Joseph Balthasar Hochreither (1669-1731) : Missa Jubilus Sacer

   in Choir & Organ (Jul, 2012)
The Requiem (1712/17) comprises fragments written over a five-year period and found in Lambach Abbey in 2002. Comprising the Introitus, Sequentia and Offertorium, it’s doubtful it was intended as a full Requiem Mass. The music is ponderous but well constructed. The inclusion of muted trumpets and muffled drums adds to the solemnity of the occasion, but the request for the bass soloist to sing through a drainpipe doesn’t do a lot for the overall texture. Missa Jubilus sacer (1731) is understandably livelier and more musically developed, written in Hochreither’s last year. Scoring includes high baroque brass, adding to the overall colour. The music has been prepared meticulously for Ars Antiqua Austria. …