Missa in tempore belli | Dutch National Opera & Ballet

This production of Missa in tempore belli is a dream come true for DNO’s. Taking Haydn’s ‘Mass in time of war’ as its centrepiece, this special performance combines music theatre, dance, electronic composition and video.

Haydn’s Missa in tempore belli is also known as the Paukenmesse (kettledrum mass) because of the dramatic use of timpani, a theatrical touch that is unusual for a mass.

In an unusual twist Dutch National Opera is presenting the mass in a fully staged version. Director Barbora Horáková reveals the flipside of the steadfast faith that runs through every note of Haydn’s mass, poignantly portraying individuals who suffer under the heavy burden of a narrowminded, one-sided ideology.