«Harmonie ohne Ende» – Kammerorchester Basel

Description

Program: Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809): «Missa in Angustiis» («Mass in Distress» also «Nelson Mass») in D minor, Hob. XXII/11 Joseph Haydn: Mass in B major «Theresienmesse», Hob. XXII/12 On the feast day, Princess Esterházy is always gifted a mass by the court composer Joseph Haydn. The trumpet- and timpani-heavy, also somber sound of the so-called «Nelson Mass» (Haydn himself calls it «Missa in angustii», Mass in distress) is like a musical echo of the Napoleonic wars that swept over Europe at the time. War-related austerity measures at the princely court reduce the orchestra. It is all the more fascinating how Haydn extracts a maximum of colors from the limited instrumentation and creates a panorama of musical ideas that fill and simultaneously transcend the liturgical framework. Why does it later receive the nickname «Nelson Mass»? An allusion to Lord Nelson's victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar. And a second musical gem of late Viennese Classicism: the «Theresienmesse», lyrical and elegant, transparent, bright, and airy. So to speak, twice the best of Haydn. Participating artists and additional information: Birgitte Christensen, Soprano; Kristina Hammarström, Alto; Jan Petryka, Tenor; Christian Senn, Bass; Zürcher Sing-Akademie; René Jacobs, conductor; Kammerorchester Basel