Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass has had a number of successful recordings, most notably by Rafael Kubelík and Karel An∂erl, both Czechs, and by Charles Mackerras, who made himself into something of an honorary Czech. Marek Janowski’s approach differs from these, not necessarily for the worse, as the work can by now be regarded as a masterpiece of universal validity, whatever its origin. He uses, incidentally, the edition by Paul Wingfield, as Mackerras has done, which gives us the Intrada twice, at the beginning as well as the end.

However, Janowski takes an altogether gentler view of the work compared to the ebullient energy of Kubelík and in particular Mackerras, and this seems too often out of place. In the ‘Slava’ (Gloria), for instance, though the excellent chorus sing well, as does the soprano soloist, Aga Mikolaj, the music demands greater punch and precision. Janowski seems intent on suggesting a more lyrical approach, latent in Mackerras’s splendid reading but contained within a toughness and forcefulness that are really closer to Janáček’s manner. In his version, the brass blaze and the timpani throb where Janowski keeps them restrained.

Not surprisingly, Janowski is at his most effective in the ‘Agneče Božij’ (Agnus Dei); this is gracefully done. The extraordinary organ solo is well played, though it is necessarily imported from another Berlin recording site, the Philharmonie. In Taras Bulba, again, Janowski seems to prefer softer outlines and gentler textures than are really demanded by music that is capable of considerable ferocity, and gets it from Mackerras.