Bernstein: Mass – Yannick Nézet-Séguin

   in Choir & Organ (Jul, 2018)
The unkind joke about Leonard Bernstein is that he always considered the music to be an accompaniment to the conducting. In truth, Bernstein was a great creator of spectacle, and the object of the spectacle was by no means always himself. This extraordinary work is part-Roman liturgy, part-rock concert and part-happening. Bernstein’s notorious commitment to ‘radical chic’ sometimes hid his profound traditionalism. The writing draws heavily on the Church Mass, as well as on African-American vernacular and white secular music. Amazingly, and thanks to a joyously committed ensemble, the piece hangs together, even as a purely audio event. The first CD can seem a little chaotic in places, but from the …