Johann Adolf Hasse was admired during his lifetime above all for his operatic works – rarely performed today. Yet his talent and perfect command of compositional technique manifested themselves no less clearly in his outstanding sacred works. Among them is the Mass in D minor, written for the Saxon court in Dresden. And although after Hasse’s death his music fell into oblivion (which Romain Rolland considered one of the greatest injustices in the history of music), the tradition of performing this particular composition during certain religious celebrations remained alive well into the 20th century. The Mass is characterized by a relatively simple, transparent texture, adapted to the specific acoustic properties of the sacred spaces of the Dresden court. Even so, the work captivates with the elegance of its melodic lines, the richness of its harmony, and the masterful use of the varied possibilities of human voices and orchestra.
The Miserere in C minor was created under entirely different circumstances. It is one of the first outcomes of the collaboration Johann Adolf Hasse undertook in the 1730s with the Ospedale degli Incurabili, which continued with varying intensity almost until the end of his life. This Venetian institution, functioning at that time as a girls’ orphanage, was renowned for the excellent musical training of its pupils, and the concerts held there enjoyed international acclaim. Hasse therefore composed his first Miserere for female voices, and it was in this scoring that the work had its premiere at the Ospedale during Holy Week festivities. Later, probably for the needs of the Dresden court, he rewrote the piece for a mixed ensemble. While listening to the refined melodic lines and the sophisticated textural and harmonic solutions, it is difficult not to be swept away by the expressive power of the successive verses of the biblical text in such a compelling musical arrangement.
PROGRAM
Johann Adolf Hasse
Mass in D minor
Kyrie I
Christe eleison
Kyrie II
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Domine Deus
Qui tollis
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus
Cum Sancto Spiritu
Credo in unum Deum
Et incarnatus est / Crucifixus
Et resurrexit
Sanctus
Benedictus
Hosanna
Agnus Dei
Dona nobis pacem
Miserere in C minor
Miserere mei, Deus
Tibi soli peccavi
Ecce enim
Libera me
Quoniam si voluisses
Benigne fac, Domine
Gloria Patri
Sicut erat – Amen
PERFORMERS
MARTA BOBERSKA SOPRANO
JUSTYNA STĘPIEŃ SOPRANO
RAFAŁ TOMKIEWICZ COUNTERTENOR
ALEKSANDER REWIŃSKI TENOR
PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK BASS
THE CHORUS OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA
KAROL KNAPIŃSKI CHORUS MASTER
KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA HARPSICHORD/ POSITIVE ORGAN, CONDUCTOR
