Missa in B, Hob. XXII:14
Joseph Haydn wrote the mass in B, Hob. XXII:14 between January and August 1802. It was not only his last but also his most important mass composition. According to correspondence with his employer, Prince Nicolaus II. of Esterházy, Haydn struggled with the completion of this mass – a fact which does not become apparent when listening to this exquisite composition, which in many parts also refers to other earlier masses by Haydn. The orchestration is among the largest of all of Haydn’s masses: strings, organ, flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets and kettledrum. The name “Harmoniemesse” was only added in 1862, probably due to the large wind section. The mass in B, which combines both traditional and innovative elements, was dedicated to the Prince’s wife, Maria Josepha Hermenegild and was first performed on September 8, 1802 in a church in Eisenstadt.
Translation: Nora Tunkel
Conductor: Mirjam Schmidt
Organist: Wolfgang Kogert
Choir: Vienna Boys Choir, Vienna State Opera men's choir, Choralschola of the Imperial Court Chapel
Orchestra: Members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Celebrant: Peter Schipka
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