Plot Summary

Haydn’s Missa in tempore belli is also known as the Paukenmesse (kettledrum mass) because of its dramatic use of timpani. Responding to the work's innate theatricality, Dutch National Opera presents the mass in a fully-staged performance. Director Barbora Horáková reveals the flipside of the unfaltering faith that runs throughout Haydn’s music, poignantly portraying individuals who suffer under the heavy burden of a narrow-minded ideology.