It was a happy choice for the Bollington Festival Choir and Orchestra to present a Requiem Mass by Michael Haydn followed by the ‘Coronation’ Mass of Mozart. The Michael Haydn Mass, though not being a major work in the choral repertoire, is a fine and pleasing piece. It kept to the solemnity of the Mass and the diversities of the atmospheres in it, without suffering any loss of its own distinction and worth even though the Mozart was to follow. Musicians think that Mozart himself was influenced by this Mass, as he was by the greater influence of Josef Haydn (Michael’s brother) who became the revered luminary for Mozart in his string quartets. This Requiem then gave an opportunity to the choir to sing with firm but gentle control, maintaining the gravitas of prayer and sensitive to all the changes of emotion. They sustained an eloquent stream of sound. There was nothing forced. From that, their tone, as is usual now, was round, sweet on high notes and buoyant in robust passages. The orchestra moved the pace forward steadily all the time, strings and brass keeping the structure together and giving it backbone, not dictating to it. It was a good performance, with the soloists, drawn from graduates of the R.N.C.M. and Royal Academy of Music, giving it a professional touch, as we have learned to expect from these young professionals in former concerts.
The ‘Coronation’ Mass of Mozart is well known and well loved. This alone can present a challenge to performers. The listener is at once lifted into a different world. A few bars into the ‘Kyrie’ and there at once was the first operatic sequence in its unmistakable beauty: and following this, all through the performance the sound of the harmonics in voice and orchestra was all put before the audience – the music they made was worthy of Mozart’s purpose. Its spirit lifted choir, orchestra and soloists to a heightened level – fine, sensitive and alert to everything needed. Every section of the orchestra played well. The woodwinds were lovely: the brass succeeded, with all their glory, in not masking the singers, and the strings were a sure and excellent sustaining force. The audience heard a full and concentrated account of the ‘Credo’ from the choir; the ‘Incarnatus est’ delivered with hushed voice and concentrated thoughts. The ‘Benedictus’ was vigorous and finally the ‘Agnus dei’ proved everyone at their best. The lovely opening with the woodwind, the intensity of the aria-like soprano solo calling for mercy, moving from operatic urgency to calm confidence in all voices and orchestra.
The whole performance of this ‘Coronation’ Mass was alive and sensitive to the demands it made and could set the tone in the events that are celebrated in this Holy Week.
JH