The Melrose Messenger

Polymnia Shines in Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass

By Ellen Putnam

On Saturday night, Polymnia Choral Society performed Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass alongside contemporary composer Elaine Hagenberg’s Illuminare. The choir performed the two works with orchestra and professional soloists in the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School auditorium to a crowd of supporters and classical music lovers.

Polymnia Choral Society has been an essential part of the Melrose musical community since its founding in 1953. The group draws a diverse cross-section of singers from across the region for the three concerts they perform each year. Polymnia often performs a holiday concert in December, a classical concert with orchestra in March, and a pops concert in May.

Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass is one of the most frequently performed works in classical choral literature. It was originally performed as part of a Catholic service, with the different movements sung in Latin at key moments during the mass service. The “Lord Nelson” Mass, which was written at the height of the Napoleonic wars, features trumpets and timpani that create a dramatic, war-like sound at key moments throughout the piece.

The concert began with Elaine Hagenberg’s Illuminare, which was written in 2022. Hagenberg took pieces of the traditional mass text as well as Biblical texts and quotations from early Christian writers to create an original five-movement cycle in conversation with traditional masses like Haydn’s. The piece featured lovely interplay between the piano, strings, and voices, with percussion coming in at key moments to create a dark mood, before returning to the “light” from the piece’s title.

The “Lord Nelson” Mass immediately set a more dramatic tone. The first movement, “Kyrie,” opened with trumpets and percussion blaring. Then the choir came in, their voices strong and crisp in the opening words, which plead, in Latin, “Lord, have mercy.”

The orchestra was small - seven string players, plus the organ, three trumpets, and timpani required for the piece - which allowed the choir’s sound to shine throughout the piece. The solo quartet had a lovely blend, and soprano Alisa Cassola’s voice soared over the choir and orchestra when she joined in.

The stormy “Kyrie” movement melted into the upbeat “Gloria” movement, which featured especially lovely duet sections between the tenor and baritone soloists. The movement ended with an exciting fugue, which the choir sang with energy and precision.

The choir made a strong entrance in the “Credo” movement, with the initial canon leading to an exciting moment of dissonance on “descendit de coelis” (he descended from heaven). The “Et incarnatus” section was tender, culminating in an anguished “Crucifixus,” Haydn’s music painting an image of the crucifixion of Christ and his death, the choir’s voices dying away on the final words. The choir returned with force on the “Et resurrexit” section, depicting Christ’s resurrection, before ending the movement with a rousing “Amen.”

Perhaps the most stunning movement of the evening was the prayer-like opening of the “Sanctus” movement. The choir shimmered on the opening chords, before moving into the joyous “Pleni sunt caeli” section. The choir’s sopranos soared on the “Hosana in excelsis” section. Then the famous “Benedictus” section began, with a return from the D major key of the main part of the mass to the D minor of the “Kyrie” movement, the trumpets calling over the menacing sound of the strings.

The mass concluded with a bright, energetic fugue on “Dona nobis pacem” (give us peace), the sound of the trumpets now joyous. As the movement came to a close, the orchestra cut out briefly and the choir sang a hushed repetition of “dona nobis pacem” before the mass ended with a final burst of energy.

To learn more about Polymnia Choral Society or to purchase tickets for their next performance, Earth, Wind, and Choir, on June 7th, visit their website.

Posted March 11th, 2025