With his Belgian forces – judging by the names, a mainly Walloon choir and Flemish instrumental group – Dirk Vermeulen directs a distinctive account of the second of the six great settings of the Mass that Haydn wrote near the end of his life. The title In tempore belli reflects the troubled times of the Napoleonic wars, but musically the alternative title, Paukenmesse, is even more informative, reflecting Haydn’s dramatic use of the kettledrum together with military trumpets, notably in ‘Dona nobis pacem’.

Vermeulen’s performance is remarkable firstly for the clarity of textures; the soloists are sharply contrasted both with each other and with the chorus, helped by a clean recording balance . The light, crisp attack which the conductor insists on, with staccatos and accents underlined, adds to the clarity and bite, even if the result is less joyful than in a performance such as Richard Hickox’s on Chandos, with its warmer acoustic and lessanalytical textures. Dynamic contrasts in the new reading are sharply drawn and tempi tend to be extreme in both directions.

It is no surprise that a period performance involves fast Allegros – never so fast as to be breathless – but less predictable that Andantes and Adagios tend to be markedly slower than is common. The very opening, laid out almost like a symphonic movement with a slow first statement of ‘Kyrie eleison’ preceding the main Allegro, is only marginally slower than in the Hickox reading, but sounds rather sluggish thanks to the even stressing of the beat. More strikingly, the ‘Qui tollis’ section in the Gloria, at a very measured speed, rather fails to flow as Hickox’s does, despite a warm-toned cello solo. The ‘Et incarnatus’ in the Gloria is also very slow, though the final cry of ‘Miserere’ from the baritone, Tom Sol, is wonderfully intense, far darker than with Hickox’s soloist.

The setting of Salve Regina in G minor makes an attractive if not very generous coupling. Dating from 1771, this is the setting that with its adventurous harmonic scheme dramatically reflects the manners of Haydn’s Sturm und Drang period, for the minimal forces of just four soloists, organ and strings and no choir. The Baroque organ, not specified in the booklet – nor is the venue for the recording session – is attractively mellow-toned. What the booklet does provide is a very perceptive note by Tom Beghin.

A disc recommendable for anyone wanting this coupling, though, quite apart from the Hickox version, the third of Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s double-disc Haydn offerings, coupling the Paukenmesse and Heiligmesse, is due from Philips very soon.