Customer Reviews

Masses

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I adore Haydn and consider him every bit as fine as Mozart, even finer. I readily admit that there are certain Mozart pieces that are better than all of Haydns music, but I think, when considering there entire output, Haydn is the better composer. Yet I have always conceded to detractors that Mozart was a better composer for voice, and piano concerto's. I have yet to hear a Haydn opera and till this disc and its subsequent volume, had never heard his masses. I knew Haydn's vocal writing through the Creation and the Seasons[both of which I consider Masterpieces of the highest order----the seasons I especially consider remarkable undervalued].

Now that I have heard Haydn's masses, I feel my arguement for Haydn is even more firm. These are works might lack the transcendence of Mozart's, but again I consider them to be Mozart's greatest accomplishments[Masses, opera's, Piano Concerto's, wind writing in general]. But, in now way do these masses concede anything to Mozart. They are not as immediatly seductive as Mozarts, but on repeated listenings, their innate brilliance reveals itself. A mass for organ, drums, and voice!!! that sounds almost primeval!!! Haydn is just so underrated, he is so brilliant, so inventive, and so consistently remarkable that I feel sorry for anyone who has passed judgement on him without a thorough investigation of all his works.

Haydn began his musical career as a boy soprano, and here it's easy to see the proof of his affinity for choral and vocal music generally. These are absolutely wonderful examples of the mass genre. I'm not sure they would inspire piety in me even if I were religious, in the same sense that Bach, Beethoven or Mozart seemed able to write music that evokes a sense of the sacred, but the composer of the London Symphony and several other quite lively orchestral compositions knows what power and drama are, as well as the placement of the occasionally limpid, meltingly beautiful melody, and all are in quite abundant supply here. In short they are wonderful just as music, music in the abstract, as glorious, glorious sound.

It's also hard to imagine better versions of these works. Margaret Marshall's soprano is liquid gold, Holl's bass is rich and stately. Helen Watts, Elisabeth Speiser, Ann Murray, Barbara Hendricks and many others live up to their reputations. All choruses are wonderfully solid, full, and nimble. My favorite for classical balance and dramatic organization is the Paukenmesse. The Cecilia mass has more occasions for arias, duets, trios and quartets of the fine soloists involved. The Schopfungmesse is perhaps slighter than the other two musically but the energy and focus of the chorus is better than anything else I can remember. So five stars, five stars and five stars.

My orthographically and grammatically challenged fellow commenter here wastes time comparing Mozart and Haydn. A fool's errand! Why not accept two different colossi on their separate merits? Personally I wouldn't be without either one, certainly not without Haydn after encountering these masses, which I expect to hear much more often than his longer oratorio, The Creation (Der Schopfung), magnificent as that is, now and always.