The oeuvre of Michael Haydn (1737–1806), younger brother by five years of Joseph Haydn, attracted little attention despite the fact that the brother of the immortal composer of The Creation was himself a very significant composer. Like Mozart, he also worked in Salzburg and they were acquaintances. Indeed, Wolfgang Amadeus held him in high esteem and many of his works were influenced by the art of his more senior colleague. Michael remained close to his older brother throughout his life and Joseph spoke of the music of his sibling in glowing terms – he even placed greater value on his brother’s liturgical works than his own. The second recital in the Haydneum Festival of Sacred Music is our chance to hear one of these compositions. Missa sub titulo Sancti Leopoldi is a late work of his dating from 1805. The other work in the programme is Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s (1710–1736) Stabat Mater, which was written in the final weeks of the life of the composer who died tragically early from tuberculosis: the series of movements encapsulating the sorrow of Mary and of unequalled beauty rank as one of the greatest compositions of Baroque music. In addition to Orfeo Orchestra founded by Vashegyi György in 1991 and directed by him to this day, this recital includes the boys’ choir of Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (CMBV), Les Pages, who have fruitfully collaborated with György Vashegyi and his ensembles for many years now, in the company of three internationally renowned vocalists, sopranos Eugénie Lefèbvre and Gwendoline Blondeel, and countertenor Paulin Bündgen. Conductor Fabien Armengaud has long been engaged in valuable work in the frame of CMBV, and within this in the productions of Les Pages.
