Word: tempi
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...Mass is no Mendelssohnian adaptation from the original. Careful attention was paid to ornaments, most noticeable in the brilliantly-played trumpet parts. Richter varied his tempi quite a bit though they were generally fast by standards of only twenty years ago (such as on the Scherchen recording of 1952). Richter had the courage to vary the tempi quite a bit to his taste. The bass aria Quoniam tu solus was taken very slowly. The horn playing in the obbligato solo to this aria is the best that might ever be expected. The soloist exhibited a precision of control that allowed...
...masterful pieces in interestingly contrasting styles. In matters of performance technique and ensemble, there is little to criticize and much to praise: intonation was generally very good, especially in unison passages; the four voices were usually well balanced and blended, without sacrificing an essential degree of individuality; tempi were sometimes a bit on the slow side, but never dangerously so; the softer dynamic markings were occasionally ignored, but there was always sufficient contrast of levels...
...accompaniment for Acis was spirited yet discrete. The eight-piece ensemble of flute, two oboes, strings, and harpsichord was led by first-violinist Stanley Ritchie. Except for the "Happy we" chorus which was far too fast, tempi tended to lapse into a tempo ordinario, a common pitfall of Handel's music...
James Yannatos, who conducted the Mass, has an unusual approach to the piece. His interpretation was generally a novel one, filled with quick tempi and done with a bit too much fortissimo for my taste. But the piece hung together remarkably well under his direction, reaching its peaks in the Credo and the Agnus Dei. There were a few minor flaws, of course; the Kyrie went a bit too fast, the strings weakened during the Sanctus, and the horns were out of shape for the Gloria. The bass did not project as well as it could have, but this...
After this nadir, the concert got under way in earnest. The last two movements of the Mozart went quite well. They chose exciting tempi and played with admirable feeling and expression. The final Allegro was particularly pleasing with a nice rhythmic drive, and exactness of nuance, and an attention to phrasing which deserve praise...