The Mass in B minor (completed in 1747-1749) is a masterful summary of Bach's genius. The work can be called a true compendium, because the old Bach sometimes referred to material from decades before; think of the Crucifixus, which is a recycling of the choir Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen from 1714. At the same time, this heterogeneous material is held together by an abstract kind of beauty, as we
… also know from the Musikalisches Opfer and Die Kunst der Fuge. It is precisely that crystalline grace that comes into its own very nicely in this performance, thanks to the refined extension and retraction of vocal voices. Jos van Veldhoven previously applied this practice in the successful recording of the Johannes Passion, and after that 'there was actually no going back' (says Van Veldhoven). It was also time that this road was walked again, because after Joshua Rifkin's experiments in the early eighties, not much has actually been done with the idea of 'ripienists', apart from McCreesh's theatrical Matthäus. In terms of refinement and openness of sound, Van Veldhoven surpasses his predecessors, although Rifkin's earlier Mass in B minor still makes a sympathetic impression. (HJ)more
