First, anyone who really appreciates choral music–especially 20th-century choral music–must make this collection a priority acquisition. If you were around in the 1970s and you cared about such repertoire and choir performances then you may have owned (or lusted after) these recordings by the incomparable Stockholm Chamber Choir and Swedish Radio Choir under the direction of the legendary Eric Ericson. Surely these are among the most outstanding performances of any body of important work in any genre, and the mastering of these 1970s recordings for this CD issue is nothing short of superb. Yes, there are some occasional technical glitches, especially during the Max Reger motet Ach, Herr, strafe mich nicht Op. 110 No. 2 (the only pre-1970s selection–1968) and in general at loud dynamic levels, where the sound tends to saturate, but overall the listening here is pure pleasure.
And you won’t find a more prestigious gathering of truly “virtuoso” music under one roof anywhere at any price. Aficionados will notice that this three-disc collection offers several works not included on the LP set: Lars Johan Werle’s wild and frighteningly difficult Nautical Preludes; Penderecki’s monumental Stabat Mater; and Reger’s Op. 138 set of Eight Sacred Songs, which all by themselves stand as masterpieces of style, form, and the art of vocal composition. Dallapiccola’s two pieces from the 1930s whose texts respectively focus on unhappy wives and husbands are rarely heard gems, as are Pizzetti’s beautiful and complex Three Choral Compositions.
The third disc contains perhaps the richest vein in this mine of glittering choral gold. Beginning with Jolivet’s stunning Epithalame–in correspondingly thrilling sound–and continuing with Messiaen’s vibrant, vigorous Cinq Rechants and concluding with Frank Martin’s classic Mass, we have nothing less than an unforgettable listening experience that compels repeated visits and a prime, easily accessible place in your CD library. (The disc’s back cover erroneously lists Poulenc’s Figure humaine, which instead appears on a companion set from the same label, 500 Years of European Choral Music.) And what more can be said regarding the expertise of the choirs represented here? They are every bit as virtuosic as advertised–you simply won’t hear any better choral singing in any repertoire, including the Monteverdi madrigals that open the program. One of the year’s most welcome and treasured releases.
