As far as Mozart’s Masses are concerned, Naxos comes rather late to the party, waiting until its 30th birthday before embarking at last on a complete cycle. Coincidentally, one of its earliest recordings was of the Coronation Mass – a reading I found ‘pretty awful’ in a Collection 15 years ago (11/06) – and there have been subsequent odd forays into this repertoire, notably from St Albans Cathedral (4/13).

The Coronation Mass represents the ultimate crystallisation of Mozart’s Salzburg church style, its rich orchestration, melodic generosity and dramatic pacing guaranteeing the work’s popularity in both Mozart’s time and our own. Thus it enters a more crowded market than the other Salzburg Masses; it’s a fine introduction to the work, although aficionados might prefer, say, the vividness of St John’s College, Cambridge, with Susan Gritton’s soprano outclassing Carolina Ullrich and the orchestral colours more sharply etched.

The Missa longa is longer only by dint of lingering a little in the ‘Qui tollis’ of the Gloria, where Poppen’s violins outdo even Harnoncourt’s in scything through the anguished choral harmonies. This less melodically distinguished work is never undersold here, although the Sanctus and Benedictus make greater sense at the brisker tempos chosen by Peter Neumann, who again fields starrier, more finely blended soloists. At under £25, Neumann’s 10-disc set of the complete Masses (and more) may be the more economical option. Nevertheless, the present coupling offers a worthwhile introduction to these two works – especially the less well-known Missa longa – at bargain price and bodes well as these forces reach further back into Mozart’s church music.