Boris Papandopulo (1906-1991)
Hrvatska Misa (Croatian Mass) Op.86 (1939)
Darija Auguštan (soprano), Sonja Runje (mezzo-soprano),Tomislav Mužek (tenor) Ljubomir Puškarić (baritone), The Choir of Bavarian Radio, Tomislav Fačini (chorus master), Ivan Repušić (conductor)
rec. live, 1 February 2025, München Prinzregententheater, Munich, Germany
Text in Croatian, with English and German translations
BR Klassik 900532 [50]

It would not be true if I stated that I had no idea just what to expect of this work. After all, Croatia is an Eastern-European country, part of the interwar Kingdom of Yugoslavia at the time of composition. Nor did I know how much Greek, Byzantine or Russian religious music might have impinged on the composer’s style – I am thinking of Sergei Rachmaninov’s Vespers in the latter case.

Leoš Janáček’s amazing Glagolitic Mass of 1926-1927 is always in mind when one considers Eastern-European choral music. Even so, its unique, unforgettable effect is largely due to Janáček’s own development of a style that incorporates the Slavic speech patterns into music, not to mention the muscular energy of his orchestration of the word-setting.

With all that in mind, and knowing nothing of the composer, I came to the Hrvatska Misa in hope of something that might affect me, and be memorable and moving.

The work opens with the tenor chanting “Gospode Pomiluj” (Kyrie Eleison) – we have the Latin Mass text translated into Croatian. He sings it thrice. There follows the full choir singing the chant repeatedly, initially in unison and then in several parts joined by the mezzo-soprano soaring above. The repetition of the words of the Kyrie allows the composer to involve all the soloists; he intertwines them in as many combinations as one can think of.

The opening movement demonstrates the excellence of all the soloists.There is no weak link, and no instance of my own particular bête noire: overdone vocal vibrato. The really excellent German choir play their full part as the movement progresses. As it ends, the basses in the choir come to the forefront, quietly singing “Gospode” (Lord). Any hopes of the sepulchral bass singing, so memorably demonstrated by Rachmaninov, are soon dissipated, very fine though they undoubtedly are. The considerable effect of the movement comes from the varied use of the vocal resources available, rather than any great melodic memorability.

Next comes “Slava” (Gloria), of which the booklet notes say only that it is hymn-like and optimistic. Yes, it is certainly that. It opens with the choir singing what could be taken for a country dance! But this soon passes. The soloists enter, and their varied vocal colour is used to present what are, after all, words of praise. The booklet notes state that the composer was influenced by the traditional old church hymns of Dalmatia, the western coastal region of Croatia. I wrote “vocal colour” on purpose, because I could not hear any melodic inspiration here, and I was rather pleased when the seven-minute movement came to an end.

Things look up in “Vjerujem” (Credo). Papandopulo makes use of the very effective technique: a mezzo-soprano floats above a murmuring choir, and when she falls silent, the different sections of the choir have another chance to demonstrate their prowess. The movement traces the text with the initial prayer-like mezzo leading into a funeral march which depicts the walk to Golgotha, while the basses repeatedly sing the word “Crucified” in an ostinato. This is very effective. It eventually leads into a hopeful Allegro at the words “On the third day he rose again”. For me, the whole movement is the high point of the work, even though I do not find it melodically distinctive.

The next movement is “Svet” (Sanctus), the shortest of the seven movements. The opening phrase “Svet, svet, svet, Gospod Bog Sabaoth” is repeated to a hummable melody. The chorus, divided into many parts, sing “Heaven and earth are full of thy glory” many times before coming to an end with a unison “Hosanna in the highest”. It is all very effective and does not outstay its welcome at all, unlike the Gloria.

At this juncture in the review, I feel it imperative to lavish praise on the outstanding choir and to acknowledge the immense effort – above all, perhaps, by the chorus master Tomislav Fačini – invested in guiding the Bavarian singers through what is likely to be an unfamiliar language. I am not equipped to judge the precision of the pronunciation, but a glance at the texts alone suggests the level of dedication required.

Now to “Blagosloven” (Benedictus), a solemn chorale opened by the chorus. The soloists singing over the choir join in, and the high voices of the tenor and soprano soar. The short movement is brought to a fervent close by the soloists and chorus reaffirming “Hosanna na visini”.

The last movement is “Jaganjče Božji” (Agnus Dei). It opens with the solo tenor singing the words up to “have mercy upon us”. The chorus enter quietly in several parts, repeating “have mercy upon us”, then the soprano reiterates the phrase, followed by the solo tenor. Thus, the movement proceeds with soloists either singly or together until the final “grant us peace” is reached, ending with low basses quietly reaffirming “mir” (peace).

I have finished reviewing this disc after several sessions. I come away with the feeling that the work lacks only that final bit of melodic memorability to make it stand out. So, it has not really satisfied the high hopes that I expressed earlier in the review.

The production standards are very high. A nice booklet in colour and in black and white contains biographical detail of the composer, choir and conductor, and a description of the music and its genesis. The recording is first-rate, with well judged vocal balances. There is no hint of audience noise.

Jim Westhead

Buying this recording via the link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free