More than 200 singers and musicians are gearing up to congregate on stage at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for a very musical Mass.
Leonard Bernstein's Mass: A Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers is an unconventional work spanning a wide range of musical styles, such as classical, rock, jazz and folk. The full production features a massive group of nearly 250 performers. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, led by Marin Alsop, will be performing Mass in a series of events commemorating the 90th anniversary of Bernstein's birth.
Marin Alsop is the first female conductor to lead a major American orchestra, and her appointment as the 12th musical director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra last September has brought about many positive changes in the BSO. Next week, the BSO will be taking on a exceptional challenge with a recreation of Bernstein's Mass at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, to be followed by performances at New York's esteemed Carnegie Hall and at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Marin Alsop's personal connection with Bernstein uniquely qualifies her as the perfect conductor to lead BSO in its performance of Bernstein's largest and most controversial work, Mass. In a personal account, Marin Alsop says that she was convinced to become a conductor after seeing Bernstein conduct when she was nine years old. Two decades later, she was selected to study with Bernstein at the Tanglewood Institute.
"Mass is about conflict and questioning, and younger generations always push that envelope through their own musical styles," Alsop said. "The rock and jazz and folk elements all represent rebellion, alternative thinking, testing the establishment."
Commissioned by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1971 for the opening of the Kennedy Center, Mass has since received divisive responses from audiences and critics. Following the premiere, Bernstein and his performers received a 30-minute standing ovation, while the New York Times wrote the following day that Mass is "little more than fashionable kitsch ... cheap and vulgar."
Structured after a Roman Catholic mass, Mass draws upon themes such as the questioning of faith, tolerance and renewal of tradition. Although Jewish himself, Bernstein had long been fascinated by the rituals of Catholicism and, in honor of the Catholic President Kennedy, Bernstein chose to set his composition in the context of a Catholic mass.
According to Alsop, "the traditional form of a mass gave him not only structure, but also language ... and conflict [between] old world versus new; dead language versus living."
The conflict represented in Mass is not only about religion and faith, however.
The piece also features political undertones that were intended to communicate anti-war messages and were interpreted by some as a veiled critique of the Nixon administration's actions regarding the Vietnam War in 1971.
Perhaps it is not a mere coincidence that the revival of the production comes at a time when the nation is dealing with the similarly prominent and controversial issue of the war in Iraq.
Alsop has noticed the connection as well. "The message of Mass is even stronger and seemingly more apropos today ... with this divisive election, the nightmare of our financial climate, the fear and questioning of those we trusted ... an unfortunate cycle seems to recur!" she said.
The narrative arc of Mass centers on the Celebrant leading his congregation through a traditional Catholic mass. Having a simple and absolute faith at the beginning of Mass, the Celebrant undergoes a spiritual journey over the course of the 90-minute work, questioning his own faith after being exposed to the congregation's increasing doubt in faith and frustration with the human condition. It all culminates in the Celebrant's complete psychological breakdown and physical collapse on the stage.
Finally, a boy soprano restores peace and faith, and, as Bernstein once described the moment, "the chain of embrace grows and spreads through the entire stage, ultimately with the audience and hopefully into the world outside."
In the BSO performances, baritone Jubilant Sykes will be performing as the Celebrant. Sykes will be joined by the Morgan State University Chorus, the Peabody Children's Chorus, a 50-piece marching band and a Broadway cast performing as "Street People." In addition to the live performances, the BSO's production of Mass will be recorded and released on the Naxos record label.
Although it was written within the cultural framework of 1971, Mass continues to attract a wide audience and remains the best-selling classical multi-disc set ever produced. In fact, the BSO box office anticipates a complete sell-out of its three performances.
Performances of Bernstein's Mass will be held at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Oct. 16, 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $26 to $75 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, (410) 783-8000 or http://www.BSOmusic.org. As all performances are expected to sell out, don't delay buying your tickets!
