Choral Concert

Haydn’s ’Mass in Time of War’ is actually a delightful and elegant late-style work, full of rare beauty and vivaciousness. The title reflects the unusual circumstances of its composition, when Napoleon was at the gates of Vienna and anxiety was strong in the Austrian populace. But it is only in the final ‘Agnus Dei’, where Haydn gives the timpani a surprising and novel role, that we sense the disturbance beneath the seeming calmness. It was this movement that inspired Beethoven’s extraordinary use of the timpani in the final movement of his ‘Missa Solemnis’, and it is also the reason why in the German-speaking world this Mass is often called the Drum-Mass (Paukenmesse). The rest of the Mass is full of classic Haydn joie de vivre, with fine solos and wonderful choral writing.

Advance booking is essential – we are sorry, there will be no sales on the door.