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Reviewer: David Vickers An imaginative mass in enthralling performances from Bernius and Co. Zelenka composed his Missa votiva (1739) to glorify God after recovering from a serious illness. The coherent setting of the full Latin Ordinary features an impressive mixture of archaic and modern sacred styles, from fugal choruses to graceful arias. A vigorous and dramatically charged performance by Czech group Collegium 1704 (directed by Václav Luks) was recently issued by Zig-Zag Territoires (9/09), but this performance by the accomplished conductor Frieder Bernius and his Stuttgart forces offers greater choral refinement, sweeter orchestral polish and outstanding soloists. Bernius’s direction is eloquent and has sacred sincerity. Take, for instance, the flexible approach to bowing styles and articulation from the Stuttgart Baroque Orchestra’s excellent string section as it responds to the solo vocal line during “Christe eleison”. The orchestra plays with robust refinement in “Gloria in excelsis Deo”, and, unlike the spirited Czech version, the sure-footed Stuttgart Chamber Choir sings with immaculate blend and shape. Joanne Lunn sings « Qui tollis » with clear diction, impeccable trills and especially lovely high notes; her radiant performance of « Et incarnatus est » conveys delectable tenderness. Bass Thomas Bauer’s wide compass copes seamlessly with difficult leaps between registers and tricky coloratura in “Quoniam” (it is little wonder that Luks assigned it to a tenor possessing some firm low notes, but the opposite solution works well for Bernius). “Et incarnates est”, accompanied by muted strings, is communicated heart-rendingly by Daniel Taylor (not least by his several spellbinding uses of messa di voce; its segue in to the lyrical “Crucifixus” fugue is paced perfectly by Bernius. This is an outstanding performance of an intriguing Mass by an imaginative composer.
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