This is a straight reissue from a previous Hyperion disc recorded in 1991 which was very well received at the time. There are a number of recordings of the 'Harmoniemesse' but this one is to be commended for its forthright immediacy and sense of architectonic beauty. The team of soloists is quite simply superb and easily eclipses previous forays with Neville Marriner and George Guest, although the latter is not to be discounted. Hill also compares well with Richard Hickox's splendid recording of this mass on Chandos and I would lean towards this disc for the price that it is offered.
The short 'Little Organ Mass' makes good filler although the disc is rather short measure at under an hour. However, this is surely one of the picks of the 10 issue batch in the 25th anniversary Hyperion Helios bonanza.
Copyright © 2005, Gerald Fenech