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The Mass in F minor, composed 1867-68, shortly after the First Symphony, was one of his first large works with orchestra. It is also the one which best lends itself to concert performance, divorced from a liturgical function. This Mass ushers in his output of the 1870s, a point of equilibrium between a secularised style, influenced by Wagnerian harmony, and the religious academicism of his early works.
“The music of Bruckner has long had a special meaning for me. During my childhood in Ghent, Bernard Haitink's Concertgebouw orchestra would come to the cathedral to play two Bruckner symphonies each year. Long before I ever thought of a career in music, I would sit motionless, awestruck by the way this music could fill the entire building, making it shine with sound. And although when I perform Bruckner, I may be using different instruments and interpreting the music in a different way, this is still the effect I am looking for…This is not music for channel-hoppers, or those in search of instant rewards. To deliver his music, you have to be a strong performer - whether you're a conductor like Celibidache or Karajan, or someone with a completely different musical background - like myself. And you also have to be a strong listener.” Philippe Herreweghe on Bruckner, major feature on his appearance at Edinburgh Festival, The Guardian, August 22nd
Bruckner: Mass In F Minor - 1. Kyrie
Bruckner: Mass In F Minor - 2. Gloria
Bruckner: Mass In F Minor - 3. Credo
Bruckner: Mass In F Minor - 4. Sanctus
Bruckner: Mass In F Minor - 5. Benedictus
Bruckner: Mass In F Minor - 6. Agnus Dei
December 2008
****
“Herreweghe paces the music with regard to the long line as well as to short term detail, and passages such as the 'Et Resurrexit' blaze with fervour, yet even more telling are the hallowed 'Benedictus' or the wonderfully-conceived 'Et Incarnatus', where his supple lyrical sweep suffuses the still small voices of exquisite calm. Heavenly!”
“Philippe Herreweghe captures that ambivalence well in this recording with the beautifully-balanced tone of the RIAS Kammerchor and the gutsy finesse of the Orchestre des Champs Elysées. The performance is immaculately polished, a
sheen of perfection giving lustre to every one of the substantial movements. Above all, though, its broad vision is captivating.”
“Philippe Herreweghe conducts a glowing account, lucid, dramatic and devout, that has a welcome directness, relishing Bruckner's obsessive motor rhythms and frequent bold harmonic lurches.”
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Bruckner: Mass In F Minor - 1. Kyrie
