| Site review by Polly Nomial January 4, 2007
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
A collection of Bruckner's motets is still comparatively rare and given performances like these, it is hard to understand why. Each motet is like a movement from a Bruckner symphony that has been pared down to the briefest exposition of the musical arguments and contains much of the tension and resolution that Bruckner wrote in his finer moments.
There are instances when the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno are cruelly taxed (such as in the climax of the magnificent Ecce sacerdos magnus) but on the whole they sign with clarity and unforced tone. However, whilst they currently face no competition (I would imagine that Paul Hillier or Ed Spanjaard would fancy this repertoire at some point for example) on SACD, inevitably these accounts will be compared to the finest available (such as Jochum's outstanding choral cycle on RBCD). On the whole the accomplishment of this choir is high, with fine direction from Petr Fiala who is ably accompanied by Jirí Vydra, Jaroslav Zouhar, Pavel Vydra (trombones) and Martin Jakubícek (organ). There is a tangible sense of emotion in the pieces which lesser conductors would struggle to find or relate to the audience. This emotion is all too often obtained at the expense of secure intonation in these extraordinarily taxing works. This unappealing feature does not apply to the soloists drawn from the body of the choir.
When one compares this to other accounts, it is apparent that one can marry the emotion in the music without sacrificing the notes of the score, so it is with regret that one cannot recommend this without reservation.
The sound is clear but recorded in the 2+2+2 system and perhaps this is why it is relatively tricky to identify the positions of the sections of the chorus when it splits into more than the standard four parts unless one re-configures ones set-up just for these MDG recordings.
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Copyright © 2007 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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| Review by mgm March 2, 2007 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
| Although the devoutly Catholic Anton Bruckner is usually remembered as one of the great symphonists, he also wrote many compositions that could be used both liturgically and as concert music. The motets were written between 1846 and 1885, a period spanning most of the composer’s productive life. Most of them are for unaccompanied chorus, but several, such as "Afferentur regi," "Ecce sacerdos magnus," and "Libera me," add three trombones, and a few add organ. The performances on this disc are, to my mind, definitive. The chorus has an incredibly beautiful sound, and their singing is effortless in the best sense. The hushed pianissimi, though barely audible, have shape and presence, and the fortissimi are uplifting and full-bodied without ever becoming strident. Conductor Petr Fiala takes every passage at exactly the right tempo. The sound is ideal, too, as we’ve come to expect from MDG: The chorus has depth and seems placed behind the speakers, without any loss of presence. In fact, I forgot my speakers were there at all. The rear channels are used to produce just the right amount of ambience to complete the illusion of reality. I’m always hesitant to use the word perfection, but it certainly comes to mind whenever I hear this disc. Rad Bennet from Ultraaudio USA http://www.ultraaudio.com/music.shtml
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