Une messe imaginaire
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) 
Ave maria, WAB6 (1861)
Vexilla Regis, WAB51 (1892)
Os Justi, WAB30 (1879)
Tantum Ergo, WAB 32 (1845)
Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Messe pour double choeur a cappella
Jeune choeur symphonique & Chœur Spirito/Nicole Corti
rec. Abbaye de Noirlac; Auditorium Maurice-Ravel, Lyon, France
Sung Latin texts with French translations
NoMadMusic NMM112 [45]

On this recording, the Chœur Spirito under the direction of Nicole Corti perform Frank Martin’s Mass for double choir a cappella; for the four Bruckner Motets they are joined by the Jeune Chœur symphonique. An experienced choir director and conductor, Corti has served as the artistic director of the professional Chœur Spirito since 2017. His approach here is to combine Martin’s Mass with the Bruckner Motets to form what is described as an ‘imaginary mass’.

Bruckner wrote some forty motets for the Roman Catholic liturgy, beginning with the Pange lingua in 1868 through to the Vexilla regis in 1892. In these beautiful, small-scale sacred jewels, he expresses his strong sense of devotion in a rich harmonic character.

Under director Corti, the joint forces of Chœur Spirito and Jeune Chœur symphonique recorded four of Bruckner’s motets – the Ave maria, WAB6, Vexilla Regis, WAB51, Os Justi, WAB30 and Tantum Ergo, WAB 32 –  in the Cistercian Abbaye de Noirlac, in the Loire region, communicating the sacred texts with a glorious sense of piety and sincerity. The singing is of such high quality that I am disappointed further Bruckner motets have not been included.

The son of a Calvinist pastor, towards the end of his life Frank Martin stated he had never really understood his own religion. He felt that composing his Mass for double choir a cappella was a valuable process that he had to go through, empowering him to connect with his faith. It was written in 1922 and Martin added an Agnus Dei in 1926. Concerned that his Mass ‘would be judged on a purely aesthetic level’, he consigned it to a drawer. He viewed his Mass as a private document revealing his personal religious beliefs before God. It wasn’t until around forty years later, in 1963, that Martin permitted the Mass to receive its premiere given by the Bugenhagen-Kantorei directed by Franz W. Brunnert in Hamburg. This is an absorbing performance of music of a stark beauty and I appreciate the choir’s palpable devotion. 

With this release, the French label NoMadMusic is mainly targeting the French market, so the booklet provides sung Latin texts with French translations only. By current standards, the playing time of the CD is noticeable short. The sound quality is satisfying and the intonation of the choirs is first-rate. The concept of an ‘imaginary Mass’ doesn’t work for me; nevertheless, these are compelling performances which embrace the spirituality of the sacred texts. 

Michael Cookson

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