, Op.58: Tui nati vulnerati - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Stabat Mater, Op.58: Fac me vere fecum flere - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor

Tracks:

Stabat Mater, Op.58: Virgo virginum praeelara - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Stabat Mater, Op.58: Fac, ut portem. Christi mortem - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Stabat Mater, Op.58: Inflammatus et accensus - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Stabat Mater, Op.58: Quando corpus morietur - Woytowicz/Soukupova/Zidec/Borg/Chor
Messe Glagolitique: Uvod (Introduction) - Lear/Haefliger/Rossel-Majdan/Crass/Janacek
Messe Glagolitique: Gospodi pomiluj (Kyrie) - Lear/Haefliger/Rossel-Majdan/Crass/Janacek
Messe Glagolitique: Slava (Gloria) - Lear/Haefliger/Rossel-Majdan/Crass/Janacek
Messe Glagolitique: Veruju (Credo) - Lear/Haefliger/Rossel-Majdan/Crass/Janacek
Messe Glagolitique: Svet (Sanctus) - Lear/Haefliger/Rossel-Majdan/Crass/Janacek
Messe Glagolitique: Agnece Bozij (Agnus Dei) - Lear/Haefliger/Rossel-Majdan/Crass/Janacek
Messe Glagolitique: Varhany solo (Orgue) - Lear/Haefliger/Rossel-Majdan/Crass/Janacek
Messe Glagolitique: Intrada - Lear/Haefliger/Rossel-Majdan/Crass/Janacek

Amazon.com

What in heaven's name is DG doing? They already have a superb Dvorák Stabat Mater by Rafael Kubelík, and it would have made a very logical coupling with his equally excellent Glagolitic Mass. Instead, they take this perfectly fine, but not as great version of the Stabat Mater and put Kubelík's on another twofer with the attractive but less relevant Dvorák Legends. You won't go wrong either way, but it's silly to have to choose. --David Hurwitz

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Around the World in 80 Minutes
Kenneth Jean , Libor Pesek , Martin Fischer-Dieskau , Peter Marchbank , Stephen Gunzenhauser , Wilfred Lehmann , and Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Marco Polo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000045SZ
Release Date: 1996-06-18

Tracks:

Nell Gwyn: England - Pastoral Dance
Document, Suite No. 3, Preludes Op.31: France - Document, Suite No. 3, Preludes Op.31
Sleeping Beauty: Germany - Prelude
The Magic Pot (Ballet): Italy - 'Dance Of The Tarter Archers'
Memories Of Childhood: Austria - Butterfly In The Meadow
Hungarian Childrens World: Hungary - The Little Gypsy
Suite, Op.3: The Czech Republic - Adagio
Stabat Mater, Op. 53: Poland - Christe, cum sit hinc exire
Symphony No.5 'Svastika': Denmark - Rest
Andante - Piano Trio No. 2 In A Minor Op.64: Norway - Andante - Piano Trio No. 2 In A Minor Op.64
Lithuania - Preludias Opus 12 No.1 , Lento From Five Preludes
Rusia - The Enchanted Lake, Op. 62 - Liadov
Traditional Chinese Pieces: China - Singing The Night Among The Fishing Boats
Symphony N. 4 In C Minor (Excerpt): Australia - Symphony N. 4 In C Minor (Excerpt) - Hill
Woodland Sketches, Op.51: America - To A Wild Rose
L'Enchantee: England - Dance Of The Nymphs And Satyrs

Average customer rating:

Janacek: Our Father; Vecne Evangelium

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000025YFF
Release Date: 1998-02-17

Average customer rating:

A strong collection of lesser-known works

Janacek: Our Father; Vecne Evangelium

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000353J
Release Date: 1998-02-17

Customer Reviews:

A strong collection of lesser-known works.......2003-12-31

This disc collects together recordings from the 1950s and 1960s of five cantatas written by Leos Janacek between 1896 and 1914. They range in scale from the brief, four-minute Lord have Mercy! to the twenty-two minutes of The Eternal Gospel.

The Eternal Gospel was based on a poem by Jaroslav Vrchlicky and, written as World War One was about to break out, was Janacek's message of peace. Scored for soprano and tenor solo, mixed chorus and orchestra, this work is one of the most striking of the composer's lesser-known pieces. Contrasting dramatic choral writing, visionary, lyrical solo lines for the vocal soloists, a solo violin part--which may remind some of the overture to From the House of the Dead--and a rustically joyous finale, this is a work that all Janacek lovers should know.

Our Father is a sixteen-minute cantata to a Biblical text for solo tenor, mixed chorus, harp and organ, written in 1901, though revised later. This alternates slow, lyrical duets for the harp and organ (music that does not sound remotely like the mature Janacek) with ecstatic writing for the vocalists (which very much does sound like the mature composer). It isn't as major a work as The Eternal Gospel, but it is still a fine piece of writing.

The remaining three cantatas are much shorter. Lord have Mercy! is a brief and rather anonymous setting of a Czech sacred chant, scored for soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, mixed chorus, organ, harp and brass. Elegy on the Death of My Daughter Olga, for solo tenor, mixed chorus and piano is musically related to the piano pieces On The Overgrown Path, and is a restrained, understandably subdued work. Cartak on the Solan, for male chorus and orchestra, alternates mysterious writing with frenzied outbursts that match the erotic mysticism of the text.

Tracks:

Glagolitic Mass: I. Intro - Eva Drizgova/Hana Stolfova-Bandova/Vladimir Dolezal/Jiri Sulzenko/Martin Jakubicek
Glagolitic Mass: II. Gospodi Pomiluj - Eva Drizgova/Hana Stolfova-Bandova/Vladimir Dolezal/Jiri Sulzenko/Martin Jakubicek
Glagolitic Mass: III. Slava - Eva Drizgova/Hana Stolfova-Bandova/Vladimir Dolezal/Jiri Sulzenko/Martin Jakubicek
Glagolitic Mass: IV. Veruju - Eva Drizgova/Hana Stolfova-Bandova/Vladimir Dolezal/Jiri Sulzenko/Martin Jakubicek
Glagolitic Mass: V. Svet - Eva Drizgova/Hana Stolfova-Bandova/Vladimir Dolezal/Jiri Sulzenko/Martin Jakubicek
Glagolitic Mass: VI. Agnece Bozij - Eva Drizgova/Hana Stolfova-Bandova/Vladimir Dolezal/Jiri Sulzenko/Martin Jakubicek
Glagolitic Mass: VII. Postludium - Martin Jakubicek
Glagolitic Mass: VIII. Intrada - Pavel Wallinger/Czech Phil Chor Of Brno/Petr Fiala
The Eternal Gospel: I. Con Moto (Attaca) - Pavel Wallinger/Czech Phil Chor Of Brno/Petr Fiala
The Eternal Gospel: II. Adagio (Attaca) - Pavel Wallinger/Czech Phil Chor Of Brno/Petr Fiala
The Eternal Gospel: III. Con Moto - Pavel Wallinger/Czech Phil Chor Of Brno/Petr Fiala
The Eternal Gospel: IV. Andante - Pavel Wallinger/Czech Phil Chor Of Brno/Petr Fiala

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