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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Little known today outside of music history books, Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813) was an important and influential figure--not least for his participation in a string quartet which also included Haydn and Mozart! His symphonies and quartets having begun to attract renewed interest; this disc offers two out of around 50 surviving Mass settings. The Missa Pastoralis is a delightful example of the rustic version of the genre especially popular in Bohemia at the time. The Missa Solemnis features the organ part common to more traditional Masses, but the symphonic treatment of the text and often elaborate orchestral writing anticipate the magnificent series of Masses composed by Haydn at the turn of the 19th century, and beyond that the similarly titled Mass in D major by Beethoven. Uwe Grodd gets the balance right between the intimate and imposing aspects of Vanhal's music, and the New-Zealand-based TOWER Voices are expressively alert and attentive. Allan Bradley prepared the performing editions and contributes a booket-note valuable for its historical overview. Inventive and personable music well worth getting to know. --Richard Whitehouse
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Johann Vanhal Masses,
By A Customer
This review is from: Vanhal - Masses (Audio CD)
I discovered Vanhal's Music on an Air New Zealand flight from Cairns to Auckland last year and was thoroughly knocked out by it. On the Audio programme was Vanhal's Missa Solemnis and I sat entranced listening to this music. It certainly made the 4 hour flight most enjoyable. The music is a delight and performed so brilliantly by the Arcadia Ensemble, the Tower Voices, the conductor Uwe Grodd and the delightful soloists Haines and Stoddart. This was such a voyage of musical discovery. When I returned to the UK I just had to search for the CD and then I discovered Missa Pastoralis as well. I come from a background of Verdi's Requiem, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Orff's Carmina Burana but this CD is a must for all who enjoy Choral music because this is of such high quality. Congratulations to Naxos and thank you Air New Zealand for introducing me to such a memorable experience
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant music but no more than that,
By Aquinas "summa" (celestial heights, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Vanhal - Masses (Audio CD)
Listen to Haydn's last six masses and then turn to this. Simply no comparison, Haydn is the master of this form and Vanhal is a mere student.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vanhal's music fills a gap in the sacred classicalrepertoire,
By "palladio98" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Vanhal - Masses (Audio CD)
The Vanhal series by Naxos has clearly been successful enough for the label to churn out more of his work. And this release's artistic worth and merit is very high because it is a well-performed recording from a neglected repertoire aside from the works of Mozart and Haydn: sacred music of the classical era. Aside from the masses of Haydn and the vespers of Mozart, the sacred repetoire of the classical era is rather sparse compared to the Baroque era.I first heard Vanhal on an LP of the Weller Quartet compilation called "Mozart's Quartet Party." Vanhal's music is clean and scrupulously elegant, as one can hear on the Naxos releases of the symphonies. It is good to know that this elegant ethic carries over into his masses. Yet his music does not have the "shallow elegant" Roccoco style from which some of J.C. Bach's music suffers, as fine and entertaining a composer as he is. Vanhal's masses reflect honest, unpretentious faith without being simplistic or amateurish. Although the Baroque period's stars have grown more numerous that the Bach-Handel-Vivaldi triumvirate (Fasch, Albinoni, Charpentier, Zelenka, and Alessandro Scarlatti have received attention recently), the classical era has largely remained confined to Mozart and Haydn, with growing interst in CPE Bach (who is a remarkable composer in his own right). Although not posssessing the genius of Mozart and Haydn, Vanhal's genial style and warm outlook will provide a welcome addition to the classical period's circle of composers. 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent late 18th century masses,
By Richard A. Cavalla "Rick.C" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Vanhal - Masses (Audio CD)
These two masses are highly interesting, enjoyable, and well written. Vanhal (1739-1813), a near contemporary of Haydn (1732-1809), does not reach the same exalted levels as Haydn's six late masses, but who does?! These works, composed in circa 1782 and 1778, predate the late Haydn masses by about 20 years, but are in a similar style. That is, very symphonic and forward-looking; you will not hear echoes of the Baroque in these masses. Vanhal even uses the very secular oboes and horns in these works. Conductor Uwe Grodd leads the period-instrument Aradia Ensemble in splendid performances that balance the orchestral and choral forces expertly. Grodd, who also conducted a disc of Vanhal symphonies for Naxos, has shown a definite affinity for this overlooked Bohemian composer. Highly recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vanhal's Clear Forte,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Vanhal - Masses (Audio CD)
Having heard some of Vanhal's instrumental and symphonic music, especially the very good symphonies on Uwe Grodd's CD for Naxos, I knew him to be more than a workmanlike composer. The symphonies, for example, are head and shoulders above many of those in Naxos' 18th-century symphony series, though still a good head or more below those of Haydn and Mozart, of course. But these masses by Vanhal show him in the strongest possible light.The Missa Pastoralis announces itself immediately as being in the pastoral mass tradition, with the Kyrie's lilting dance rhythm, choral echo effects, and drone figures in the strings. Some of its passages sound like the choral equivalent of Baroque Christmas concertos and sinfonias. The scoring is light, with sweet-sounding high trumpets giving the work a special aura. A true charmer. The Missa Solemnis is a weightier work and one of real power. This is an exact contemporary of Mozart's famous "Coronation" Mass, but while the Mozart has prettier tunes, Vanhal's mass has more muscle and ingenuity. In fact, I'll take this Missa Solemnis any day over most of Mozart's too-operatic choral music. Vanhal can actually write a fugue that is both musically correct and emotionally fulfilling! And there are individualistic touches that show his great sensitivity to the text, such as the somber, inward music accorded the "Et expecto" section of the Credo. It has the effect of the traditional moment of silence, hat over breast, before the "Et vitam" sweeps all before it. If the quicksilver passage for obliggato organ and the sweet-natured violin solo of the Gloria don't leave you smiling, you took a wrong turn at the Varese bin! Uwe Grodd is proving himself one of the most sensitive conductors in Naxos' fine stable of 18th-century specialists, and his performances here are no exception. His chorus and small orchestra are perfect partners as well. Of the mostly fine soloists, only the wobbly tenor is not quite up to snuff. A detailed recording with just the right church-like ambience completes a sterling package. |
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