It is not often that an artist records a large-scale masterpiece four separate times, but Karajan is something of an exception, and since his first attempt at the Missa solemnis in 1959 he has apparently felt the need to tackle that Everest afresh each decade. Not that the present interpretation differs all that much from his previous recording (now available on CfP), from which, Also, he has carried over the bulk of his forces—the Vienna Singverein and the Berlin Philharmonic (though the personnel of both will have changed), and his bass (or rather, bass-baritone) Jose van Dam. The main criticism of that 1975 performance was of some extremes of tempos (both fast and slow) and of a dynamic range so wide that some pianissimos hovered on the edge of sound if the fortissimos (which are much more numerous) were not to be insupportable. That latter problem, at least, has been triumphantly solved here: the warm but clean recording splendidly captures the full breadth of Beethoven's ecstatic vision, but without harshness (such as in the barks of ''pacem! pacem!'' in 1975), so that, for a change, one does not feel battered by the performance, while pianissimos are allowed to register audibly; and, especially in the CD format, the complex movement of parts at the start of the Gloria (which often emerges as a blur of sound) and at ''Et ascendit'' is unusually clear. On the question of tempos there is likely still to be some dissent: by no stretch of the imagination could the ''Et vitam venturi saeculi'' (taken at exactly the same speed as before) be considered allegretto, nor does this pace suggest confidence in the life to come; it should be possible to convey the mystery of ''Et incarnatus'' without it sounding gloomy; and Karajan springs a surprise by taking the Kyrie not only faster than anyone else, but faster than in his own last recording—scarcely assai sostenuto, though one can grow accustomed to it, particularly when the introduction is played as beautifully as by the Berlin Phil. This is perhaps the place to mention the exceptionally lovely and heart-easing performance of the Benedictus, with Leon Spierer's violin solo soaring above the voices. The organ, too, is admirably used by David Bell, adding radiance to the final ''glorificamus te'' with its bright upper partials, and terror to the thought of the Last Judgement at ''judicare''.
In mentioning the orchestra first I am but following Beethoven's lead, since so much of the essential musical thought is contained in the orchestral writing; but no praise can be too high for the Vienna Singverein, which contributes by far the best choral singing we have heard in this great work except by Klemperer's New Philharmonia Chorus (HMV—nla). The sopranos negotiate Beethoven's inhuman demands with astonishing security (though without minimizing the effort which is an almost basic element in this cosmic striving), and all sections produce tone that, whether in declamatory, expressive or formal passages, is of fine quality. Which leaves the solo quartet to be considered. Van Dam is his usual aristocratic and fine-grained self, though some may feel that a lighter voice is less suitable than, say, that of Moll or Talvela (and certainly van Dam's low G and F sharp at the start of the Agnus Dei lack solidity); Lella Cuberli makes as lovely a sound as Janowitz (Karajan 1975) but is much her superior in clarity of enunciation; and Vinson Cole, whom we have so far heard only as the Italian tenor on the DG Der Rosenkavalier and Karajan's Beethoven Nine, exhibits an easy, warm lyricism, with admirably clear words, that makes one eager to hear more of him. I'll rephrase that... to hear him in other recordings in the future; for of the soloists here he seems to be the most prominently placed in relation to the microphone. (As is evident in quartet ensemble passages, this is not due to any of the 'pushiness' often associated with tenors.) The very first solo ''Kyries'' reveal that the positioning of the quartet has presented problems: after Cole's glowing start, the contralto's entry is distant and murky, and the balance of voices in the ''Christe eleison'' and in the ''Amen'' of the Gloria (where ensemble is momentarily shaky) is far from ideal. Trudeliese Schmidt comes out of it worst: the first note of her entries in both ''Et incarnatus'' and ''Crucifixus'' is lost, and she is imperfectly balanced with van Dam in the Benedictus: these may not be her fault, but she blots her copybook by singing an F instead of an E flat at ''peccata mundi''.
Perhaps it is expecting the impossible to hope for a Missa solemnis about which there need be no reservations. In many ways this is a powerful and gripping reading, with excellent choral and orchestral contributions. Who knows, perhaps in the next decade Karajan may record it yet again: after all, both Klemperer and Bohm were over 80 when their version were made.'