Schubert: Mass No. 6 in E-Flat Major

Here’s a welcome new recording of one of Schubert’s most beautiful Mass settings. The 19th-century Austrian composer’s liturgical music is sorely neglected, so to have his late Mass No. 6 in E Flat performed by such impressive forces, and recorded with such warm sound (hear it here in Spatial Audio), is a treat indeed. Schubert has a keen ear for orchestral and choral scoring, evident from the opening stately Kyrie, the opening orchestral chords almost organ-like in their quiet majesty. There are some truly magical moments throughout, however, such as the Credo’s hushed opening exchange between choir and orchestra, and the insistent chugging motif that underpins the Sanctus, its dynamic swells and angular key changes adding a genuine sense of awe. The musicmaking here is impeccable: fine soloists and a well-heeled chorus (words are beautifully enunciated) conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, a man who clearly loves every note of this music.