Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119977 in Music
• Released on: 2005-04-12
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Import

Customer Reviews

I am in complete agreement
I purchased this two CD set of Michael Haydn's works solely because of the previous review. The title of my review says it all. Based upon these works there is no reason why Michael Haydn should not enjoy the same acclaim as his famous brother. I like the Reqiem particularly. It is stirring and joyful. This set should be purchased by anyone who likes the religious music of Joseph Haydn and Mozart.

Michael Haydn Performed Magnificently
This recent release is a double CD, although the total playing length is only around 83 minutes, with each Mass complete on one CD.

Michael, the younger brother of the great Josef, was highly regarded in his own time, especially for his choral music. Mozart, who did not tolerate fools, was a friend. Schubert made a pilgrimage to his grave when visiting Salzburg.

We have here two examples from some 30 Masses which Michael Haydn wrote. The first, composed in 1771, is a Requiem which bears some surface similarity to that which Mozart left incomplete at his death 20 years later. It's a fine work, especially the sombre opening movement. The Mass for St Ursula is from 1793, and perhaps more spectacular in its fugal writing.

The performances are outstanding. The brass tones are pleasantly pungent, the strings clearly articulated, the singing of chorus and principals magnificent. The pace never flags even when the writing is less than totally inspired.

One of the joys of the contemporary catalogue is the emergence of long neglected works by so called minor composers, especially of the classical era where the greater Haydn and Mozart are outnumbered countless times by names known only to the specialist. This release makes an important contribution in this direction, and anyone with an interest in post baroque choral music, or in the less travelled roads of the 18th century can buy with confidence.