Stephen Pettitt
The Sunday Times
November 2013

This pairing makes eminent sense. First comes the Nelson Mass, written as the Missa in Angustiis at the Esterhazy Palace, in Eisenstadt, in 1798, and later performed there before Nelson himself. Then comes Symphony No 102, written four years earlier during the composer's second visit to London. The late Masses are effectively compound symphonic works. The orchestra, in both the Mass and the symphony, play with a justified delight in this life-affirming music.