Schubert: Mass In A Flat

This recording was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for "Best Choral Performance."

For most listeners, the legacy of Franz Schubert's piteously short life is found in his lieder and chamber music. Unfortunately, scant attention has been paid by record labels to his sacred music. This recording by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the Monteverdi Choir, and Orchestre Rﾂvolutionnaire et Romantique rectifies the situation.

Schubert wrote six settings of the Latin Mass, the A flat heard on this recording was composed in 1819 and revised by the composer in 1822. The Mass was nicknamed "Missa Solemnis" by the composer, and this is not hyperbole. The work is a grand affair, filled with drama and the melodic charm typical of the composer. The work abounds with marvelous touches, particularly the Incarnatus, with its eight-part chorus and stunning wind and brass accompaniment. In addition to the Mass, the recording presents some shorter sacred works by the composer. Most noteworthy is the setting of the Stabat Mater. Schubert's setting is suitably somber and darkly colored, with a serene vocal line. Gardiner's chorus and period instrument orchestra make a strong case for these works and hopefully they will record more of Schubert's sacred music.