Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Joseph Balthasar Hochreither (1669-1731) was born into a family of Salzburg court musicians, was appointed briefly as organist at the Benedictine convent in Nonnberg and then moved to a permanent position in Lambach in 1694 where he remained until 1721. Almost all of his 21 works to have survived were composed during this period, with the exception of the festival mass on this recording dating from the year 1731. Hochreither was appointed as cathedral chapter organist in Salzburg in 1721 and died in 1731 in the city of his birth. In 2002, the entire archives of Lambach Abbey were relocated and modernised and the works of the house composer caught the attention of the musical archivist. The first edition of a large-scale mass ('Missa Ad Multos Annos' from 1705) was then issued and subsequently recorded on CD by Gunar Letzbor. Motivated by the beauty of this newly discovered work, Ars Antiqua Austria were keen to make further compositions by Hochreither available to the general public and therefore prepared the works included on this recording for CD and concert performance. The Requiem is a reconstruction from several quite different sources and although it sounds good there is no certainty as to whether all the segments truly belong together. A curious feature is the bass soloist, Gerhard Kenda, having to sing through a drainpipe but if you want the full story you must read the CD booklet. The Mass 'Jubilus Sacer' was composed in the year of Hochreither's death, 1731. While we may have hoped for a dramatic story comparable to Mozart's last days this Mass comes across as a thoughtful, mature work but perhaps lacking in passion. The use of trombones is noteworthy and while I am struggling to get excited about this neither can I be negative. I enjoyed hearing both pieces, Ars Antiqua Austria play well and the singing of St Florianer Sangerknaben is commendable but, ultimately, all their effort fails to stir my imagination.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.