Springtime with Haydn and Mason

MusicaNova celebrates Palm Sunday and spring with three works by Joseph Haydn and an encore of a piece written for the orchestra. The concert is free with a recommended donation of $15.

Symphony no. 26 La Lamentatione contains one of Haydn’s best openings, a restless flurry of strings that ushered in Haydn’s interest in the “Sturm and Drang” aesthetic of emotional unrest.

No. 30 Alleluia is so named because of its use of a Gregorian “alleluia” motif in the first movement.

No. 84 In Nomine comes from Haydn’s time in Paris. He makes excellent use of the winds, creating a superb, textured sound.

Quinn Mason’s Svítání was written for MusicaNova’s May 2021 concert. The composer explains that “Svítání is a Czech word that means ‘sunrise’ or ‘dawn.’ The overall message of this composition is rebirth and renewal, which can relate to the title as the birth of a new day or time. With this piece being written about such a tumultuous time, the overall message is that we are leaving an old chapter and beginning a new, fresh one — one that will hopefully lead us to better days ahead.”