Balthasar-Neumann-Chor and -Ensemble / Thomas Hengelbrock

Many would connect »Il Magnifico« - the Magnificent – to Lorenzo de’ Medici, but Haydn’s fourth patron Prince Nikolaus II also used this nickname. He loved pomp and circumstance, but the fine arts as well, for which he forked out gigantic sums of money. In 1795 he reinstalled the court orchestra and reappointed Haydn as Kapellmeister. One of Haydn’s major tasks was to compose a mass every September for the name day of Princess Maria Josepha. Thus six significant masses emerged - sacred music for a secular occasion - until the year 1802. The »Harmoniemesse«, the last of the series, was Haydn’s last major work.