Mass
for baritone solo, chorus, and chamber orchestra (1990)
First Performance
27 June 1990
New York State Theatre, New York, New York
New York City Orchestra and Ballet
Instrumentation
Baritone solo—SATB chorus—2.2.2.2—2.2.0.0—timp—strings
Duration
30'
Libretto
sung in English
Movement Titles
I. KyriePress Quote
II. Gloria
III. Credo
IV. Sanctus
V. Agnus Dei
...almost completely without substance...In the program guide we were "respectfully requested" not to applaud at the conclusion of the mass; I found the temptation easy to resist. Time Page, Newsday
A Mass is a miss. Janice Berman, Newsday
We got kindergarten rhythm that fed a ladies'-tea-party idea of what Mendelssohn was about...W.H.Auden had a phrase for it when, pouring his tea out the window , he shocked the gathering with the appraisal, "Tepid urine." Village Voice
You'd need a cleaver to cut the piety. Village Voice
This Mass disappoints. It sounds as if it is caught between a crumbling rock and a soft place...Clive Barnes, New York Post
Program Note
Mass is sung in English using the traditional structure of the Ordinary, set in five movements: I. Kyrie, II. Gloria, III. Credo, IV. Sanctus, V. Agnus Dei.
Commissioned by Licoln Kirstein, Mass was originally written for an outdoor ceremony blessing the crypt at the site where a new chapel designed by Philip Johnson would be built. The composition, finished in 1990, was completed before a site was found, and Mr. Kirstein then suggested an indoor performance using the resources of his company, the New York City Ballet, on their stage at the New York State Theater (designed by Mr. Johnson)at Lincoln Center. A simple staging was devised by Peter Martins and Robert LaFosse.