Mozart: German sacred songs (2), K343 (Zwei Kirchenlieder)

Mozart loved the human voice, which he used as an instrument of musical expression throughout his compositional career from the age of six or seven. His Lieder, written largely in response to requests and commissions from acquaintances, friends and publishers deal with everyday subjects such as friendship and romance but also with social and political occasions such as the Emperor Joseph II’s Turkish campaign. Some were written in connection with Mozart’s activities as a freemason. Only one, the bitter-sweet Das Veilchen (The Violet) is set to the words of a major poet, Goethe. The many miniature masterpieces to be heard on this recording include Komm, liebe Zither, komm (Come, dear Zither), a musical precursor, with mandolin accompaniment, of Don Giovanni’s serenade Deh vieni alla finestra, the idyllic Der Zauberer (The Sorcerer) and the dramatically graphic Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte (When Louisa burned the letters of her unfaithful lover).

Mozart may have written masses of masses as a professional obligation, but that doesn't mean they are are merely workaday music. They tend towards a bright and joyful C major, amenable as the key is to the instrumentation of trumpet and drums that will make a joyful noise in a vast acoustic like that of the Stephansdom in Vienna, but they also include many tender arias, none perhaps more memorable than the soprano's solo in the Benedictus of the 'Coronation' Mass, though everyone will have their favourites, and indeed be able to discover many more in this comprehensive set.

Not just the Requiem and 'Great' C minor Mass, then, whose original purposes still remain shrouded in confusion, but short, simple devotionals such as the Benedictus sit Deus; all offer a pleasing call upon our attention, especially in these stylish modern performances.

11 CD + CD ROM