Coronation Mass

Mozart: Kronungsmesse, Exsultate Jubilate / Koopman, Schlick, Magnus, Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Performer: Barbara Schlick, Paul Agnew, Elisabeth von Magnus, Matthijs Mesdag, Orchestra/Ensemble: Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Amsterdam Baroque Choir, Conductor: Ton Koopman. This coupling of the two principal works here has been popular in recent years and has already given rise to several extremely good CDs; and here is another excellent version, with two short extra works thrown in. Indeed the selection, with an early work, a late one, Mozart's finest complete Mass setting, and a set of vesper psalms which typically shows a wide variety of styles, would make a first rate introduction to his sacred music. Ton Koopman has a keen sense of the stylistic basis of these pieces, the Mass and the vespers setting in particular: the lively tempos, the underlying sense of assurance and jubilation, the mix of the natural, fluent utterance and the serious meaning behind it- all this contributes to a series of performances that truthfully catch the atmosphere of Austrian rococo church music. One relishes, in the Mass, the brisk Gloria, with trumpets nicely prominent, the sturdy momentum of the Credo, the touch of delicate sentiment in the Benedictus. It is all greatly enhanced by the excellence of most of the solo singing, especially that of the delightful Barbara Schlick, so light and graceful, so natural in manner - there is some lovely singing from her in the Kyrie, but the Agnus Dei is simply magical, exquisitely sung, with the impassioned "Miserere" at it's climax leading very satisfyingly into the "Dona nobis pacem" with it's reassuring recapitulation of music heard before.