“Bernstein was the greatest risk-taker in 20th-century classical music. He thrived on conflict and this is nowhere more evident than in his composition, Mass.” – NPR

BERNSTEIN MASS features Grammy-nominated True Concord, Baritone Jubilant Sykes, UA Dance, and Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. This performance is part of the Desert Song Festival.

Perhaps Bernstein’s most ambitiously scaled work, Mass truly lives up to its name as “A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers.” Considering the tremendous success it has achieved since its premiere in 1971, it’s no wonder that the Washington Post has called it “arguably the best thing Bernstein ever wrote.” The premiere of Mass, coinciding with the opening of the new John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., was an event to trump all others; attendees included Rose Kennedy (the late president’s mother), Edward Kennedy, Henry Kissinger and Aaron Copland. Mass represents the culmination—the totality—of who Bernstein was as a composer. It combines classical, Broadway, avant-garde and other styles into one large, cohesive work. Ultimately a work of peace, Mass explores the human condition in social and religious terms.

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