Mass in D minor - Bruckner
St Cecilia Mass - Gounod
While Bruckner's Mass is the more serious in import, Gounod's is the more popular in appeal - but it is Gounod who places the greater emphasis on a clear statement of the texts. One could liken Bruckner to a theologian, apt to wander into regions of the abstruse, above the heads of his listeners; Gounod is a popular preacher anxious that his message should be fully understood.
It is not surprising, then, that the Dun Laoghaire Choral Society, conducted by Fergus O'Carroll, sounded more at home with Gounod. The soloists, too, did best in their role as cantors, introducing the sections which were then taken up by the choir. Elizabeth Woods (soprano), Niall Chorell (tenor) and Philip O'Reilly (bass), had sufficient space to be expressive, whereas in the Bruckner their contribution is a limited one, making momentary interjections in the choral texture.
In Bruckner's Mass in D minor, coping with the demands of the music outweighed considerations of subject matter. Even the soloists, joined in their work by Victoria Massey (alto), failed to convey the significance of what they were singing, and the choir were frequently incomprehensible. The Irish Sinfonia, not having to grapple with words, did better - and a truly religious moment came in the short organ solo played by David Bremner.