Mass No.2 In E Minor & Te Deum

Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Ann Hallenberg, Maximilian Schmitt, Tareq Nazmi & Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, Philippe Herreweghe

‘Ik wil nog een aantal meesterwerken op de cd zetten zoals ik ze hoor’, zei Philippe Herreweghe in 2017. De gevierde grondlegger van Collegium Vocale Gent en het Orchestre des Champs-Élysées dacht daarbij onder anderen aan Bruckner. Voortschrijdend inzicht en verbeterd instrumentarium vertelden hem dat hij met Bruckners Mis nr. 2 in f-klein, die hij al eens eerder opnam, nog dichter bij de componist kon komen. Of deze opname en ook die van het Te Deum geheel naar Bruckners idee zijn, zullen we nooit weten, maar dat ze Herreweghe en consorten op hun allermooist laten horen, staat vast.

Composed in 1866 for the inauguration of a votive chapel in Linz Cathedral, Anton Bruckner's Mass no. 2 is a fine example of modernity blended with a centuries-old religious tradition, in that wind instruments are set in dialogue with choral writing inspired by Gregorian chant. Shorter in duration but scored for chorus and large orchestra with four soloists, his Te Deum of 1881 was acclaimed by such illustrious contemporaries as Hans Richter and Mahler, while the composer, usually very self-critical, opined that the score of this work would make God judge him kindly .Like the eminent interpreter of the sacred repertory he is, Philippe Herreweghe here conveys with great fervour his vision of these two major religious works of the second half of the nineteenth century.

Bruckner:
 Mass No. 2 in E minor
 Te Deum in C major, WAB 45

"Herreweghe’s first recording of the Mass in E minor was made in 1989 with the combined vocal forces of Collegium Vocale and La Chappelle Royale. Thirty years on, Herreweghe’s conception of the work is remarkably similar, although tempos are now faster than before...the performance of the Te Deum is, by contrast, powerful and stirring."
Gramophone Magazine - December 2020

"Bruckner’s intricate counterpoint and rich orchestrations make for seductive, powerful listening, especially in the Te Deum which bursts with harmonic colour. Herreweghe and his musicians give invigorating and beautifully balanced accounts."
BBC Music Magazine - February 2021 ****