Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Last night, the Orange Country Catholic Chorale teamed up with the Meistersingers to present Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, together with Mark Wilberg's Requiem. The concert was held at the Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano, and the performance was outstanding. I think it's the best I've ever heard from them. The music was absolutely transcendent. Unfortunately, I don't believe the concert was recorded, or I would buy it on CD; I suppose I'll just have to find another recording of the Mass, and hope it's as good as what we heard last night. They did a phenomenal job. My brother sang with the Meistersingers (though not this season), and raves about Brian Dehn, the conductor, as by far the best he's ever seen or worked with. The Psalmist writes, "Make His praise glorious"; they certainly achieved that last night.
A recovery of the old sense of sin is essential to Christianity. Christ takes it for granted that men are bad. Until we really feel this assumption of His to be true, though we are part of the world He came to save, we are not part of the audience to whom His words are addressed.
— C. S. Lewis