Customer Reviews

Haydn: Creation Mass; Missa "Rorate coeli desuper"

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A brief comment on commercial reviews reprinted by Amazon: some of these reviews (Gramophone's review above is an example) are so abbreviated that they are virtually unintelligible! No matter what you might think on the basis of the chopped up Gramophone excerpt reprinted here, Gramophone has been incredibly enthusiastic with respect to this series of Haydn masses. Now my own opinion: this is the second in the series of recordings of Haydn masses directed by Richard Hickox whose love and understanding of Haydn make him uniquely suitable to this task. As far as I know, Haydn wrote six major masses which Hickox set out to record; as of today we have four volumes, so I suppose we should expect two more. All of these volumes constitute a major musical event (they are, in addition to this one: Theresienmesse; Harmonienmesse; and Paukenmesse). Hickox directs a period orchestra whose sensitive and responsive playing is well matched by the singing of the well-balanced chorus joined by some of the best soloists on the English baroque scene. The musical vision is remarkably consistent from volume to volume enahnced by the repeated appearance of some of the soloists throughout the series. The result is some of the best Haydn music on disc!

After decades of listening to liturgical music from the Middle Ages through to Stravinsky, somehow, I skipped over Hayden. But now I'm discovering him, and find him comparable to, if not quite equal to the heights of Mozart and Bach. On average, his masses are at least as interesting as Handel's famous 'Messiah' oratorio, even if we don't have the great high of the Hallajeuh chorus.

If you can get this and other recordings on Chandos 'The Hayden Mass Edition', you will be pleased with what you hear, if you have any interest at all in liturgical music.