Janacek: Glagolitic Mass - Sinfonietta Warsaw Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra; Antoni Wit

• Msa glagolskaja (Glagolitic Mass), JW III/9 (final version)
• 1Uvod (Introduction)03:01
• 2Gospodi pomiluj (Kyrie) (Soprano, Chorus)03:29
• 3Slava (Gloria) (Soprano, Tenor, Chorus)06:27
• 4Veruju (Credo) (Tenor, Bass, Chorus)10:52
• 5Svet (Sanctus) (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, Chorus)06:38
• 6Agnece Bozij (Agnus Dei) (Soloists, Chorus)04:32
• 7Organ solo02:50
• 8Intrada01:44
• Sinfonietta, JW VI/18
• 9I. Allegretto02:32
• 10II. Andante05:57
• 11III. Moderato05:06
• 12IV. Allegretto02:55
• 13V. Andante con moto07:02
• Total Runtime01:03:05

Info for Janacek: Glagolitic Mass - Sinfonietta

Leos Janácek’s dramatic Glagolitic Mass is set to a ninth century Old Church Slavonic text. With its highly individual synthesis of thunderous brass outbursts, rhythmic energy, radiant melodies and interludes of rapt contemplation, the work has established itself as a unique contribution to the choral repertoire. An avowed statement of his belief and patriotic pride in Czechoslovakian national independence, Janácek’s Sinfonietta uses spectacular large-scale orchestral forces. Both of these works belong to the composer’s last and most inspired decade, and represent his mature musical language at its most communicative.

'These performances are every bit as fine as the classic recordings by Czech conductors such as Ancerl and Kubelik, never mind the two splendid versions (of the original score, more or less) by Mackerras. Truth be told, there are few organizations better equipped to deliver satisfying performances of large choral works than Antoni Wit and his Warsaw forces. The choir is excellent, top to bottom; likewise, the orchestra. They sing and play in a warm, ample space that lets the sound fill the room naturally, with excellent balances and plenty of clarity even in the most complex textures. Wit almost always chooses a fine lineup of vocal soloists, as here. Soprano Christiane Libor has a Slavic tang to her voice (i.e. vibrato), but excellent pitch and an attractive tone. Tenor Timothy Bentch copes with Janácek's often murderous tessitura very well indeed.

None of this would matter if Wit did not understand Janácek's idiosyncratic style, but he manages to be both faithful to the idiom and refreshingly full of good interpretive ideas. Consider the concluding section of the Gloria, thrillingly fast, but no less precise. Then there is the biting articulation of the lower strings at the start of the Credo, those 'speech rhythms' so tellingly rendered that you can almost hear the words. In the same movement, the build-up to the crucifixion is harrowing, the closing pages majestic but still impulsive. It's real Janácek. It's also impossible not to mention Jaroslaw Malanowicz's scorcher of an organ solo, and a conclusion that effectively lets the colorful weirdness of Janácek's brass writing register without exaggeration. It's a wonderful performance, plain and simple.

The brass-led Sinfonietta makes a natural coupling to the Mass, and Wit's reading is just as dazzling. Notice, in the opening fanfare, the effortless (and exciting) transition to the central allegro, and then back again, or the high-speed clarity of the third movement's big climax. In the finale Wit permits the screeching woodwinds to cut through the busy string textures with no loss of intensity. The return of the opening fanfare is handled perfectly, and the closing chords hit you with that physical thrill that always registers in the best performances. This is, by any standard, a major release--a mandatory purchase for anyone who loves this music, or wants to get to know it.' (David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com)

Christiane Libor, Soprano
Ewa Marciniec, Alto
Timothy Bentch, Tenor
Wojciech Gierlach, Bass
Jaros'aw Malanowicz, Organ
Warsaw Philharmonic Choir Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Antoni Wit, conductor

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