Conductor David Fallis has put together a stellar group of soloists for this concert of two beloved 18th century greats on February 27, 2019. The Choir and orchestra will be joined by soprano Mireille Asselin, mezzo-soprano Christina Stelmacovich, tenor Asitha Tennekoon, and bass-baritone Stephen Hegedus.
Of the Missa in tempore belli, David writes in the program notes:
“The mass has many extraordinary touches. The overall feel is optimistic and confident, appropriate to the basic key of C major, but the beautiful cello and bass singer duet at the Qui tollis in the “Gloria”, the deeply moving Et incarnatus est in the “Credo” and the gorgeous harmonic colouring at so many moments mark this mass as the work of a great composer working at the height of his powers.”
David has added two short motets to the sequence of the mass movements. Haydn’s masses were all written for a service of worship and, unlike in a concert setting, the music was not experienced in an unbroken sequence. To give a better sense of the variety of styles one might have heard during a service of worship, David has added J. Michael Haydn’s Locus iste and Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus.
Handel’s four Coronation Anthems were first heard in Westminster Abbey, October 11, 1727, at the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline of England. As David notes “Zadok the priest has been performed at every British coronation since George II’s, and all of the works show Handel at his most brilliant.”
Handel and Haydn
Wednesday, February 27 at 7:30 pm
St. Andrew’s Church, 73 Simcoe Street (across from Roy Thomson Hall)
F.J. Haydn: Missa in tempore belli (Mass in time of war)
J.M. Haydn: Locus iste
W.A. Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus
G.F. Handel: Coronation Anthems
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
David Fallis, conductor
Mireille Asselin, soprano
Christina Stelmacovich, mezzo-soprano
Asitha Tennekoon, tenor
Stephen Hegedus, bass-baritone
Orchestra
Tickets: $35 to $78 with $20 VoxTix for patrons 30 and under.
Tickets available online at www.tmchoir.org by calling RCM Tickets at 416-408-0208.