Written in 1828, the year of his death at the age of 31, Schubert’s Sixth Mass could be seen as his own final thoughts on the Catholic religion, though it may have been nothing more profound than a score to capture the attention of potential employers. Whichever was the case, he did not live long enough to hear the work performed. It is a reverential work and somewhat removed from the operatic mode that had been creeping into such sacred compositions over the preceding two decades. He did omit part of the traditional text, showing that he had thought through the implication of the words, and that this was not just a simple setting of a well-known text. It calls for six soloists, chorus and a conventional sized orchestra, all used within a quite narrow dynamic range. At times it is very much an academic score, the final section of the Gloria resembling a student working through an exercise. There is little of the inspiration that made Schubert famous, the thematic material being that of any competent kapellmeister of the time. The performance from the Immortal Bach Choir, is neat and tidy, though I guess it has not been in their repertoire, singers at times feeling for the note. But the inherent quality of the Leipzig choir is shown in the fact that they provide the excellent soloists, the two tenors, Raimund Minarschik and Rolf Ehlers distinguished in the Et incarnatus est, the one section where Schubert moved to an attractive operatic mode. The release is completed by the Stabat Mater, a short piece completed in 1815 when Schubert was 18, the accompaniment more in the mode of an organ.The Leipzig Chamber Orchestra, mainly drawn from the famous Leipzig Gewandhaus, perform on ‘modern’ instruments, their playing excellent throughout with the brass and timpani potent members of the ensemble. The highly experienced Danish conductor, Morten Schuldt-Jensen, directs unfussy performances that move at an admirable pace. The sound quality is excellent.