Boston Classical Review

Patrick Dupré Quigley conducted Boston Baroque Sunday at Jordan Hall.

Unity within an ensemble arises not only from blending, but also from each performer carrying individual responsibility for the musical line. On Sunday afternoon at Jordan Hall, guest conductor Patrick Dupré Quigley and Boston Baroque demonstrated just how compelling that balance can be in monumental works by Mozart and Haydn.

The direction was remarkably cohesive in the performance, with no hint that Quigley was a sub, announced less than a month out for the originally slated Bernard Labadie.

Mozart’s iconic Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 opened the concert with suitable storminess. The famous opening string figures snapped with fire and precision. The lower strings, especially the basses, anchored the texture with a dark, biting presence that lent the music organic depth. Wind lines occasionally struggled to emerge through the heavier textures, though their contributions added welcome color when audible.

The Andante unfolded gently, its lilting motion shaped with care. Horns emerged clearly and expressively from the texture. A buoyant Minuet followed, rhythmic vitality balanced with attentive shaping of inner details.

Momentum surged in the finale. Musicians leaned physically into the racing phrases, driving the movement forward with infectious energy. At times the music seemed almost to outrun itself, yet the strategic pauses sharpened the drama, allowing Haydn-like wit to flash through Mozart’s turbulent score.

Where Boston Baroque truly shined was in Haydn’s masterpiece, Missa in Angustiis, more commonly known as Lord Nelson Mass. Presented in the original version with trumpets, timpani, and organ, this performance highlighted some of the military-sounding influences and the mature writing of Haydn’s late liturgical works.

Boston Baroque presented the opening of the piece not in the lean sonority often associated with early-music performance in Boston, but in a thrillingly resonant Kyrie. What a huge sound this small, 25-member chorus can make–cutting through the thick orchestral textures of the movement in crisp, almost-percussive declamation. Soprano Lauren Snouffer soared above the ensemble, dispatching Haydn’s demanding runs with silvery clarity.

The sunny, catchy tune animated the Gloria in an appropriate, well-coordinated call-and-response between Snouffer and the chorus. Tenor Andrew Haji contributed a particularly appealing timbre here, adding brightness and balance to the solo quartet. In “Qui tollis peccata mundi,” baritone Philippe Sly filled the hall with a booming lower register, carrying the vocal line with commanding breadth.

Relief arrived in “Quoniam tu solus sanctus,” where refreshing liveliness echoed the earlier Gloria. This small finale demonstrated the epitome of the choral sound: radiant and full of life, luminous colors, crystalline text, and expressive shaping.

Quigley conjured a firm orchestral scaffolding in the Credo, giving the chorus a clear foundation from which the many short musical ideas could unfold. Here the music found a sense of space and pacing somewhat missing in the Mozart.

Snouffer’s finely controlled dynamic shading enveloped “Ex Maria virgine,” while string swells energized “Et resurrexit.”

Each choral line at the end of the movement carried clear purpose, with nothing extraneous and each part fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. Cascading polyphonies, seemingly coming from all directions from the stage, were meticulously together and ever so clear. This ensemble needs no printed text (and indeed they did not provide one), for every word and phrase was audible and colored in natural, comprehensible directions.

In the warm, caressing Sanctus, it was even more evident that the sopranos and altos stood mixed onstage, as did the tenors and basses. With the mellow organ tones and the incredible richness of these voices, this section seemed to ground the flowing music in breathtaking stillness.

The Benedictus reintroduced the work’s martial undercurrent through Quigly’s direction in creeping string lines and punctuating trumpet calls. Mezzo-soprano Alex Hetherington shaped her solo line with expressive urgency, projecting warmth even in a part that often offers limited opportunities. Particularly satisfying was the soprano-alto duet section of the Agnus Dei, where Hetherington’s darker, chocolatey tone blended beautifully with Snouffer’s sweet lyricism. The solo quartet also found its most balanced moment here.

The concluding “Dona nobis pacem” expanded grandly, propelled by racing string figures and confident choral entries. The a cappella passages were tuned impressively with overtones filling the hall, before the final statement gathered the ensemble for a jubilant close.

What is intriguing about this piece is how the text is set in such unexpected ways: “Kyrie eleison” isnot quite prayer-like in begging for mercy, “Dona nobis pacem”a surprisingly lively anthem in hoping for peace. Reconciling such contradictions requires serious musical imagination and conviction. Under Quigley’s insightful direction, Boston Baroque flourished in facing this challenge, with a performance that was not only polished, but deeply alive.

Boston Baroque presents Mozart’s Idomeneo April 24 and 26 at Emerson Paramount Center. baroque.boston