The coupling, apt in one way, could be misleading in another. The sequence of opus numbers (85 and 86) would suggest a close kinship between the two works, whereas Christus am Oelberge, dating back to 1803, is distinctly earlier in style than the Mass, which belongs to the middle period and had its first (if incomplete) performance along with the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies in 1808. Beethoven made extensive changes and additions to the oratorio in 1804, and part of its fascination lies in the powerful appearance, in several passages, of the composer of Fidelio. Even so, it remains an uneven work in comparison with the Mass, which is increasingly emerging from under the shadow of its greater fellow in D towards recognition as a masterpiece in its own right.
Another questionable aspect of the coupling is its convenience. The Mass in C has plenty of attractive recordings listed as currently available in the catalogues. Christus am Oelberge has only two, both of them viable yet neither of them an obvious first-choice. I can quite imagine that there will be readers who think it time they became better acquainted with the oratorio but are already well provided as far as the Mass is concerned. For those whose first interest is the Mass this is not a recording for prime recommendation—except of course in that it has the bonus of Christus am Oelberge, so popular once, now a comparative rarity.
The recordings are mellow, with a reverberant hall-acoustic: at times in both works the tautness and excitement are diminished. The performances under Rilling do not lack spirit. The ''Quoniam'' and ''Cum Sancto Spiritu'', for instance, are both energetic and finely controlled. Yet sharper sforzandos and more purposeful crescendos would often be welcome, and the overall impression, in the Mass at least, is of a comfortable performance, distinguished principally by excellent solo work in the orchestra. The choir is a finely trained, homogeneous body of singers; the solo quartet better in the middle than the outer voices.
For the Christus Maria Venuti is brought in to sing the high soprano part of the Seraph. She copes well with the manifold technical challenges, but the quality of her tone is variable. Keith Lewis, on the other hand, brings a consistently beautiful quality of voice but fails to convey the urgency and tension of Jesus's agony in the garden. Possibly he feels that an underlying serenity should characterize all of the Saviour's utterances, but that is not what the music itself tells. It is sad that in spite of so much fine singing, this should prove the most fundamental flaw in the performance.'