Coronation Mass by Mozart reviewed by Joseph McHardy 3rd May 2025

Mozart's Mass in C major, K.317, was written in 1779 in Salzburg. Having just returned to his home city after 18 months of fruitless job hunting in Paris and Mannheim, Mozart's father got him a job as court organist and composer at Salzburg Cathedral. The mass was probably premiered there on Easter Sunday, 4 April 1779. The first documented performance was at the coronation of Francis II as Holy Roman Emperor in 1792, and the mass became very popular at the Viennese court, earning the nickname Krönungsmesse (Coronation Mass) in the early nineteenth century after becoming the preferred music for royal and imperial coronations as well as services of thanksgiving.
Top choice:
Sandrine Piau (soprano)
Accentus
Insula Orchestra
Laurence Equilbey (cond.)
Erato 9029587253