MidAmerica Productions Presents New England Symphonic Ensemble in Review
New England Symphonic Ensemble; Preston Hawes, Artistic Director and Concertmaster
Peter Tiboris, Jason Sabino, and Jason Strunk, Conductors
Katherine Henly, Soprano; Anna Kelly, Mezzo-Soprano; Hayden Smith, Tenor; Jason Zacher, Bass-Baritone
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
May 11, 2024
With characteristically grand style, MidAmerica Productions presented a Saturday night concert at Carnegie Hall that included monuments of music by Haydn and Schubert, with a Mozart Overture added for good measure. In a program divided into a chorus-with-orchestra first half and an all-orchestral second half, the program’s first half was devoted to Haydn’s Mass in D Minor, Hob. XXII: 11 (Nelson Mass or Lord Nelson Mass), with choruses from around the country joining forces with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. For the second half, after a breeze through Mozart’s Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro, the orchestra would take on Schubert’s massive Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 (“The Great”). It was destined to be a memorable evening.
With the world experiencing struggles of all kinds, the programming of Haydn’s eleventh mass, originally entitled Missa in angustiis (Mass for Troubled Times) was a fitting one. Composed in 1798, after multiple defeats of Austria by Napoleon, Haydn created a work of palpable tension, supplication, faith, and jubilation. What Haydn may or may not have known at the time of completing it was that Admiral Horatio Nelson had recently defeated Napoleon in the Battle of the Nile, but, in any case, the news came close to the day of the first performance, and by the time Nelson visited Haydn at the Esterhazy Court in 1800 the moniker Lord Nelson Mass had been well established.
From the austere orchestral introduction to the opening Kyrie, an intense solemnity was set, and from the first ensuing choral tutti, the formidable presence of the combined choruses was established. The first half of the mass was conducted by Jason Sabino and the second half by Jason Strunk – each being the conductor of two contributing choruses. Those choruses were the Century High School Concert Choir and Oregon Chorale from Hillsboro, OR (Jason Sabino, Director), and the Georgetown Day School Choirs and Georgetown Day School Choirs Alumni Ensemble, Washington, DC (Jason Strunk, Director), along with the Southern California Master Chorale, Anaheim, CA (Sheridan Ball, Director) and the Tripoli Senior High School Choir, Tripoli, IA (Chris McIntyre, Director).
It must have been a challenge to penetrate the sound of such a large chorus with orchestra, but four gifted soloists were on hand to do just that, starting with soprano Katherine Henly and following with by mezzo-soprano Anna Kelly, tenor Hayden Smith, and bass-baritone Jason Zacher. These singers clearly constituted great “ingredients” – and the main challenge would be finding the right balance among them, which was most of the time achieved.
Katherine Henly’s tone was pure and true right from the Kyrie but seemed to gain still more comfort and focus as the work developed. Throughout the mass, she seemed to thrive in the slower, sustained lines more than in the rapid melismatic sections, which were occasionally obscured by the sheer numbers. Hayden Smith’s bright tenor emerged as particularly bright and penetrating right from the Gloria, though there were moments when it could be said to have been even a bit too powerful, overwhelming other voices sometimes – in the Quoniam tu solus for example.
In Qui tollis peccata mundi, we especially enjoyed the excellent bass-baritone, Jason Zacher, whose powerful deep register was a joy throughout the mass. Mezzo Anna Kelly was ever vital to the musical texture, but especially notable as a soloist in the Agnus Dei. The choruses were clearly well-trained, and moments of subtle and glacial changes in tone (such as in the Sanctus) were especially impressive. The quartet of soloists was in full bloom as an ensemble by the Benedictus, and the Dona Nobis Pacem concluded the mass with a brilliant sound and hopeful spirit. Bravi tutti!
Peter Tiboris, conductor as well as Founder, General Director, and Music Director of MidAmerica Productions took the stage after intermission. Starting with a precise and spirited rendition of the Overture to Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Maestro Tiboris’ style was energized and yet economical in gesture. It was the assured approach of one who knows the responses of his orchestra and has a wealth of experience behind each decision.
Speaking of decisions, there are many highly debated ones on Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major (“The Great”) which came next – starting with the issue of repeats. Already a piece with an immensity that hobbled early partial readings in Schubert’s lifetime (leaving its rediscovery for years later and complete premiere until 1839, over a decade after Schubert’s death), its vastness also inspired Robert Schumann’s famous phrase “heavenly length” as he worked to advocate for it. The symphony has been performed with a wide range of durations to match the many interpretations, some with all repeats bringing the work to over an hour, others with none but the minimal obligatory return in the Scherzo (closer to forty-five minutes), and lastly some combination of these. This weekend’s rendition was the latter, with all repeats observed in the glorious first and last movements – and given the material and well-conceived performances of the outer movements, that decision felt satisfying.
As many know, the work makes reference to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony – directly in the last movement with a quotation from the famous Ode to Joy, but also with arguable connections in the first movement and elsewhere. Schubert had attended the premiere of Beethoven’s Ninth in May of 1824 (the 200th anniversary of which was celebrated last week), and he began sketches of this magnificent work in 1825. The sheer scope owes much to Beethoven, and Maestro Tiboris embraced its expansiveness, as such a noble creation deserves. Moments were chosen to sustain momentum with some tempo flexibility, but never in a way that violated the work’s integrity.
It was undoubtedly because of such surrender to the journey that the large audience remained spellbound for its entirety, from the brilliant horn opening through to the triumphant close. The orchestra members are to be commended for their tremendous stamina through the unrelenting string demands and substantial brass and wind parts. Highlights included, naturally, the oboe part in the Andante second movement (leaving this reviewer sad for the inability to identify or credit any orchestra members, as they were not listed in the program), but then kudos go to every player in collaboration. The finale was especially thrilling, as Maestro Tiboris led a charge of tireless triplet rhythms in an inexorable drive to victory.
The large audience gave a standing ovation, as was richly deserved.
