Of particular interest here are the motets by Michael Haydn, recordings of which remain comparatively scarce. The earliest of the works, the graceful Christus factus est, was composed in 1761 while Haydn was working as Kapellmeister at Grosswardein (now Oradea in Romania). The remainder of the pieces date from the decades following his appointment as concertmaster and court composer in Salzburg in 1763. Of these, perhaps the finest is Tenebrae factae sunt, whose sensitive and poetic illumination of the text is profoundly moving, although the sense of mystery conveyed in O vos omnes also makes a strong impression.

The nine motets of Bruckner are, by contrast, well represented on record. Even the less frequently performed Inveni David, composed for male chorus and four trombones, enjoys a recording count in the double digits. The MDR Leipzig Radio Choir is a relatively large body (the booklet note lists 67 singers) and recorded slightly distantly in Leipzig’s Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche, resulting in a warm, well-blended choral sound. Compared to the more focused aural signatures of the smaller choirs heard on recordings of the same motets by Robert Jones (Naxos, 7/95) or Duncan Ferguson (Delphian, 7/11), Philipp Ahmann’s direction initially struck me as a trifle reserved, but further listening made me appreciate the musicality and sincerity of these performances. There is definitely a place for these interpretations in the Bruckner discography. Anyone interested in the Michael Haydn motets need not hesitate.