War and Peace

Milton Keynes Chorale

War and Peace: 

Haydn: Nelson Mass

Vaughan WIliams: Dona Nobis Pacem

Join MK Chorale for a concert performance of two great choral works, accompanied by the wonderful Alina Orchestra.
The Nelson Mass or “Missa in Angustiis” [Mass in troubled times] seems as appropriate today as it was when it was composed. It is possible to feel the hope that Haydn wished to give to his country men and women through this wonderful music. It's a powerful piece, full of emotion and excitement, despite being composed for a much-reduced orchestra [a reduced court budget meant the court wind and horn players had recently been sacked – Arts funding evidently being an 18th as well as a 21st century issue...]. However, there was funding for the military so it was easy for Haydn to add trumpets and drums to give some of the work a militaristic feel. No doubt, this is one of the reasons why it swiftly became known as the Nelson Mass.
The second half of the concert, Vaughan Williams' Dona nobis pacem (which translates as 'Give us peace'), features some of the composer's best and most potent music (both serene and violent). Drawing upon text from the Bible, sections from the Mass, and poems by Walt Whitman, this is a powerful musical evocation of the destruction and death brought about through war and violence, with an overarching message of peace and reconciliation. It was composed in 1936, a time when war was threatening to engulf Europe once again, and like the Nelson Mass, is as relevant now as it was when the work was premiered in 1936.