So much to say about this splendid recording. Perhaps I'e be tweaking this Review from time to time. Anyway, I believe that the first thing to do is to say a few things about the composer's name, which, though better-known these days than it has been for almost a century, is still a bit vexing. Vanhal was Bohemian, and in our ethnically-sensitive age, it is usually spelled "Vanhal", which is good Czech. However, in the predominantly German-speaking world in which he flourished, the spelling was Teutonized to "Wanhal". Ok, so far so good. But his given names also pose a problem, as witness this album, whose cover has the Czech surname, but the German given name "Johann" instead of "Jan". Anyway, there was only one fellow, despite the multipicity of name-combinations.
To hear Vanhal's music is to re-visit a phantasy which I susect is not uniquely mine. How wonderful to climb into a Time Machine and return to Vienna in the 1780s and hear a string-quartette featuring one of the great violinists of his day (and a noteworthy composer too), Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (delight of non-German speakers, who find it harmlessly silly), and another great violinst composer, Michael Haydn. The violist was a small eccentric named Mozart -- and the 'cellist (considered one of the greats of his day) was this very Vanhal. My phantases aside, his associations should help place him in historic and stylistic time, for those not otherwise familiar with him. As a side-note, his Symphonies are effervescent and a joy from the first note.
These to Masses are a celebration of the divine by the simple -- ha! -- process of organizing beautiful chords over straightforward ryhthms, in lines well within the perfomring ability of most semi-pro musicians of our time. Recall that many of the parts in Vanhal's day might have been sung by. So why shouldn't these Masses be sung more happen more often today, with adult performers? Check with me next year at this time. Meanwhile, the description "Pastoral" means, as it did for Corelli, Haendel Beethoven and others, a bare-bones simplicity of harmonic devices and melodic structure, as distinct from other Masses which demand a bit more in the way of working musicianship, though honestly, the contrasting "Solemn" Mass here doesn't sound too particulalry complex.
These recordings feature very fine artists, mostly from New Zealand, well-recorded by Tim Handley. My only cavil is one note by one of the sopranos who seemed briefly to have forgotten that this was the service of God, and not the Trenton Debutante Cotillion. ( )