# Your opinion on the 'Glagolitic Mass'



## Mat79

I know everyone has an opinion on Janácek, but on this big musical work. What do you think? I listened it many many years ago, in a version of DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHONE i think. I thought: "Wow, this is somenthing!" I'm agnostic, but i hear religious or anceint music also. I envied the organ parts also :lol: There's a version by DECCA (436 210-2 . Charles Dutoit_conductor . Montreal Symphony Orch) that had negative backlash. I don't know if you've listened another version, let me know.


----------



## Knorf

I think it's amazing! Some of Janáček's best, in fact.

I will recommend seeking out an "original version," such as Mackerras. It happens that the amateur orchestra and choir who premiered it had trouble with a few spots, and so Janáček rewrote a number of passages, and it is this nerfed version that unfortunately came to be the most well-known. Janáček's original conception, whether harder to perform or not, is more expressive and innovative.

(Yes, I know I'm oversimplifying this, and that there are were a number of revisions that had nothing to do with performing difficulties. But in general, the last revision before the big nerfs seems the way to go.)


----------



## Becca

^^what Knorf said!

I have 'known' the Mass for decades but the first time that I heard the original version (Berlin/Rattle) was quite a shock!


----------



## Neo Romanza

Knorf summed up it all nicely. I'll add, and this is a contrarian view to his own, I actually don't mind the truncated version. As for recordings, it's still difficult to top Ančerl on Supraphon. If I had to pick a second favorite recording (and this may be a controversial choice or not), it would be Tilson Thomas with the LSO on Sony.


----------



## Knorf

It's not truncated so much as nerfed. Complex time signatures turned into 4/4, dissonances (which were hardly extreme) removed, etc. But even nerfed, it is still a pretty cool piece.


----------



## Allegro Con Brio

Perhaps my favorite work from an absolutely superb composer. As a pipe organist, one of my illogical musician fantasies is learning the great, virtuosic organ interlude from this mass and blasting it out on a grand instrument in a huge Gothic cathedral. One can dream, right?


----------



## starthrower

Knorf said:


> It's not truncated so much as nerfed. Complex time signatures turned into 4/4, dissonances (which were hardly extreme) removed, etc. But even nerfed, it is still a pretty cool piece.


That's good to know. I have the Ancerl recording. The original by Mackerras is on Chandos.


----------



## Malx

Can anyone please clarify if the recording on Decca conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek is the original version - I believe it is 'based' on the version used at the works premiere in 1927.


----------



## starthrower

Malx said:


> Can anyone please clarify if the recording on Decca conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek is the original version - I believe it is 'based' on the version used at the works premiere in 1927.


The revised version dates from 1929 so the Decca recording includes the earlier version.


----------



## Xenophiliu

It looks like there is already a thread dedicated to this topic if you wanted more information:

https://www.talkclassical.com/26259-janacek-glagolitic-mass.html#post480019


----------



## CnC Bartok

Malx said:


> Can anyone please clarify if the recording on Decca conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek is the original version - I believe it is 'based' on the version used at the works premiere in 1927.


"Based on the 1927 premiere in an edition by Jiří Zahrádka" but no sandwiching with the Intrada.

Less wild than other performances, but very fine all round. My favourite remains Mackerras on Supraphon. I'm too used to the revised " normal" version probably...!


----------



## jegreenwood

Guess I'm lucky. The two recordings I own are Rattle and Mackerras. I love them both. The Rattle was my introduction to Janacek.


----------



## hammeredklavier

Knorf said:


> It's not truncated so much as nerfed. Complex time signatures turned into 4/4, dissonances (which were hardly extreme) removed, etc. But even nerfed, it is still a pretty cool piece.


Yeah, it should have been "Knorfed" (revised by Knorf) rather than "nerfed".


----------

