Giuseppe Sarti: Magnificat für Sopran, Alt, Doppelchor, Doppelorchester

Giuseppe Sarti is nowadays mainly known for the fact that Mozart quoted a melody from one of his operas in his Don Giovanni. Perhaps this is the late revenge of music history, because when Sarti met his younger colleague in Vienna, he found his string quartets "barbarous". In the 18th century, Sarti was considered a central figure in the musical world. It was written about him that he was "one of the musicians who knew the secrets of the art best" and "one of the most learned composers of his time". His employer, the Russian Empress Catharina the Great, declared that "no one composes choirs as well as he does".