These performances, now 40-ish years old, are still delightfully fresh; and frankly, despite all of the scholarship that has gone on since and the subsequent recordings to come out of all that study, these remain at the top of the list. Ferenc Fricsay’s Classical sense was unbeatable and he leads with elegance, appropriate lightness, and weight (when needed), and commits no gaffs of overused rubato or other such “Romantic” ideas. This Mass is arguably Mozart’s greatest–left unfinished at his death, the edition used here is H.C. Robbins Landon’s 1956 reconstruction. The “Kyrie” has great piety, the “Gloria” exults. The “Quoniam” trio–a great show-off piece–practically dances. One might argue that the chorus and orchestra are a bit hefty, but Fricsay only plays on their heft when he wants to. The soloists are very fine, with Maria Stader’s perfect oratorio style and bright sound just right for her big solos. The Haydn Te Deum is presented in a live performance; this nine-minute piece is too little-known. It’s a joyous work from late in Haydn’s life (1800), beginning with what sounds like a college football fight-song and ending with a fabulous double-fugue–and it receives a rousing performance. This CD is a must-own.
