Bernstein: Mass

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis commissioned Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers from Leonard Bernstein for the 1971 opening of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. It was written to be a celebration and remembrance of her husband's life, achievements and ideals. As a result, the gala premiere was as much a political occasion as a musical or theatrical one. It was pointedly boycotted by then-President Richard Nixon who assumed, and rightly so, that it would prove to be a rallying cry for his critics. The nearly two-hour long work features a Broadway-sized ensemble including a large orchestra, marching band, mixed chorus, children's choir, dancers and a rock band. Although he was Jewish, Bernstein had always found the Roman Catholic faith intriguing and found its liturgy especially theatrical. The libretto for Mass intersperses texts written by Bernstein and Stephen Schwartz (lyricist for Godspell) into the Roman Mass proper. The work explores the mass from the point of view of the Celebrant, who is experiencing a crisis of faith. The Celebrant's faith is simple and pure at first, yet that faith gradually becomes unsustainable under the weight of human misery, corruption, and the trappings of human power. In the end, the Celebrant, on the verge of renouncing his faith, finds that the loneliness of his doubt is no match for the joy of gathering together with other believers in praise. Mass is a tour-de-force - a seamless blend of classical, modern, rock, popular and Broadway idioms - and a pointed commentary on spirituality in modern society. Surprisingly, this new recording by Kent Nagano, taken from live performances at the Philharmonie in Berlin, is only the second complete recording ever put to disc. Three-time GRAMMY(r) Award winner Jerry Hadley stars as the Celebrant. . His equal ease in the realms of Broadway musical theater, operetta and popular song make him one of today's most versatile artists. Bernstein was a powerful musical mentor to Hadley - he refers to him as "my artistic father."