Mass was commissioned by Jacqueline Onassis for the opening gala of the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington. Although the title suggests otherwise, Mass still resembles a multimedia protest song with rock singers, keyboards and electric guitars. Most notorious is the celebrant eruption, in which the altar and sacraments are desecrated. After that, however, the music returns to the serene opening
… music of A Simple Song. 'It then remains for each individual on the stage to find a new seed of Faith within himself through painful Meditation' (Bernstein). That was a moral not appreciated by everyone at the time. For example, the FBI feared that the culture-blind dignitaries would embarrass themselves because they were probably too stupid to see through all those subversive references. And now? Does Mass still know how to fascinate, now that the protest of the sixties has inevitably taken on a preachy look? In that respect, it is surprising how much remains in this lively performance. After all, the turning over of sacred houses is as old as the Carnival and the Saturnalia, and probably even older. Nothing new in that regard. (HJ)more
