Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

In 1805, towards the end of his immensely productive and successful career, Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) significantly expanded the youthful 'Missa Brevis' setting he had composed over 50 years earlier, enriching the orchestration with flute, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets and timpani. The other work on this disc, his Mass in B flat major of 1801, is officially known as 'Missa, "Schopfungsmesse"' and gained its nickname 'Creation Mass' from a short quotation taken from his most famous oratorio. Although this upset the Empress Marie Therese, audiences to this day smile in recognition at this musical phrase, which enlivens the work's overarching mood of splendour. The 'Missa Brevis' is brief indeed and even taken at a relatively sedate pace by Owen Burdick, it comes in at under 12 minutes. Jane Glover pushes the 'Creation Mass' along at a faster tempo which, to my ears at least, makes this old favourite come alive once more. Curiously, the 'Missa Brevis' under Burdick was recorded in May 2001 and 'The Creation' under Glover in September 2008. I expect there is a reason for this gap but I have not been able to discover what it is and, ultimately, it matters not at all. The two settings sit quite comfortably together, as with all Naxos issues it is good quality at a budget price and whether you have been collecting this series or not this is a splendid way to make Haydn's acquaintance and this amiable composer is always worth hearing.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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