The austere, ascetic, and strangely eclectic Missa Brevis by Zoltan Kodaly has certainly not hurt for recordings, with at least four currently available that are all very fine. This one, the first SACD release, may be the finest if one can take the couplings. The mass is definitely one of his finest works, and perhaps one of the finest in the genre. The very opening, with the dramatic, rugged organ announcing the Kyrie bespeaks a new and somewhat different approach to this form, hardly something that one would expect in a “short mass”. Kodaly’s concept seems to be one of high drama and serious considerations, not workaday music supplied for a scantily attended daily service. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the realities of the piece’s composition, that occurred during the second world war in 1944, a time when all religious music took on a more profound and heartfelt expression. The piece is a seminal example of the ability of such music to ennoble and inspire, especially in times of stress and danger.
The other tracks here give us a scattered sampling of the composer’s shorter choral efforts. The psalm settings are much more diatonic and hymn-like, with few real surprises, nicely done, but not on the level of the mass. The other works are of varied interest, especially the ode, The Musicmakers, but as with the rest of the works, absolutely no texts and translations are given, something really stupid to have been overlooked in an otherwise fine production. I enjoyed the setup of the choir, with some distance between it and the microphones, and the Super Audio sound is given fine balance and realistically captures. The Flemish Radio Choir sings with zeal and finesse. I do wish that perhaps some other selections had been offered, as these pieces are inconsistent and prove Kodaly to have been an uneven choral composer; but the Missa Brevis is truly a great reading and worth having, especially if you are insistent—as I am—on state of the art sound.
— Steven Ritter
