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Schumann: Missa Sacra / Putniņš, Hammerström, Swedish Radio Choir
BIS

Schumann: Missa Sacra / Putniņš, Hammerström, Swedish Radio Choir

$21.99

Details

Composer
Robert Schumann
Artist
Johan Hammarstrom
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Sep 01, 2023
Catalog #
BIS-2697
UPC
7318599926971

About

Less well known among his works, the Missa sacra, Op. 147, bears witness to Robert Schumann’s late interest in sacred music – and in particular in Catholic church music. The work would have a rather difficult fate: during Schumann’s lifetime, it was neither published nor performed in its entirety. Even after its posthumous première, opinions were lukewarm. Wrongly so: the Missa sacra is a fascinating attempt to update sacred music through a refined post-classical musical language. It was originally conceived for orchestra, but Schumann also made a version for organ, presented here. This version allows great vocal transparency and immediacy, thus contributing to a clearer vision of the work. The Vier doppelchörige Gesänge for mixed choir a cappella, Op. 141, are also undeservedly neglected works: they constitute the high point in Schumann’s music for choir. These four songs unite both secular and religious-themed, the latter component being musically emphasised by the effect of multiple choirs. These two fascinating works are performed by the Swedish Radio Choir under the direction of Kaspar Putninš. Among his recordings for BIS is the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom by Rachmaninov (BIS-2571), which has received widespread critical acclaim, for example being awarded a prestigious Diapason d’Or by the French magazine Diapason.

REVIEW:

Schumann’s Missa Sacra, Op. 147, was one of the last things he wrote, and it wasn’t published until after his death. As it happens, it is marvelous, and it was probably just waiting for a top-notch reading of the sort that it receives here. Schumann attempts to merge the rather conservative structure of the Classical mass with Romantic stylistic ideas, and the work is really not like anything else he ever wrote. The Four Songs for Double Choir, Op. 141, close out the program; written slightly earlier, they are rare and quite persuasive. Yet it is the mass that may rewrite the choral repertory lists a bit; in this lovely performance, it is a gem.

-- AllMusic.com (James Manheim)

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 Kyrie 04:41
    Track
    1
    Title
    Kyrie
    Duration
    04:41
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Performer
    Johan Hammarström
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  2. 2 Gloria 09:34
    Track
    2
    Title
    Gloria
    Duration
    09:34
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Performer
    Kathrin Lorenzen, Johan Hammarström
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  3. 3 Credo 07:18
    Track
    3
    Title
    Credo
    Duration
    07:18
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Performer
    Johan Hammarström
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  4. 4 Offertorium 02:27
    Track
    4
    Title
    Offertorium
    Duration
    02:27
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Performer
    Jennie Eriksson Nordin, Johan Hammarström
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  5. 5 Sanctus 11:05
    Track
    5
    Title
    Sanctus
    Duration
    11:05
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Performer
    Lisa Carlioth, Mats Carlsson, Lars Johansson Brissman, Johan Hammarström
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  6. 6 Agnus Dei 04:56
    Track
    6
    Title
    Agnus Dei
    Duration
    04:56
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Performer
    Johan Hammarström
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  7. 7 No. 1. An die Sterne 05:17
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 1. An die Sterne
    Duration
    05:17
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  8. 8 No. 2. Ungewisses Licht 02:06
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 2. Ungewisses Licht
    Duration
    02:06
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  9. 9 No. 3. Zuversicht 04:15
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 3. Zuversicht
    Duration
    04:15
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš
  10. 10 No. 4. Talismane 05:17
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 4. Talismane
    Duration
    05:17
    Composer
    Robert Schumann
    Ensemble
    Swedish Radio Choir
    Conductor
    Kaspars Putniņš