The C Minor Mass K. 427 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a fascinating work. But to speak of “the” Mass is inaccurate, for basically it is no more than a musical torso, full of enigmas and problems, yet full of magnificent music. It is hardly surprising that attempts have been made to create a performable version of Mozart’s fragment since the 19th century. Depending on the date of reconstruction and background of the arranger, these attempts sound quite different, and often the individual style of the respective arranger can be clearly discerned. Now Frieder Bernius and Uwe Wolf have published a new edition of the Mozart mass which attempts to produce a performing version whilst maintaining the greatest respect for the available material, and without obscuring Mozart’s musical manuscript with their own contributions. The joint version by Wolf, a renowned musicologist, and Bernius, an expert in historically-informed performance practice, is based on a thorough knowledge of Mozart’s compositions, his notational habits, and church music practice of Mozart’s day. At the same time it fully meets the requirements of today’s performance practice. As well as the paperback full score, we are publishing a high-quality clothbound full score including a Facsimile Supplement with selected reproductions of the sources. A first recording of this version, with the Kammerchor Stuttgart and the Barockorchester Stuttgart conducted by Frieder Bernius, is also available.
