[Cover graphic]

Compact Disc CDA67510
(2 discs for the price of 1)

£13.99

The King’s Consort’s latest foray into the studio brings us a thrilling new recording of Michael Haydn’s Requiem, and reveals the little-known ‘St Ursula’ Mass to be a truly exceptional work.

The Requiem was composed in response to tragedy, the death of Haydn’s patron – the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg – providing the official cloak for an outpouring of grief as much inspired by the death of the composer’s infant daughter. In itself the work is a memorable and confident example of the genre, but its deserved fame has been somewhat eclipsed by the many striking similarities between the Haydn and Mozart Requiems; when Wolfgang Amadeus composed what was to be his last – and most famous – work a full twenty years after Haydn’s memorial to the archbishop had been first performed, he doubtless intended it as the highest of praise to his friend that he borrowed melodies, rhythms, scoring, structure … Such points of musicological interest must no longer be allowed to obscure the worth of the Haydn’s original magnum opus.

Some three dozen Mass-settings by Michael Haydn survive. The Missa in honorem Sanctae Ursula (also known as the ‘Chiemsee-Messe’) currently rests in relative obscurity, being performed rarely and hardly touched in the recording studio. And yet Robert King, his choir, soloists and orchestra here demonstrate this to be a work of great beauty and intense power, with a place both in the liturgy and as a showcase for excellent performances.

Recorded in St-Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, on 7-9 May 2004
Recording Engineer
BEN TURNER
Recording Producer
PHILIP HOBBS
Post-production Assistant
JULIA THOMAS (Finesplice)
Executive Producer
SIMON PERRY
© Hyperion Records Ltd, London, MMV

Duration: 83'50
DDD

MICHAEL HAYDN (1737-1806)

Requiem & Mass

CAROLYN SAMPSON soprano
HILARY SUMMERS alto
JAMES GILCHRIST tenor
PETER HARVEY bass

CHOIR OF THE KING'S CONSORT
THE KING'S CONSORT
ROBERT KING

Contents:

Compact Disc 1

    Requiem for Archbishop Siegmund [40'12]
  1. Introitus Requiem aeternam — Kyrie eleison   [7'01]
  2. Sequenz Dies irae   [8'31]
  3. Offertorium Domine Jesu Christe   [4'00]
  4. Versus Hostias et preces tibi   [3'06]
  5. Sanctus et Benedictus Sanctus —   [2'51]
  6. Sanctus et Benedictus Benedictus   [3'34]
  7. Agnus Dei et Communio Agnus Dei — Lux aeterna —   [4'23]
  8. Agnus Dei et Communio Cum sanctis tuis   [2'21]
  9. Requiem aeternam Requiem aeternam — Cum sanctis tuis   [4'01]
Compact Disc 2
    Missa in honorem Sanctae Ursulae [43'38]
  1. Kyrie   [3'39]
  2. Gloria   [8'44]
  3. Credo Credo in unum Deum —   [2'18]
  4. Credo Et incarnatus est —   [4'25]
  5. Credo Et resurrexit tertia die   [6'33]
  6. Sanctus   [2'13]
  7. Benedictus   [6'54]
  8. Agnus Dei Agnus Dei —   [4'48]
  9. Agnus Dei Dona nobis pacem   [3'49]
Sleeve Notes

EDITOR'S CHOICE (Gramophone Magazine)

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE AWARD / BEST CHORAL

'Both performances, from Robert King and his Consort and Choir, are outstanding. The playing is beautifully honed, the choral singing at once clear and thrilling, particularly superb in both the hushed, devotional opening of the Requiem and the elation and sweep of the Ursuline Mass. There's a fine quartet of soloists too, with an exceptional contribution from the much undervalued contralto Hilary Summers. The whole thing serves as a welcome reminder that there are still indeed lost masterpieces out there, waiting to be discovered' (The Guardian)

'A good version of the Requiem appeared last year … but this new one has the edge, in the sharpness of the orchestral contribution (the crucial brass register more pungently), the clarity and attack of the choir, and in the quality of the solo quartet, led by the vernal soprano of Carolyn Sampson. In both works Robert King chooses convincing tempos, keeps the rhythms vital and, in the Mass, never tries to drive Haydn's amiable, graceful music too hard. If you love Mozart's and Joseph Haydn's church music, you can hardly fail to enjoy this' (BBC Music Magazine)

'King's performances are as attractive as the music, with fine solos from Carolyn Sampson and Hilary Summers' (Sunday Times)

'Haydn's flair for large-scale choral writing permeates his majestic Requiem, inspiring a suitably sumptuous performance from Robert King and his excellent musicians' (Classic FM Magazine)

'Robert King teases crisp, clean performances of both works from the Choir of The King's Consort, The King's Consort and an appealing team of soloists in Carolyn Sampson, the fruity voiced Hilary Summers, James Gilchrist and Peter Harvey' (Evening Standard)

'a triumph … Hyperion at its best' (Musicweek)

'The booklet note by King covers useful ground. On the music King is very good, making numerous shrewd observations and conveying the enthusiasm that is evident in these outstanding performances. The real achievement is his, in directing readings of blazing intensity which yet entirely lack artificial excitement' (International Record Review)

'The performances of both works stand in little need of detailed comment. They are quite simply breathtaking in their range and scope, conducted by King with all (and more) of the ardor and blazing commitment his words to me would suggest. The big climactic moments, aided by Hyperion's superlative sound, come across with thrilling immediacy and definition, while Haydn's lyricism is treated with loving care and attention to detail. Add to that an outstanding quartet of soloists, and magnificent choral and orchestral work, and you have an self-recommending issue on the highest level of attainment … Make no mistake; this is a truly great recording that I beg every reader to obtain without further ado' (Fanfare, USA)

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