Stephen Layton / Trinity College Choir, Cambridge Bach: Mass in B minor Stephen Layton / Trinity College Choir, Cambridge Bach: Mass in B minor – AllMusic Review by James Manheim

Bach: Mass in B minor

The Bach Mass in B minor, BWV 232, assembled from bits and pieces over some years, coheres in its final form in ways that perhaps only the composer understood. This recording by the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Stephen Layton has been road-tested in performances around Britain for several years, but it hasn't lost the enthusiasm of its youthful singers. With a choir of 40+, it's not a recording for the historical-performance crowd, but it's musical, filled with clear, bright contrasts, and really quite grand. Layton takes a deliberate approach to the score, catching its long lines and letting the choir swell and surprise when they want to. The contrasts also involve the soloists, a varied bunch of well-known names that keep things exciting. The bloomy voice of soprano Katherine Watson might or might not be to your taste, but .....

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