When you hear the name Haydn, chances are great that you are thinking of the brilliant 18th century composer Joseph Haydn. But Joseph had a brother Michael who, although not as famous or prolific as Joseph, composed some memorable music.
Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra, led by British conductor Dame Jane Glover, will perform selections from Joseph and Michael Haydn during a concert dedicated to “The Brothers Haydn” May 8 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.
“We’ve been trying to do ‘The Creation’ for two years and COVID has prevented us from doing it,” Glover said. “But because we wanted to do a large piece of Haydn, rather cheekily, I thought, we’ll do ‘The Creation Mass.’ It’s one of his great mass settings. They’re little gems.”
To fill in the other half of the program, Glover selected “Symphony No. 26 in E-flat Major” by Michael Haydn, and “Symphony No. 26 in E-flat Major, K. 184? by Mozart.
“Michael is not very well known — especially compared to Joseph Haydn, one of the joys of the eighteenth century,” Glover related. “Michael Haydn was a bit of a sort of a layabout who drank far too much.”
It was a work-related condition, the conductor indicated.
“He got this secure job on the music staff in Salzburg and there he stayed,” Glover said. “Their salary consisted of just a little bit of money, wood for their fires, and a liter of wine every day. He was married to a singer who was also entitled to a liter of wine every day and they both drank it.”
Because of this, he was sometimes incapable of composing. Glover noted that Mozart sometimes bailed him out by composing some pieces for him. That is why Glover decided to include a symphony by Mozart in the program.
Glover praised Michael Haydn’s “Symphony No. 26 in E-flat Major,” with some reservations. “He has all the same sort of energy and wit as his brother,” she said. “He hasn’t quite got that sort of dastardly control and sort of brilliance of Joseph Haydn.”
Glover will share the story of the brothers at the May 8 concert.
The orchestra will consist of 35 musicians; there will be 24 singers in the chorus. Four soloists will perform: soprano Rebecca Farley, mezzo-soprano Meg Bragle; tenor Michael St. Peter, and baritone Tyler Duncan.
Bragle has been singing with Music of the Baroque for around 10 years. She praised conductor Glover. “Jane is amazing. She’s a pioneer in the field as well as a fantastic musician and wonderful human being,” Bragle said.
Bragle will solo on a section of the “Creation Mass.” She noted that Joseph Haydn “is a brilliant composer. He was actually a singer when he was little so singing his music is really fun. You can tell you’re dealing with a singer.”
The mezzo-soprano added, “There’s always something new that you can find in the music — a little wink or a nod. The joy that is in this mass in particular I find compelling.”
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Bragle’s selection starts the mass. “The music is joyful,” she emphasized. “I’m so glad to have a moment like that, especially in these times.”
Duncan last performed with Music of the Baroque in 2019. “What I enjoy most about performing with the group is the level of musicianship,” he said. “Working with Jane is unbelievable. She is one of the foremost conductors in the world and a specialist of baroque music.”
Duncan is also soloing on “The Creation Mass,” singing the roles of the archangel Raphael and Adam.
“It’s incredible music; it’s a vocal acrobatic,” Duncan said. “It goes to the extreme range of the voices of all three soloists. You get these amazing tour-de-force arias and these unbelievably descriptive recitatives.”
The Brothers Haydn
When: 7:30 p.m. May 8
Where: Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie
Tickets: $48-$95
Information: 847-673-6300; northshorecenter.org/event/the-brothers-haydn
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.