Bernstein's Monumental Mass

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(October 2008)

Bernstein's Monumental Mass: New Production and Forthcoming Publication

Leonard Bernstein’s Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers (commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971) is as vibrant and controversial now as it was when it premiered thirty-seven years ago.

Commemorating the 90th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, Bernstein protégée Marin Alsop led nearly 250 performers (including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) in semi-staged performances last month in Baltimore (October 16-18) and Washington, D.C. (October 26) as well as in New York City as part of the citywide festival "Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds" (October 24), with a special Harlem performance in collaboration with The Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall and New York City Public Schools on October 25. All performances were directed by Kevin Newbury and featured Jubilant Sykes as celebrant; the BSO’s production of Mass will be recorded and released on the Naxos label.

Coinciding with Bernstein’s anniversary, Boosey & Hawkes is proud to announce the forthcoming release of Mass: Concert Selections for Soloists and Choruses, edited by Dr. Doreen Rao. This new publication brings selections from Bernstein’s epic work to the educational, community, and church choral markets with optional reduced orchestration. Accessible and satisfying, Dr. Rao’s selections maintain the integrity of the Mass form and the dramatic tension between faith and doubt as well as the spirit of diversity, inclusion, and peace, which was so much a part of Bernstein’s mission as conductor, composer, and humanitarian.

For a full list of instrumentation click HERE.

Acclaim for Bernstein’s Mass:
“…"Mass" re-emerged as the moving and visionary piece it's always been -- arguably the best thing Bernstein ever wrote.”
The Washington Post

“Bernstein left nothing of himself out of “Mass,” and like the man who wrote it, the piece demands to be noticed. …beneath the original dramatic conception, the creative exuberance, the showbiz glitter and the ear-catching set numbers is a sophisticated, carefully controlled piece of musical craftsmanship that repays close scrutiny. …Yes, Bernstein could manipulate a 12-tone row with the best of them.

“…[an] extravagant, exuberant and endlessly inventive creation…”
The New York Times

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