Missa Corporis Christi

Exquisite and magnificent sounds here... Male sopranos/altos, Baroque trumpets, a cornetto, trombones, drums and transparent sounding baroque strings. Fux writes music in a natural and straight forward manner - his tunes are powerful and memorable. The first track, "Victimae Paschali Laudat", has a power and drive that establishes itself right from the very first notes. It would be hard to imagine a better performance of this and the following Missa Corporis Christi - the Wiener Akademie under Martin Haselbock is in its element. Others will be fascinated and amazed that all four soloists - Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass are men! David Cordier is the falsetto soprano and Drew Minter is the falsetto alto. These voices blend beautifully with the period instruments - particularly with the cornetto and the trombones - in a way impossible for female voices.

This CD will take you into another world - and Johann Joseph Fux was, according to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach's favourite composer.

A CD that has brought much happiness to me.

SOUNDS OF BREATH-TAKING BEAUTY!
Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1740) was an influential teacher, having written 'Gradus ad Parnassum' which codified compositional principles for musical training throughout the classical era. His compositions include abundant church music, operas, and numerous suites and trio sonatas. Counterpoint in his compositions was a hallmark of his style but did not keep him from incorporating modern tendencies in his music. The 'Missa Corporis Christi' was written in February, 1713, probably written for the next Feast of Corporis Christi, which fell on June 15 in that year.

Martin Haselbock has gathered herein a perfectly wonderful group of performers, both vocally and instrumentally, which more than does justice to this incredibly lovely music of J.J. Fux.

His total singing group numbers twelve, and they are all experts in this era. Four of these singers make up the solo group that consists of David Cordier (sopranist)-Drew Minter (alto)- Johannes Chum (tenor) and Klaus Mertens (bass). The supporting group of singers is all male also and includes two of each voice part. The selection of voice types for this recording is based upon the historical information available from this era. Regardless, the sound is fantastic; lovely tone-quality, rich sonorous sound and clear diction. JUST GREAT!

Instrumentally, we have the strings with bassoon, timpani and brass in abundance: three trumpets, two trombones and organ. They accompany and solo expertly and provide excellent support for the vocal ensemble.

I have one other recording involving Fux and Haselbock, and it too is quite expertly done and includes much the same people. Give yourselves a pleasurable experience and enjoy some outstanding music!

Few great composers have ever devoted so much of their music to the key of C major as Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741), the chief Austrian court composer for thirty years, and very few have ever achieved the varied brilliance of Fux's imperial sacred music. Conductor Martin Haselböck suggests in his notes that Fux's obligation to make use of trumpets in most of his grandest ceremonial works obligated him to compose in major keys in insure the reliability of his valveless horns. The music recorded here is indeed rich in brass; Haselböck' s Wiener Akademie orchestra includes three trumpets, alto trombone, tenor trombone, cornetto, bassoon, six violins, two violas, cello, violone, organ, and timpani, truly an imperial ensemble for 1713, the year when Fux composed his "Missa Corporis Christi." Fux's use of timpani with his trumpet-loaded ensemble places him directly in the Austrian tradition inherited by Haydn and Mozart; these sacred compositions are utterly symphonic in affect.

Fux was the son of a peasant farmer. His musical education seems to have begun rather late in his youth, in various Jesuit institutions. The Austrian emperors, ostentatiously Catholic, were proud of their musical extravagance and of their commitment to the Counter-Reformation ideals of Italy, so much so that Italian was the standard language of court even in Fux's era. Few German Baroque composers had such continuous exposure to the finest musicians and composers from Italy as Fux, and few enjoyed such consistent virtuosity in their instrumental and vocal forces.

Trumpets and timpani proclaim the themes of "Victimae Paschali Laudes", the first piece of music on this CD, as well as of the Missa and the operatic motet "Plaudite, Sonat Tuba." Take a look at the cover art - an imperial Apollo in the chariot of the sun, heralded by a semi-Christian Angel playing a straight trumpet - and you'll get an inkling of the triumphant quality of Fux's music.

There's a plausible musical rumor that Fux was JS Bach's "favorite" composer. Certainly works by Fux were included in Bach's personal music library. But Fux is utterly unlike Bach in spirit; except for his profound Requiem, which I've also reviewed, Fux seldom even implies gravity or penitence, or any of those dark Lutheran religious obsessions. The link between the two great composers is their absolute command of counterpoint. Fux's instruction manual in counterpoint, Gradus ad Parnassum, has remained a standard teaching tool up to our times.

Though only some 500 of Fux's compositions have survived intact, the Viennese court archives reveal a great deal about musical practices in Fux's era. It's clear from them, for instance, that the Viennese were not enthusiastic about castrati singers, that women were not allowed to sing except in very specific contexts, and that boy sopranos were not considered dependable enough for imperial events. Thus it's well documented that soprano and alto parts were sung by falsettist countertenors, just as they are on this recording. Haselböck has assembled only male singers for this performance: a corps of 12, with four soloists. The soloists are David Cordier, Drew Minter, Johannes Chum, and Klaus Mertens, all international stars of Early Music. The chorists and the instrumentalists are mainly Austrians. Fux is the Austrian pride of the Baroque, a specimen of musical nationalism that has perhaps limited his appeal to other ensembles. Nearly all the worthy recordings of Fux are by two ensembles, Haselböck's Akademie and the Clemencic Consort. The soloists and chorists in this performance are as close to flawless in ensemble blend and in tuning as you'll ever hear. This is a splendid CD; if you don't trust my recommendation, read the two previous reviews, by Steven Guy and George Peabody, two of the most reliable and best informed reviewers on the banks of amazon. Raves from all of us!

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