"Schubert fans should not hesitate, and if you're a listener looking for a way in to the composer's church music, this is an excellent place to start. Recommended".
AllMusic
2010
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James Manheim
2010
"As elsewhere in the series, Schuldt-Jensen avoids the warm melodic lyricism that some prize in Schubert's masses (and Schubert in general), but he replaces it with a sort of precise grace that's very appealing. All four of the soloists are excellent, with German alto Bettina Ranch a real standout -- she has a blast furnace of a voice that nevertheless blends beautifully with the others in the work's numerous quartet ensembles".
"Franz Schubert worked for three years on this beautiful Mass - the last of his settings of the Catholic liturgy. The result is one of the most perfect Mass-settings in the entire musical literature. The Oregon Bach Festival Chorus & Orchestra under the direction of Helmuth Rilling hit just the right devotional, balanced tone for this devotional composition, while maintaining an aesthetic suitable for the concert hall".
"The A-flat major Mass is one of two great, late masses by Franz Schubert, the other being in E-flat ... These are both big works, each of which Schubert designated as a "missa solemnis," and which have received a number of fine recordings. I can happily add this new account by the redoubtable Frieder Bernius and his Stuttgart forces to a list of outstanding performances of the A flat Mass ... One can enjoy this new account of one of Schubert's most memorable, songful masterpieces in a superb rendition and not feel short-changed".
"Eine überzeugende, stellenweise berückende Aufnahme dieser wunderbaren Musik".
BBC music magazine
2023 April
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Jeremy Pound
2023 April
"Though not entirely devoid of drama, this is not a blood-and-thunder affair. What you do get, however, is a supremely elegant performance from Frieder Bernius and his forces, with a delightfully light touch in moments such as the Benedictus".