On its first appearance, Solti's recording of the Missa solemnis found itself much in the shade of Klemperer's (EMI), just as his Verdi was overshadowed by Giulini's (also EMI). In both instances it was felt that the work of the other conductors attained a depth of spirituality denied to Solti. Trevor Harvey reviewing the Mass found it ''a very convincing performance'' and one that he enjoyed greatly, but Klemperer's was ''a reading of unrivalled depth'', of exultation and of inward feeling, so that allegiances remained unshaken just as they had done in earlier years when Karajan's second (DG) recording presented itself as a competitor. With the Verdi the reviewer was EG, who admired the clarity, directness and dramatic force of Solti's performance but nevertheless found himself ''admiring rather than loving'', and so it was back to Giulini after all.
Time may have done something to reveal more fully the deeper qualities in Solti, just as it has made it harder to accept the ponderous solemnity of Klemperer's treatment of the fugues in Beethoven or the over-earnest reverence of Giulini in the Pezzi sacri. In the Mass I like particularly the way this performance lingers affectionately (though not sentimentally) with the last page of the Kyrie, keeps control even while permitting an exciting sense of danger in the extraordinary finale of the Gloria, allows a profound stillness to settle over the opening of the Sanctus, and presents the tension of war and peace in the Agnus Dei with instinctive dramatic flair. The orchestra and chorus are both in excellent form—hear the orchestra, for instance, playing with such decisive, energetic accuracy in the last presto, or the choir, stylish, rhythmic and apparently inexhaustible in the ''Et vitam venturi'' fugues. A fine texture of choral sound also distinguishes the Verdi pieces, beautifully shaded and again effectively directed, so that the climaxes ring out with passionate conviction.
There is of course a drawback: there almost has to be in such a vast undertaking as the Missa is for all concerned. Here it is the balance of the forces, with the soloists often assuming too great a prominence. Not that the recent EMI recording under Jeffrey Tate is much more satisfactory in the matter of balance: it is, however, more brightly and clearly recorded and has comparable energy. An old-fashioned virtue of the Klemperer is that the choir are well forward so that they become the real protagonists, and, with the Philharmonia Choir at their very finest, this is one of the recording's great strengths.
The second Karajan deserves consideration with its superior team of soloists in Janowitz, Ludwig, Wunderlich and Berry. Even so, if a Missa solemnis is wanted and the Solti comes into view, I would buy it.'