Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E Minor - Stravinsky: Mass Rundfunkchor Berlin & Gijs Leenaars

• Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896): Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version):
• 1 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): I. Kyrie 07:21
• 2 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IIa. Gloria. Gloria in excelsis deo 01:45
• 3 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IIb. Gloria. Qui tollis peccata mundi 01:50
• 4 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IIc. Gloria. Quoniam tu solus sanctus 02:25
• 5 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IIIa. Credo. Credo in unum Deum 01:37
• 6 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IIIb. Credo. Et incarnatus est 01:23
• 7 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IIIc. Credo. Crucifixus 01:45
• 8 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IIId. Credo. Et resurrexit 01:50
• 9 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IIIe. Credo. Et in Spiritum Sanctum 02:35
• 10 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): IV. Sanctus 03:08
• 11 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): V. Benedictus 05:25
• 12 Mass No. 2 in E Minor, WAB 27 (1882 Version): VI. Agnus Dei 05:24
• Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971): Mass:
• 13 Mass: I. Kyrie 02:34
• 14 Mass: II. Gloria 03:24
• 15 Mass: III. Credo 04:18
• 16 Mass: IV. Sanctus 03:32
• 17 Mass: V. Agnus Dei 02:44
• Total Runtime 53:00

Info for Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E Minor - Stravinsky: Mass

The Rundfunkchor Berlin, led by its chief conductor Gijs Leenaars and accompanied by wind players from the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, presents masses by Bruckner and Stravinsky. The mass is arguably the oldest genre in music history, full of traditions, but also an inexhaustible soil for originality and innovation. This mix of tradition and innovation makes the genre an ideal vehicle for Bruckner and Stravinsky, who were both masters at blending the old and new into a uniquely personal musical idiom. Bruckners Mass in E Minor and Stravinskys Mass share their unusual orchestrations of almost a cappella voices with a sparse, extraordinary wind accompaniment. While Bruckner was inspired by open air country masses, Stravinskys Mass is emblematic of his neo-classical style. The Rundfunkchor Berlin is one of the most established German choirs, and has participated in several PENTATONE releases of Wagner operas, as well as a recording of Bruckners Mass in F Minor (2013) and Richard Strausss Die Tageszeiten (2015). The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin has an even more extensive PENTATONE discography, containing collaborations with conductors such as Marek Janowski, Jakub Hrua and Vladimir Jurowski. Gijs Leenaars makes his PENTATONE debut.

Rundfunkchor Berlin
Bläser des Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchesters Berlin
Gijs Leenaars, conductor

Gijs Leenaars
As of the 2015/16 season Gijs Leenaars has taken up his post as new Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of Rundfunkchor Berlin. Ever since he successfully cooperated with outstanding conductors such as Simon Rattle, Christian Thielemann, John Eliot Garniner and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Ever since he successfully cooperated with outstanding conductors such as Simon Rattle, Christian Thielemann, John Eliot Garniner and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. In October 2017 he took over the musical direction for the genre crossing Concert performance »LUTHER dancing with the gods« with music by Bach, Nystedt and Reich in Berlins new Pierre Boulez Saal., the choir’s very first collaboration of Rundfunkchor Berlin with the renowned director Robert Wilson. Moreover he directed a celebrated a capella programme in Autumn 2016 at the White Light Festival of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York as well as the choirs first-ever Tour through South America to Brasil, Chile and Argentina with the Brahmsand Mozart-Requiem as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Born in 1978 in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, Leenaars is regarded as one of the most exciting choral conductors of the younger generation. He studied the piano, choral and orchestral conducting as well as singing in Nijmegen and Amsterdam. Directly upon completing his studies he embarked on a collaboration with the Netherlands Radio Choir (Groot Omroepkoor) in Hilversum. From 2012 to 2015 he was the ensemble’s Principal Conductor, working with such leading conductors as Mariss Jansons, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bernard Haitink and Valery Gergiev. He is a regular guest conductor of the Collegium Vocale of Ghent, Cappella Amsterdam and Netherlands Chamber Choir and has also conducted orchestras including the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, The Hague Philharmonic and Turin Philharmonic.

One of his special interests is contemporary music: Gijs Leenaars conducted the Dutch premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s »Vigilia« and prepared the choral works of György Kurtág with the Netherlands Radio Choir for a complete recording under Reinbert de Leeuw. His strikingly imaginative programming brings together the classics of the choral repertoire with seldom performed works from all periods.

Booklet for Bruckner: Mass No. 2 in E Minor - Stravinsky: Mass