Beethoven: Missa Solemnis / Nelson

WILSON; DESHONG; SCHUKOFF; SHERRATT; BLANKESTIJN; CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF EUROPE AND THE GULBENKIAN CHOIR; NELSON

My viewing completed, I thought to myself: this has to be the greatest religious work of them all. The ultimate accolade, you might say: the performance has done its job, and I am duly uplifted. Right from the first bars of the Kyrie you can tell that interpretational fervour is a high priority, a hunch that is magnificently borne out by the fiery Gloria, where the incisive cut and thrust of the Gulbenkian Choir’s singing is matched by an equally intense contribution from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. So, if you’re after a fine Missa on screen, look no further. © 2012 Gramophone

Price: $35.98