Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
        Two Sacred Choral Works

Te Deum (1805/06 - 12:01)
Missa Solemnis in C major (1806 - 44:58) *

Patricia Wright, soprano
Zan McKendree-Wright, alto
Patrick Power, tenor
David Griffiths, bass
Donald Armstrong, solo violin *
TOWER Voices New Zealand
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Uwe Grodd, conductor
Recorded Michael Fowler Centre,
Wellington, February 2003
Released June 2004 (U.S.)
Naxos 8.557572 [56:59]

Summary: New Zealand Rocks!

Johann Nepomuk Hummel, composer in the transitional period between the
Classical and Romantic eras, has received much recorded exposure during
the past 15 years.  His Sonatas for Piano have been recorded by Ian
Hobson for Arabesque, and the highly acclaimed Stephen Hough recorded a
disc of sonatas just a few months ago.  Hummel's chamber music has also
seen its fair share of releases, the most recent being a 2-cd set of the
Piano Trios on the MDG label.  Chandos has been the champion of Hummel's
Piano Concertos, and the record company won a Gramophone Award last year
for a disc of Hummel's sacred choral music conducted by Richard Hickox.
Basically, any true classical music enthusiast who hasn't heard of Hummel
must have been doing a 'Rip van Winkle' for the past few years.

Does Hummel deserve the relatively healthy discography that now exists?
Yes, indeed.  Hummel's music is an enticing blend of the elegance and
precision of the Classical Period with the angst and self-examination
of the Romantic Era.  Of course, his architecture is rock-solid, and his
works exhibit a fine sense of continuity and logical development.  His
melodies are often memorable, and variety of style and emotional content
quite extensive for the time period (assuming we do not place Beethoven
and Schubert into the mix).

Having praised Hummel, I should drop the other side of the coin.  Hummel
is a long way from matching the great composers such as Mozart, Haydn,
Beethoven, and Schubert.  There are no musical innovations, profound
utterances, or transcendent displays that we can attach to Hummel's
music.  However, he was born to compose music; his creations flow so
naturally that one could believe Hummel composed in his sleep.

Naxos now offers us Hummel from New Zealand, something I'm sure Hummel
never would have imagined.  As it happens, the mix is an excellent one
fully capturing the allure and exuberance of Hummel's music.  These New
Zealand forces know the heart of Hummel and execute their conception in
superb fashion.

Before discussing the programmed works, I need to relate a bit of Hummel
history.  Not being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Hummel had
to have a paying job.  He found a mighty fine one serving the musical
requirements of the powerful Prince Nicolaus II Esterhazy.  The Prince
wasn't a great music enthusiast, but he did want it played during church
services and he wanted a regular supply of new music when 'Big Events'
took place.

Hummel's Te Deum was likely composed for the celebration of the Treaty
of Pressburg, signaling the end of the war between the Austro-Russia
Alliance and Napoleon's France.  Hummel's tribute is a fast paced and
exuberant work loaded with incisive phrasing, irresistible melodic
touches, and a myriad of colors.  Given the public nature of the music,
the soft and reverential unaccompanied chorus at the beginning of the
work's conclusion is a particularly compelling stroke on Hummel's part,
cementing the high inspiration of the Te Deum.

I'm not familiar with any other versions of the Te Deum, so I can't claim
that the New Zealand performers match or surpass the competition (if
there is any).  However, I have enjoyed the performances greatly and can
not envision interpretations that would be significantly better.  Grodd
invests the music with abundant vitality in a fluid manner, and the
chamber choir well acquits itself through exceptional voice blending and
poignancy that hits its apex in the sublime unaccompanied chorus.

The major work on the new Hummel disc is his Missa Solemnis in C major.
At the Prince's request, Hummel composed five settings to the Mass between
1804 and 1808.  The C major was composed for the wedding of Princess
Leopoldina Esterhazy and consists of five substantial movements: Kyrie,
Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and the Agnus Dei.  The Kyrie is
mostly hard-driving music of a festive nature with ample lyricism.  As
with the Te Deum, the music flows with determined inevitability.

The Gloria continues expressing Hummel's robust nature and is also notable
for a dark hue that results from some a cappella passages sung beautifully
by the chamber choir; these passages create a stunning contrast with the
overall exuberance of the Gloria.

High energy also dominates the Credo, but with one exception that is a
wonderful one at that.  A highly lyrical and gorgeous Andante in A major,
essentially the second section of the movement, gives us our first
opportunity in the Missa Solemnis to hear whether the Hummel naysayers
are correct that the composer's compositions only skimmed the surface
of human emotion.  The answer is 'no', and this Andante with its fluid
and heart-felt writing is ample proof.

I haven't mentioned the solo singing because there hasn't been any, but
Hummel remedies the situation in the Sanctus and Benedictus by providing
some lovely melodies for the four soloists.  None of them ranks with the
best in world, but each has an attractive voice and is appropriately
expressive.  An added bonus is how well the individual voices blend
together when applicable.  Donald Armstrong has a solo violin part in
the Sanctus, and his pleasant and sweet tone is a fine match for the
music although stronger projection would have been advantageous.

By the way, the last two movements contain the best music on the disc,
offering Hummel's most compelling lyricism as well as his most powerful
and exhilarating music.  I should mention the Agnus Dei's double fugue
that reveals Hummel to be a master of counterpoint and tension-building.

Don's Conclusions: To this reviewer, Hummel's most rewarding musical
quality is his ability to write highly fluid music with arguments that
flow naturally as a work progresses.  This is a trait that most reminds
me of Mozart's compositions, although the two works on the Naxos disc
also have a Haydnesque style throughout.

The performances are top-rate, and I look forward to more recordings
from Uwe Grodd and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.  Most impressive
is the chamber choir TOWER Voices New Zealand which would be wonderful
to hear in the supreme sacred works such as Mozart's Great Mass in C
minor and Haydn's "Harmoniemesse" Mass; that the choir was recently
formed in 1998 makes its excellence all the more astounding.  Sound
quality is exceptional in that it has a strong foundation and also allows
for breadth of expression; depth is admirable, and balance among the
competing performing forces is about perfect.

With excellent music, outstanding performances, and stirring sound, I
heartily recommend acquisition of this new Hummel recording.  Hummel
fans should consider the disc a must for the music library, and those
new to the composer will have many hours of listening pleasure obtained
at a very low price.

Don Satz
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