Bernstein's Mass (1971) was commissioned by none other than Jacqueline Onassis to mark the opening of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. It is not surprising that this 'rock mass' was soon forgotten. After all, Mass resembles a dated attempt to mix 'classic' with the spirit of Woodstock, Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. But perhaps that was judged too quickly. Since roughly
… the turn of the millennium, Mass has been making a comeback. This DGG release with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin is the fourth modern recording. Kent Nagano, Kritjan Järvi and Marin Alsop preceded Nézet-Séguin in this. During performances in Philadelphia (here live on CD), Nézet-Séguin was so impressed by this anti-authoritarian mass that he wanted to conduct everything by Bernstein. How should we explain this revival? Maybe all bad taste boils down to satire, or maybe even self-mockery. For example, Mass opens with a lot of noise that only makes you a listener. The celebrant, however, resolutely puts an end to all this noise with the moving 'Sing God a simple song…. for God is the simplest of all '. And then the last half hour, in which the altar is desecrated and the dishes are thrown to pieces. You can think of it what you want, but from a purely musical point of view it's very good. This pandemonium also ends in stillness, and that in an enormous tension that is very cleverly timed. (HJ) However, the celebrant resolutely puts an end to all that noise with the moving 'Sing God a simple song…. for God is the simplest of all '. And then the last half hour, in which the altar is desecrated and the dishes are thrown to pieces. You can think of it what you want, but from a purely musical point of view it's very good. This pandemonium also ends in stillness, and that in an enormous tension that is very cleverly timed. (HJ) The celebrant, however, resolutely puts an end to all this noise with the moving 'Sing God a simple song…. for God is the simplest of all '. And then the last half hour, in which the altar is desecrated and the dishes are thrown to pieces. You can think of it what you want, but from a purely musical point of view it's very good. This pandemonium also ends in stillness, and that in an enormous tension that is very cleverly timed. (HJ)more
