Missa Solemnis (1920-21) is a monumental, hour-long work for choir, a quartet of vocal soloists, organ, piano, and celesta. The work was premiered in 1923 at Engelbrekt Church in Stockholm but has since been seldom performed. The work is now available on album for the first time. This recording is part of the Swedish Musical Heritage project sponsored by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The goal of the project is to increase access to and promote the performance of hidden treasures from the Swedish repertoire. Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble is one of Sweden’s leading choirs. The ensemble reaches a large audience thanks to a large number of commissioned works, an extensive audio catalog, and an international reputation. Andreas Hallén (1846-1925) was one of the most important persons in Swedish musical life from 1870 until his death. He was known contemporaneously as an orchestral, opera, and choral conductor in Gothenburg, Malmö, and Stockholm, as well as a critic and ultimately as professor in composition.

REVIEW:

This hour-long Solemn Mass premiered in Stockholm in 1923 was his last major work. Hallen was a founder and conductor of choirs who knew how to write for the voice. While the chromaticism of the music bespeaks his admiration for Wagner, I hear French influences at work. This choir and conductor are among Scandinavia's best and sound like it. The youthful soloists have a grand time with the score, and everything is rendered handsomely by the engineers. What they have dished up for us, in sum, is choral comfort food; juicy tunes, gentle chromaticism, and lots of chances to cut loose and pull way back as the liturgical drama dictates. For the choral singer, that's mac and cheese with chocolate cake for dessert. It's hard to resist.

-- American Record Guide