The Mass in E minor is unique, both in the context of Bruckner's oeuvre and in the history of the genre. It is a work of great individuality and modernity, characterised by a combination of vocal polyphony in the tradition of Palestrina with bold chromatic harmony and intensely expressive utterance. The second version, which was only published in 1896, the year of Bruckner's death, contains no less than 41 alterations of the original, most of which aim at a smoothing out of the periodic structure or the highlighting of individual words in the sung text.
The work, which poses an extraordinary challenge for the performers, will be performed by one of the best choirs in the world: the Collegium Vocale Gent. The Second Symphony, most of which was completed in September 1872 in St. Florian, was the first work with which Bruckner presented himself to the Viennese public as a symphonic composer. It is „of great lyrical beauty, tenderness and transparency of structure“. The revision and abridgment of this work represents the start of Bruckner's first systematic revision of all the symphonies composed and numbered up to this date, plus his three great masses. The combination of these two works in one programme provides an opportunity to appreciate aurally “that in the context of Bruckner's development the church music (…) appears to be a systematic preparation for his eventual mastery of the symphony“.
Anton Bruckner (1824–1896)
Mass (No. 2) in E minor for eight-part choir and wind instruments, WAB 27 (2. Version: 1876, 1882, 1885, 1896)
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Symphony No. 2 in C minor, WAB 102 (1873, 1876–77) „1877 Version“
Collegium Vocale Gent
Orchestre des Champs-Élysées
Philippe Herreweghe | Conductor
