This recording by the (" ") and its conductor, , was originally released in 1990 by the label. There is a lot to dislike in this 2024 reissue by , from which one might have expected some Germanic precision. gets the billing as organist, but plainly, he provided only the Zwischenspiele ("interludes") between the sung movements of the two masses by (an and a ); the main body of the album was recorded in a studio at Radio Hannover, while the interludes were from an organ by (this should be ) a church in Houdan, west of Paris. There is quite a sonic lurch between the interludes and the vocal sections. The organist for the choral movements is unidentified (perhaps it was ?); there is also a small instrumental ensemble that is not identified, and the vocal soloists aren't either. Tenor and bass voices were added for these masses, but the listener is left in the dark as to who they are and where they came from. To make things worse, the transfer from the original materials has little sonic hiccups in some media. The only thing that redeems the whole project is that the music is gorgeous. These masses, with their small-ensemble accompaniment, have a deeply introspective tone, poles apart from the splendor of the composer's . They resemble the small-scale cantatas of and 's other predecessors in a way. Best of all is 's work on the organ, a shining, piercing thing, and really, the album is worth the price of admission for these alone. Perhaps another edition of this reissue is in order; the music made by with the , which he founded and directed for 51 years, is attaining legendary status. ~ James Manheim