W.A. Mozart

Krönungsmesse and others

The Mass that Mozart composed in 1779 for the Easter service in Salzburg Cathedral is shrouded in legend. From the very first bar, it radiates the stately tone that much later earned it the now-familiar nickname “Coronation Mass.” Shortly after Mozart’s death, it became the favored Mass for coronation ceremonies at the Viennese court chapel.

The live recording from 21 May 2022 in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz also includes three other, lesser-known compositions that likewise originated during the composer’s Salzburg years. Here, they are woven between the short movements of the Coronation Mass, as demanded by the reformist spirit of the time, thus linking them with the Mass in a manner that may well reflect the performance practices of a Salzburg church service.

In his Vesperae solennes de Dominica, written in the same year, Mozart responded with a wink to the Archbishop of Salzburg’s demand for the utmost brevity, employing various compositional tricks and creating a particularly resplendent score. Completing the album are the “Epistle Sonata” in C major, K. 329 - written in connection with the Coronation Mass and scored for orchestra with obbligato organ - and the solemn offertory Alma Dei creatoris for soloists, choir, and orchestra in F major, K. 277.

Released on
BR Klassik, 2023