Under the direction of their founder Michael Alexander Willens the Kölner Akademie releases Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘Lutheran Masses’ today. Bach composed these works, also known as ‘Missae breves’, for high feasts of the protestant church to be used in services in Leipzig. Following the principle of the “pasticcio”, the composer made use of his own existing mass settings. As was quite common at the time, he limited the masses to the Kyrie and Gloria. For this reason, these works are also known as “Kyrie-Gloria Masses”.
The recording has been released on the Pentatone label and is available on all streaming platforms.