The main problem I'm faced with in this review,is how to communicate,in my amateurish,faltering fashion just what an embarrasment of riches are contained within these seven discs.I would kill for the loquacity and erudition of a musicologist, at this point in time,but my poor reader will simply have to make do with blind enthusiasm instead! To start,I'll pass by the earliest of the masses:however,that's not to say they aren't worth hearing.They contain many fine(if brief) moments of inspiration,and are well worth your time in giving them a run through.But I feel it is in the ST.NICHOLAS mass that Haydn begins to really flex his muscles.It has a sweetly plangent and pastoral feel to it,and from the touching little kyrie (mirrored by the Dona nobis pacem),to the exquisite writing for the soloists in the Crucifixus,it is instantly memorable,and would make a good place to start on your musical journey.Then comes the MARIAZELLER mass,which I feel is the true precursor of the later truly symphonic masses of Haydn's astonishing "Indian summer".Perhaps now and then it doesn't really command the listener's attention entirely as a piece of music,but this performance makes the best case possible for it,and is thoroughly enjoyable.The "LITTLE ORGAN MASS" also demands a little forbearance here and there,but the reward is in getting to the charming Benedictus with it's solo for soprano and organ (hence the name of this mass)Jennifer Smith is in beautiful voice here,and John Scott does the honours for the organ. So,we come to the first of the "big six":The PAUKENMESSE,It's here that Haydn's fusion of the symphony and the liturgy reaches perfect symbiosis,and if anyone reading this is completely new to this music;then let me warn you now,that seldom afterwards will you encounter another experience in life as exciting and fulfilling,as when you first discover these glorious "late" masses of Haydn's.From the very opening bars of the Paukenmesse's Kyrie,you are immediately swept along in the irresistible flood of his inspiration,and some 40 minutes later you are thrown gasping back to dry land by the concluding,brilliantly martial dona nobis pacem.And what beauty was encountered mid-stream!Not least of which is that gorgeous cello and horn accompaniment of the bass in the Qui tollis section of the Gloria.This is where the recording qualities really come to the fore,and apart from one exception,are a real distinction of the series.That exception,I'm afraid to say is the NELSON mass,which to my mind suffered from been recorded away from the auspices of St.John's and George Guest.Don't get me wrong,I'm not criticising the musical forces involved-they are uniformly excellent,but honestly,I really can't live with that wooly,distant soundstage.I'd much rather reach for the outstanding reading under Trevor Pinnock,or the latest worthy rival by Richard Hickox.And that,is basically the only disappointment I wish to register about the whole project. Next we come to the HEILIGMESSE,and here is a mass setting of truly sustained and unalloyed magic.I would single out the Benedictus as a mini-masterpiece in it's own right.It begins with some lovely writing for the strings followed by the most extraordinary rising,rising canon which culminates in a spine-tingling ecstatic climax. The THERESIENMESSE ,I judge to be perhaps my favourite of the six,and I'm only sorry that the 1000 word limit of this review forbids me expounding upon it's glories in full.Suffice to say it features some of Haydn's most perfectly integrated passages for orchestra,soloists and choir,and like the Heiligmesse,has a Benedictus to die for. The SCHOPFUNGSMESSE(sorry German speakers,I couldn't find an umlaut on my keyboard!)doesn't perhaps sustain the terrific brass and timpani driven impetus of the Kyrie and Gloria,but for all that it's still astonishing that Haydn's well of inspiration proves as inexhaustible as ever in this his penultimate mass. And so we come to that ultimate mass:The HARMONIEMESSE.It's ineffably touching that this is Haydn's last major composition,and despite that it feels in no way valedictory,and in no sense do you get the impression that his compositional skills are on the wain.Far from it, in fact it displays all the hallmarks of a master at the height of his powers.It might be revealing, that here the Agnus Dei is the most supplicatory,and prayerful of all his masses,but rest assured, no way is Haydn going out without a fight,and to that end the Dona nobis pacem (grant us peace)I'm quite sure is his way of demanding:"Grant us peace God,or by Heaven I'll come up there myself, and give you a damn good thrashing! ) Haydn used to end the manuscripts of his masses with the words,"Laus Deo" or "Praise God".Yes indeed,but I say praise Haydn immediately afterward,and then all the superb musicians and recording personnel involved in this landmark project.It's a tremendous contribution to civilisation as a whole,and although it may seem a tired old reviewer's cliche to say that if you buy this boxset,it will bring you a lifetime's listening pleasure.Well,take my word for it,this particular boxset WILL.
