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Conductor Christoph Poppen continues his recordings of Mozart’s complete masses with this fourth volume that features three distinctive works from the composer’s early years: the Missa brevis in G major, his only ‘Pastoral’ Mass that also uses dance tunes from a contemporary ballet; the Mass in C major ‘Dominicus’, boasting operatic qualities and a deepening awareness of contrapuntal writing; and the serene Missa brevis in F major, composed in 1774 and inspired by Haydn’s teaching.
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756–1791)
Complete Masses, Vol. 4
Mass in C major ‘Dominicus’
Missa brevis in G major
Missa brevis in F major
Carolina Ullrich, Katharina Ruckgaber, Katharina Konradi, SopranosElvira Bill, Sarah Romberger, Altos
Patrick Grahl, Paul Schweinester, Martin Mitterrutzner, Tenors
Dominik Köninger, Jonas Müller, Mikhail Timoschenko, Basses
Cologne Cathedral Vocal Ensemble
Cologne Chamber Orchestra • Christoph Poppen
Flanked on this recording by the Missa brevis in G major, the only example of a ‘Pastoral’ Mass by Mozart, and the emotive Missa brevis in F major, the precocious Mass in C major was composed at the age of only 13. It is a dramatic setting of sizeable proportions, with the Gloria and Credo themselves the length of a Missa brevis setting. The ‘Dominicus’ Mass shows a deepening of Mozart’s contrapuntal and harmonic language, with more adventurous and memorable melodies for the soloists.
Christoph Poppen is noted for innovative programming and a wide-ranging commitment to contemporary music. He has been guest conductor of orchestras in Europe, The Americas, Japan and Singapore. He is chief conductor of the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, music director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and principal guest conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Founder and artistic director of the acclaimed Festival Internacional de Música de Marvão, he was also artistic director of the Classic Revolution festival in Seoul between 2020 and 2022.
Founded in 1996, the Cologne Cathedral Vocal Ensemble is the youngest of Cologne Cathedral’s four choirs; its repertoire includes a cappella works from the Renaissance to contemporary works. Concert tours have taken the choir across Europe, and it has participated in renowned festivals, including those in Rome, Loreto and Moscow. The choir has also performed numerous oratorios, as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, under Marc Minkowski and Daniel Barenboim.
The Cologne Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1923 with the aim of interpreting works in authentic and faithful ways, and has subsequently toured Europe, North and South America, and Asia. It has been organising its own subscription series, Das Meisterwerk, in the Cologne Philharmonie for over 30 years. As Germany’s oldest chamber orchestra, its 200-plus recordings, together with radio and television productions, document a repertoire of more than 500 masterpieces and rarities.
Mass No. 16 ‘Coronation Mass’
Missa longa
Ulrich • Reinhold • Pollak • Krimmel
West German Radio Chorus Cologne
Cologne Chamber Orchestra
Poppen
– MusicWeb International
Mass No. 18 ‘Great’
Missa brevis ‘Spaur’
Konradi • Romberger
Mitterrutzner • Timoshenko
Cologne Radio Choir
Cologne Chamber Orchestra
Poppen
– Gramophone
Mass No. 7
‘Missa in honorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis’
Missa Brevis in D major
Missa Brevis in B flat major
Ulrich • Bill • Grahl • Köninger
WDR Radio Choir
Cologne Chamber Orchestra
Poppen
– AllMusic.com ★★★★★