IDAGIO | Mass 886449469178

Featuring

Alan Titus
Leonard Bernstein
Mass Cast Studio Orchestra
The Norman Scribner Choir
Berkshire Boy Choir

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Recording & Production

This album is the inaugural recording of MASS, serving as the soundtrack to its momentous 1971 world premiere, with Leonard Bernstein himself conducting.

Compositional Technique

MASS incorporates a wide array of musical styles, including atonal, folk, soul, gospel, rock, and Broadway, reflecting Bernstein's belief in music's power to unite.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bernstein's MASS uses the sacred text of the Roman Catholic Mass as its core, but challenges these texts from the perspective of America in the 1970s, during the Vietnam War and a period of social protest.

Composition History

Leonard Bernstein's MASS was commissioned by Jackie Kennedy to be the inaugural centerpiece for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. in 1971.

Composer Biography

Stephen Schwartz, who collaborated with Bernstein on additional texts for MASS, was only 23 years old at the time and later became known for Broadway shows like Godspell and Wicked.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Leonard Bernstein considered music to be his 'one true religion,' believing its diversity and fervor could transcend divides and foster unity and healing.