Bach completed his Mass in the Fall of 1749, a year before his death. The enormous work thus became a monument of his ability as a church musician and for church music in general. The mass constantly balances between old and new: - between the young and the old Bach, - between Pope Gregory and Luther, - and between Palestrina and Pergolesi, to quote a characterization of the eminent Bach biographer
… Christoph Wolff. Wolff wrote an extensive and clear explanation for this edition, which can also be read in Dutch. You expect veteran Philippe Herreweghe to approach this music in a cool, rounded, modest and predominantly contemplative way, and that is exactly how this performance sounds. Apparently this is Herreweghe's lecture for the new decade, after having recorded mass much earlier with Virgin and Harmonia Mundi. (HJ)more
