Mass in B minor, BWV232

"Soprano soloists Dorothee Mields and Johannette Zomer deliver exquisitely detailed duets, while the orchestral performance is beyond reproach, most particularly the cellos and basses. From the first Credo onwards, the choral performance is revitalised, with a sparkling reading of the Et resurrexit and a glorious Sanctus." The Independent, 9th May 2010

"The 'Gloria' dances, 'Cum Sancto Spiritu' is equally lithe and the semiquavers in 'Et resurrexit' are fluent and exact...The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is superb: its many virtues include precise articulation from the strings and some knockout trumpet playing." Gramophone Magazine, July 2010

"The performance...carried me away from the first - the sweet sound of the baroque oboes, the strength and eloquence of the choir...There is nothing minimalist about Brüggen's approach. The work is paced with a convincing naturalness; the trumpets are exhilarating and the soloists are all excellent." Sunday Times, 6th June 2010

"Brüggen is a long-time master of Baroque performance, and here he shows that mastery at every level, from the perfectly judged tempos to the dynamic choral movements, sensitively shaped arias, rich textural detail, and overall sense of balance between orchestra and chorus, chorus and solo or duetto movements, and orchestra with whatever configuration of vocal forces."
(ClassicsToday 10/10)

20 years after the Orchestra of the 18th Century's first engagement on tour with Bach's Mass in B minor, a work which has for so long captivated the inquiring mind and interpretative insight of Frans Brüggen, a new tour was conceived through which to provide a fresh view of the piece. Setting down a recorded view during tours has always been key to this orchestra's musical expression and last year the opportunity was taken at an exciting concert in the Polish capital of Warsaw: a city and a country with whom director and orchestra have long and treasured memories. Accompanying the CD set is a booklet essay from David Vickers which provides a scholarly and eminently-readable account of the social as well as the musical background to the composition of the individual parts of a piece whose unity has provided the world with one of its greatest works of musical art. This new recording is more than a 20th anniversary celebration, reflecting as it does Frans Brüggen's lifelong desire to understand and project the work of J.S. Bach.