(5 out of 5 stars) I haven t listened to this recording as closely as some of the other reviewers that have pointed out imperfections in the performance. My perspective is that the performance just plain blows me away, where the Gardiner performance just doesn t seem to muster enough power. (And this is from someone who believes that some of Gardiner s Baroque performances border on the miraculous.)
By rights this should be a triumph, but it isn t quite
Santa Fe Listener
| 02/25/2007 (3 out of 5 stars) Since he took over the BSO a few years ago, I have come to admire James Levine enormously, but what kept me from that judgment in the past were recordings like this Missa Solemnis. It all but promises to be stupendous with a money-back guarantee. We have a vocal quartet made up of stars from the Met. The orchestra is no less than the ultimate in Beethoven, the Vienna Phil. The acoutsics are grand, the recording fine (showing some digital edginess in climaxes, however).