There are numerous recordings of the Schubert “Ave Maria”, some with tenor instead of soprano, others with chamber music and even solo piano accompaniments, and these elicit seemingly monastery backdrops and thus religious affirmation to various degrees, but the Leontyne Price rendition with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Herbert von Karajan in the Decca recording Christmas with Leontyne Price, circa 1961, conjures up not so much worshipful conviction but that of spiritual aspirations. For one, the impossibly evocative VPO playing under none other than Karajan guarantees, although there are exceptions for another time, peerless concert experience. Karajan recorded this music only once, and for the ensuing sixty-plus years no one scaled equivalent height. To the conductor’s credit, while something of this stature would constitute the top five of a conductor’s lifetime achievement, it is top twenty for K.
Alas, it is only available in standard Redbook CD resolution to this day.
And then there is the Charles-Francois Gounod (1818-1893) “Ave Maria”, in the same CD no less! Not to be taken lightly despite its French flair, it is decidedly more religious in the more yearningly intense passage, though in my mind continues to give ground to the Schubert musicality. But there is one contemporary composition of the subject of Ave Maria that reflects the kind of beauty as only a twentieth century composer could attain, the Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) composition for the 1986 film, The Mission.
The composition depicts the natives singing the music in a 1750 Paraguay, and Morricone fittingly arranged for a choir that fluctuates, simulating an amateurish Guarani village ensemble. The result was a music beautiful in its melody but jarring to the ear. The SACD edition of 2003 didn’t help.
This morning I woke up with the tune in my head, but in perfect choral unity and harmony. I searched and found Presto Classical features two recordings of the chorus:
Morricone, E: Ave Maria Guarani (From “The Mission”) (from the album Hollywood Gala II – Award Night at the Symphony) – work download: $1.95
- Label: EuroArts
- Catalogue Number: 8024247910
- Format: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Morricone, E: Ave Maria (Guarini) (from the album The Essential Ennio Morricone Film Music Collection) – work download: $1.65
- Label: Silva Screen Records
- Catalogue Number: SILED1516
- Format: CD Quality FLAC/ALAC/WAV
The EuroArts track is in 24-bit 48kHz resolution, the Silva Screen Records one in standard Redbook, and both sound like good music to my ear. Gone was the uneven vocals, replaced by blended singing and harmonious tones. The EuroArts track is part of the March 14, 2025 release Hollywood Gala II, and the rendition is deserving of the high-end audio establishment of which this article’s readership is, although it is admittedly tenderer and dare I say sleepy.
The other one, released by Silva Screen Records titled, The Essential Ennio Morricone Film Collection, was released on June 24, 2016. The particular track of Ave Maria Guarani was originally recorded in 1996, this time performed by the Crouch End Festival Chorus, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Temple and Paul Bateman. This rendition is very much akin to the Morricone original in tempo and urgency, the singing ethereal and powerful. In the movie, the recently converted villagers under the direction of Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) were attempting to appeal to the visiting Papal emissary Cardinal Altamirano via their westernized musical performance of this music of their deserving Spanish status and thus of state protection.
Spoiler alert: it can be a painful story to watch.
In important ways, the subject matter is a stark reminder of the victimization of natives by the politics of two warring countries, and how Rome succumbed. Nonetheless, example of learned leadership in the Father Gabriel character and lessons of redemption via religion in the Captain Rodrigo Mendoza character (Robert De Niro) is at the core of the storytelling, and how often do we see these two names coalesce on the big screen, at the height of the Hollywood moviemaking era?
Morricone declared the score his best composition near the end of his life. I’m sure Karajan himself would love to have conducted this if he had lived just a bit longer.
Review system
Audience AV frontROW cable system
Cardas Clear Beyond cable system
Aurender N200 cache player
Bricasti Design M21 DSD DAC
Atma-Sphere MP-1 3.3 tube preamplification system
Pass Laboratories XA200.8 class A monoblocks
Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Ultra Premium GaN-FET monoblocks
Sound Lab M945 electrostatic panels
Acoustic Science Corp. Tubetraps
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