A Tale of two Haydns: Northwest Sinfonietta and Northwest Repertory Singers perform two masses

You can wait a long time to hear a Haydn Mass in Tacoma — and then suddenly there are two on the same weekend.

This weekend, the Northwest Sinfonietta performs the classical master’s “Mass in Time of War” in Seattle (Friday, March 11), Tacoma (Saturday) and Puyallup (Sunday), while the Northwest Repertory Singers perform “Mass in Troubled Times” (the “Nelson Mass”) on Saturday and Sunday in Tacoma. But each work is unique, and is paired with a very different program, from ineffably sad orchestral music to Romantic choral poetry.

“It is very strange that these two masses would be in Tacoma on the same night,” says Paul Schultz, founding director of the Northwest Repertory Singers.

Yet, as Schultz points out, picking any Haydn mass is a good choice for any choir. The two masses were written within two years of each other, part of a set of six commissioned annually between 1796-1802 by the Esterházy family to celebrate each name day of the prince’s wife. It was the last decade of the composer’s life, filled with masterworks such as “The Creation” and big successes in London and Vienna.

“They were some of his best works,” says Schultz.

Still, the two masses are quite different in scoring and feel.

“Mass in Time of War” (1796) was written during a worrying period in Austrian history, when Napoleon was threatening to take over Europe. Although it’s in C major, the heavy timpani scoring (which gives it the nickname “The Kettledrum Mass”) echoes the cannon and undercurrent of war.

“Mass in Troubled Times” (1798), however, premiered soon after Lord Nelson scored a major victor over Napoleon's forces at the Battle of the Nile. Later, the piece was also performed for Nelson. Yet with no woodwinds and a D minor key, it has a darker scoring and feel. The opening “Kyrie” is loud and fierce — “a true explosion of sound,” says Schulz, who has conducted both pieces, “with blaring trumpets and timpani.” The “Mass in Time of War,” however, begins with a “Kyrie” of genteel choir and delicate oboe line over restful string chords.

“(‘Mass in Time of War’) is often seen as Haydn’s own pacifist declaration during a time when Austrians were forbidden to speak of peace,” says David Lockington, one of the Sinfonietta’s artistic partners, who is directing the orchestra with the Seattle Choral Company and soloists. “Like in his symphonies, Haydn stays within the bounds of good Enlightenment taste, creating exquisite pathos in mostly major keys. There is an air of celebration about it.”

But it’s the music surrounding each mass that sets them apart. The Repertory Singers are joining forces with Cora Voce, and each choir will sing the music they do best during the first half, with contemporary composers such as Jake Runestad and Ola Gjeilo setting everything from Herrick to Yeats.

The Sinfonietta, however, will contrast the Haydn with chamber orchestra music: Aaron Jay Kernis’ ethereal, ineffably sad “Musica Celestis” and Mendelssohn’s driving “Sinfonia in D minor no. 7,” written when he was just 13 years old.

And then there are the soloists. The Northwest Repertory Singers and Cora Voce pull from their ranks with soprano Daisy Nau, alto Jane David, tenor Kyle Haugen and bass Randy Spitzer; while the Sinfonietta’s soloists are soprano Megan Chenovick, mezzo Nerys Jones, tenor Ross Hauck and baritone Charles Robert Stephens, all with national operatic experience.

This story was originally published March 7, 2016 at 9:35 AM with the headline "A Tale of two Haydns: Northwest Sinfonietta and Northwest Repertory Singers perform two masses."