Mass in the Time of War marks a trifecta of firsts for CSO and Donald Nally

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus’ program featuring Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, on March 13-15, marks three milestones: The first time the CSO has performed this Haydn work, the first time that guest choral director Donald Nally has worked with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Nally’s first association with the mass.

“Somehow, it [the mass] and I have not crossed paths, so I’m really excited about it,” he said. “I spend almost every day, all day, in new music, so doing historical music is just really fun for me.” Nally will begin rehearsals Feb. 17 and return at the beginning of each subsequent week before the concerts.

Though the program will serve as his first time working with the Chorus, he knows many of the singers because of his connections with many other Chicago organizations where the choristers also perform. “I feel like I know what I’m walking into,” he said. “We’re dealing with a very high level of artistry and musical skill, and we’ll be able to walk in and get right to work.”

Nally is among the lineup of guest chorus directors slated for the CSO’s 2024-25 season. A former chorus master at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Nally taught at Northwestern University in Evanston in 2012-23.  He also serves as conductor of The Crossing, a Philadelphia-based chamber choir that he founded with a group of friends in 2005. It was named Musical America’s 2024 Ensemble of the Year.

Composed in 1796 as Napoleon’s forces were threatening Austria, Haydn’s Mass in Time of War features an extraordinarily ominous use of timpani and ends with a plea for peace. Part of a set of masses written for Prince Nikolaus II Esterházy, it has what Nally called “almost operatic flair.” The well-known timpani passages bring incredible tension to the work. That’s why it’s also called the Paukenmesse (Kettledrum Mass).

One of the most popular of Haydn’s 14 mass settings, Mass in Time of War was first performed Dec. 26, 1796, in Vienna. The autograph manuscript features the title Missa in tempore belli (Mass in Time of War) in Haydn’s handwriting. Reflecting then war-torn Europe, Haydn inserted references to battle in the Benedictus and Agnus Dei movements.

Leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will be guest maestro Manfred Honeck. Guest vocalists will be soprano Joélle Harvey, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, tenor Andrew Haji and baritone Joshua Hopkins. A devout Catholic, Honeck is very famiiar with Mass in the Time of War and has performed it with his home orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, where he is music director. 

In a New York Times interview from 2010, Honeck spoke about how his faith influences how he conceives of music. “It’s a guide,” he said of his religious convictions. “I’m an instrument, to make music better, to make my profession more honest. It allows me to be very deep in my soul. Therefore, the music probably comes very deep from that area of my soul.”

A version of this article was previously published on Experience CSO.