Like so many Bohemian composers, the eastern Bohemian Johann Baptist Vanhal had moved to Vienna early in his career and can thus be viewed as a member of the select core of composers consisting of Haydn, Salieri, Mozart and Beethoven, to whom we owe Viennese classicism. The Missa Solemnis is noteworthy not just for its quality and opulence, but surprises the listener above all with three prolonged concert solo arias. By comparison, Vanhal’s Stabat Mater seems formally more conservative in its usual alternation between choir parts and solo numbers. It is above all the rich melodic imagination that is captivating. The works are beautifully performed on this release by soloists Natalia Melnik and Marta Benackova, as well as the Prager Kammerchor and Prager Kammerorchester.
