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Brighton Orpheus Choir with Nick Milner-Gulland (organ) Helen-Jane Howells (soprano) Valerie Lirakis (alto) Frank Jordan (tenor) David Hadden (bass) conducted by Stella Hull |
Wednesday 10 December 2008 given at St John the Baptist Church, Southover High Street, Lewes |
Franz Josef
Haydn |
Nelson Mass – Missa in angustiis (Mass in Troubled Times) |
The Missa in angustiis, Haydn's no. 11 in D minor, is also known as the "Nelson Mass". In 1798, when he wrote this mass, Haydn's reputation was at its peak, but the European world around him was in turmoil. Napoleon had won four major battles with Austria in less than a year. The previous year, in early 1797, his armies had crossed the Alps and threatened Vienna itself. In May of 1798, Napoleon invaded Egypt to destroy Britain's trade routes to the East. The terrifying time for Austria gave the mass its title "Missa in Angustiis" or "Mass in troubled times". At its first performance in September 1798 news had yet to reach Vienna that six weeks earlier Napoleon had been dealt a stunning defeat in the Battle of the Nile by English forces led by Admiral Horatio Nelson. It was because of this coincidence, the mass acquired its nickname "Lord Nelson Mass". The name was easily fixed when two years later, Nelson himself visited Haydn's employers the Esterhazys and may have heard the mass performed. |
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The second half of the concert enjoyed a selection
of Christmas music,
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