Basler Madrigalisten/Immoos - Benno Ammann: Missa 'Defensor Pacis' (World Premiere Recording, Vatikan 1947)

Benno Ammann�s oeuvre reveals a number of influences, from impressionism to free tonality, yet he belongs to no stylistic school. The Swiss composer wrote Missa Defensor Pacis (Defender of the Faith Mass) in 1946 for the official canonisation at St Peter�s in Rome of Nicholas of Flue, patron saint of Switzerland. This prestigious commission, with its complex polyphony, countless variations and use of the cantus firmus technique, is one of the most important and extensive Masses by a Swiss composer for a cappella choir.