Karl Böhm, Berliner Philharmoniker - Beethoven: Missa Solemnis; Reger: Mozart-Variationen (1997)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 410 Mb | Total time: 49:06+67:23 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | # 449 737-2 | Recorded: 1955, 1956
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 410 Mb | Total time: 49:06+67:23 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | # 449 737-2 | Recorded: 1955, 1956
In 1955 and at the peak of his postwar powers, Karl Böhm recorded Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Berlin Philharmonic with an all-star cast of soloists. It is a great and powerful performance: tightly argued, superbly played, fabulously sung, and very dramatic. Deutsche Grammophon's original mono recording was clear but a little distant, and the digital remastering keeps the clarity and brings the performers a little closer to the listener. In every way that matters, this is a great Missa Solemnis. The thing is, how many recordings of the Missa Solemnis does anyone want or need? There's Böhm's later 1974 with the Vienna Philharmonic, a deeper and more transcendent performance.