Andover Choral Society Concert

Haydn’s Mass in Time of War is the tenth and perhaps most popular of his fourteen mass settings. At the time of its writing in 1796, Austrian composer Joseph Haydn was at the peak of his musical creativity and had established himself as one of Europe’s premier composers. He and his countrymen were sharing a collective unease over the threatening advances of Napoleon’s invading forces, which inspired the composition’s name.

Five Mystical Songs by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, is based on poems by the seventeenth-century Anglican priest and metaphysical poet George Herbert. Completed in 1911, the piece highlights Vaughan Williams’ gift for melody and lush, colorful orchestration.

The chorus will perform the works with a professional orchestra. The soloists will be soprano Elisabeth Marshall, alto Emily Marvosh, tenor Gregory Zavracky, and baritone Philip Lima.

Tickets are $20 for adults ($25 at the door) and $5 for students. For tickets and information, go to andoverchoralsociety.org/concerts or call (978) 682-4050. The Rogers Center for the Arts is located at Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike St., North Andover, MA and is handicapped accessible. The concert is sponsored in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.