For years Rafael Kubelik and Karel Ancerl constituted the two prime recommendations in Janácek's Glagolitic Mass, with Bernstein and Kempe running decisively behind. On the whole Ancerl enjoyed better playing and singing, but his compatriot-in-exile's lean and mean approach still packs quite a wallop and sounds marvelous in this new transfer. Kubelik's Janácek happily refuses to gild the lily: he doesn't taper phrases, slow down to minimize the abruptness of movement endings, or veil the hideously exposed (and occasionally fallible) trumpets behind a gauzy curtain of strings. When he does tinker with the text, for instance emphasizing the low trombones to usher in the Credo's coda, the result invariably sounds right: it's the most thrilling version of this passage on disc. Excellent soloists, tenor Ernst Haefliger in particular, cap an enduring vision of the work.

Making its first appearance on CD, Haefliger's 1964 recording of The Diary of One Who Disappeared also commands great interest, not just for fans of the singer but also for Kubelik's work at the keyboard. Yes, Haefliger uses the German version (a fact that will make purists cringe but that was inevitable in 1964--remember, DG was basically a local German label then), but better a singer who understands what he is singing about than one who does not. He lacks nothing in passion, particularly in his central encounters with his gypsy girlfriend, and he attacks the final song, with its killer high Cs, fearlessly. Kubelik's accompaniment matches him point for point, offering a smoldering central love scene and the same general virtues that characterize his conducting. Janácek fans: don't hesitate a minute over this one.

--David Hurwitz