Mostly remembered for his vast symphonies, Anton Bruckner's sacred production must not be neglected and contains absolute summits of Romantic choral music. His very deep Catholic faith was inseparable from his musical aesthetics, and some may argue that even his instrumental music was sacred (like his ninth symphony dedicated to God himself). Among these two splendid masses, here recorded by Daniel Barenboim with the English Chamber Orchestra and the New Philharmonia, one is strictly choral and the other one features such soloists as Heather Harper and Robert Tear.
