Janacek: Glagolitic Mass

“The performance itself is of the highest quality. The orchestral playing is sensitive and responsive throughout with a beautifully blended and homogeneous tonal balance. The playing is cultured but Simon Rattle also brings an awareness of the pantheistic fervour that inspires Janácek’s wonderful score.’” Gramophone Magazine

“A lean, cleanly contoured Glagolitic, lacking the elemental charge and raw abandon of some versions. Taras Bulba is generally well played, if again short on real cutting edge and excitement.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2013 ***

“Both pieces receive crisp, radiant and transparent performances.” Financial Times, 12th November 2011 ****

“The polished choral singing is a joy, with excellent pitching throughout, especially in the cruelly exposed unaccompanied entries. The orchestra's contribution is equally distinguished. How refreshing it is to hear such 'unhomogenised' clarinet- and trumpet-playing. The solo quartet also acquits itself favourably, in particular Christiane Libor, who is on spectacular form.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2012

“Wit's Warsaw Philharmonic forces plug directly into the emotional power of Janacek's music, reacting like demons to the distinct undulations of its speech-inspired melodic lines and spanning a rich tonal spectrum all too often missing in performances of the Glagolitic Mass. The rhythmic cripsness and sheer intensity of the conductor's interpretation return massive dividends in 'Veruju' ('Credo').” Classic FM Magazine, February 2012 ****

“There are many attractive aspects to this performance, not least the heroic tenor of Timothy Bench and the full-throated singing of the sopranos and altos. Too often, however, the delivery of Janacek's motor rhythms seems mechanical...[In the Sinfonietta] Wit and the Warsaw Philharmonic are more consistently convincing.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2012 ***

“Overall, Wit and his Warsaw forces have the measure of this extraordinary mass...What makes this new disc indispensable is the Sinfonietta. For both performance and sound it belongs in the top echelon of recordings of this dazzling work...In my opinion, then, Wit’s is the best option now for this particular combination of works on one disc. The Sinfonietta alone makes it indispensable.” MusicWeb International, August 2012

“Full marks for breadth in a compilation balancing the familiar (an effortful Sinfonietta and wiry Glagolitic) with chamber music and Bostridge's Diary. Like the diarist, alas, the texts have disappeared too!” BBC Music Magazine, May 2009 ****

“The added rhythmic complexities of this original version as interpreted idiomatically by Mackerras encourage an apt wildness which brings an exuberant, carefree quality” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“'I am not an old man, and I am not a believer – until I see for myself.' Thus Janácek replied angrily to a critic after the premiere of his Glagolitic Mass. This is a gritty, masterful performance of a jagged, uncomfortable masterpiece.
Its unusual title stems from the script of the ancient Slavonic text (Glagol) which Janácek set to music. Rattle's is a full-blooded, urgent view of the work, with particularly fine solo contributions from Felicity Palmer and John Mitchinson. That the language is an unfamiliar one is occasionally evident in the chorus, though they, like the orchestra, give totally committed performances under Rattle's inspired leadership.
Also included on this disc is the Sinfonietta, which is as much a study in orchestration as form, with the melody of the fourth movement appearing unaltered no fewer than 14 times, changed only in orchestral colour. It's brilliantly played here, with the 12 trumpets coming up gleaming in the final climax.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“This is a strong performance, and the Blu-ray opens out the choral sound so that the balance of Janacek's rich textures is more natural, without soften its edges. The Sinfonietta is a touch more recessed, but still stirs the blood.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2012 ****

“Both pieces receive crisp, radiant and transparent performances.” Financial Times, 12th November 2011