Klemperer's unique brand of old-school Bach might well be anathema to devotees of current H.I.P. (historically informed performance) practice but to those open to a different approach it has a quality of serious monumental approach one will NEVER hear in a fleet footed lightweight performance so prevalent today. His tempos will seem downright leaden and the full voiced professional chorus he employs will sound nothing like todays' 24 voiced professional ensembles but somehow the old man can maintain a sense of tension even at his slow pace. Moreover, the BBC chorus is able to maintain spot on intonation even in the treacherous Qui Tollis and Crucifixus choruses at tempos that sound glacial to present day listeners.I've heard performances as various in approach as Herrweghe's fleet-footed lyrical Virgin recording, Gardiner's brisk exciting DG archiv, Richter's even more exciting if bombastic old DG archiv from 1961, Jochum's big Bach somewhat faster & lighter 1970s recording and a more lightweight bridge performance from the mid 1970s by Corboz and the Lausanne ensemble. I find value and emotional expression in each and wish enthusiasts were a bit more open minded about approach. (If you peruse the reviews, you will find one particularly snarky anti-romantic one in a style that I thought had died with Alexander Wolcott.) I've sung tenor in both the Barenreiter editions (from 1955 and an absurd 2010 edition based on ink analysis that came up with some most unmusical variants that were easily discarded) and in one case was part of a 180 voice chorus that simply had to do away with the fleet footed approach to maintain clarity of line. I have to admit it still worked bringing the audience to its feet at end. Even though you might miss the rapid fire "Cum Sancto" counterpoint the sheer power of massed voices in the Et Resurrexit, Gloria and Dona Nobis Pacem choruses have a power that totally eludes small baroque ensembles. And while we're at it, why does everyone today have to employ period ensembles with those dreadful sounding vibratoless cat-gut strings and weak out of tune winds playing with a constant mezzo-voce swell on every phrase? Give me modern instruments any day, even if you insist on the light and rapid period approach.The soloists are comprised of one of the finest teams available in the mid 1960s. They were accustomed to slower tempos and a fuller voiced approach and have no difficulty with maintaining freedom of expression and breath control. The recorded sound (from 1967) and remastering are clear, warm and attractively detailed. There is a great deal of recorded competition in this approach from Jochum, Solti, Karajan, Munchinger and Richter among others, but for my money, Klemperer brought a unique style to his Bach. Rare for his day, he insisted on clarity of counterpoint and controlled vibrato with a lack of interpretive mannerism not indicated in the score. If you are open to a different approach to the B-Minor Mass you owe it to yourself to hear this recorded performance. And let's show some appreciation for the efforts of musicians like Klemperer to keep this music alive in the pre and post war era, or we might not be hearing it at all today.