GMChorale to present “Echoes of Resilience” in Middletown on April 26

GMChorale will present Joseph Haydn’s “Mass in Time of War” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” at the Santo Fragilio Performing Arts Center at Middletown High School on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. The Middletown High School Advanced Choir, Saecula Singers, Orchestra New England, vocal soloists, and Eric Trudel on the piano will join the 90-voice GMChorale. Weaving all these musical threads together is Joseph D’Eugenio, Artistic/Executive Director of GMChorale.

Haydn composed the Mass in 1796, at a time when Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army was advancing across the European continent. From the very first measures of the Kyrie, the kettledrum introduces a sense of foreboding. This is intensified in the Agnus Dei, where it is said to evoke alarming images of an approaching army. This is then counterbalanced by the insistent and often bright tone of the Dona nobis pacem, implying that peace must eventually triumph over war.

Written in 1808, also during the Napoleonic Era, Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” is said to have influenced his “Symphony No. 9,” the first-ever choral symphony. The final movement of the 9th Symphony, incorporating Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy,” echoes the familiar melodies heard in his “Choral Fantasy,” written 16 years earlier.

These two choral-orchestral works are frequently performed in the same program. Haydn was Beethoven’s teacher in the early 1790s. Pairing these pieces offers an example of the transition from Haydn’s Classical Era to the early Romantic Era in Beethoven. The Haydn Mass exudes optimism in the midst of dark times, a hallmark of resilience. In a way reminiscent of the thematic emphasis in Haydn’s work, Beethoven chooses themes of fraternal harmony, exuberant joy and human resilience.

Join us on April 26, 2026 in Middletown for these inspiring and joyful masterworks in the production of “Echoes of Resilience.” A pre-concert lecture at 3:00 p.m. with Wesleyan University’s Neely Bruce is included in the price of the tickets. Tickets are available online at gmchorale.org.

To learn more about the upcoming concert program, tune in to WMNR on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 8:00 p.m., to hear Bob Anderson’s interview with GMC’s Artistic Director, Joseph D’Eugenio. To find the FM station carrying the show in your area, go to wmnr.org.