Harmoniemesse

William Christie continues his cycle devoted to the masterpieces of Joseph Haydn, at the helm of the choir and orchestra of Les Arts Florissants. After the Paris Symphonies, The Creation and The Seasons, he tackles the composer's last major work: the Harmoniemesse.

Composed and performed for the first time in 1802, when Haydn was 70 years old, this great mass demonstrates the composer's musical mastery, and earned him the honors of Prince Esterházy, his patron and employer for over forty years.

The Harmoniemesse is placed here alongside another liturgical piece: Mozart's Litaniæ Lauretanæ. A contemporary of Haydn, Mozart composed these litanies to the Virgin between 1771 and 1776, when he was between fifteen and twenty years old.

An early work on the one hand, a final masterpiece on the other: in this concert, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants bring together the ages of life and music... in a dialogue that is always driven by the same emotion.