Mozart:
Missa solemnis “Waisenhausmesse” in C minor, K. 139

Haydn:
Missa in angustiis “Nelsonmesse” in D minor, Hob. XXII - 11

Mozart’s Mass in C minor was commissioned to mark the consecration of the Orphanage Church (Waisenhauskirche) in Vienna. Aged only twelve, Mozart conducted the first performance in the presence of the court “to the general approbation and admiration of everyone”, as the Viennese press reported. Haydn’s Missa in angustiis was written 30 years later. The nickname ‘Nelson Mass’ was acquired following a performance given in the presence of Admiral Nelson in 1800. Haydn held the position of Kapellmeister at the palace of Prince Esterházy. The prince became obliged to reduce the size of his court orchestra because of financial constraints, but Haydn nevertheless went on to compose six masses, with the ‘Nelson Mass’ widely regarded as his finest setting. Gielen recorded these works with the ORF during concerts in 1991 and 2000. In the course of his long career, Michael Gielen was music director of the Royal Opera in Stockholm, the Belgian National Orchestra in Brussels, the Dutch Opera and the Frankfurt Opera. He was also principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Staatskapelle Berlin as well as chief conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Südwestfunk Symphony Orchestra. He developed an early interest in contemporary music and became known for his outstanding performances of Viennese classical music and of the symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler. He conducted several world premieres of important 20th-century works, including Bernd Alois Zimmermann‘s opera Die Soldaten and György Ligeti‘s Requiem.