I can’t even pronounce the title of today’s CD.

It’s a German word that uses a symbol (or a letter) I don’t recognize: Große.

After a bit of Googling, I discovered that the word means grosse, which means — I suppose — “great.” Orgelmesse is a compound word that means “organ mass.”

So, Große Orgelmesse in E Flat is the Great Organ Mass.

In E Flat.

Great.

Except it’s not.

Not to my ears, anyway.

It’s a mass, all right. With a bit of organ thrown in. But it all just sort of lies there. Nothing grabs me by the lapels and shakes me from my stupor.

Here. Listen for yourself:

Große Orgelmesse in E Flat Hob XXII:4 was composed in 1770. Haydn was 38. Continue reading →