A Concord Pastor Comments: If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead: whom would you invite?

Leonard Bernstein

waiting to have dinner with me...

Have you ever been asked this question? For decades now, I've named Leonard Bernstein as the person I'd love to have dinner with. Not just because he's a composer and I love music - but because one composition of his has held a place in my heart since the first time I heard it: MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers.

Bernstein's MASS was premiered as the opening performance of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts on September 5, 1971. Reviews by music, theater and church critics were very mixed. Although Catholic response was largely negative and harsh, some 30 years later Pope John Paul II requested that MASS be performed at the Vatican where it was well received.

MASS premiered two years before my ordination as a priest and I was immediately taken by its use of ancient liturgical texts and contemporary lyrics (Stephen Schwartz and Paul Simon contributed to Bernstein's libretto); its variety of musical genres; and the deep insights it offered into the heart of Christian worship - all from the creative genius of three Jewish musicians!

In the homily I preached at my first mass in 1973, I took a line from Bernstein's MASS as my central image: "How easily things get broken!" How easily God's creation has been broken... how easily humankind has been broken... how easily the human heart is broken... how easily was the body of Christ broken, for us, that we might be healed and made whole... how humbling that in spite of and through my own brokenness I should be called to break the bread of eucharist for God's people...

And how I would love to have the opportunity to sit down with this maestro and seek some insight into the creative process that guided his mind, heart and soul to composing this masterpiece music, drama and faith!

All of this comes to mind because I recently found online a video of Bernstein's MASS which includes the score! I've had a recording of MASS for decades but have never seen the score. I realize that most folks won't be as excited by this as I am - so I'm placing the video with the score at the end of this post.

But I do want to introduce you to this wonderful musical masterpiece. Recall from its title that it's a theatre piece for singers, players, and dancers. It's not a musical or a play - but it does have singers, players, dancers, a little costuming and a few props. Seeing it staged, then, is the intended experience and simply listening to the audio is, well, much less than that.

Unfortunately, I've never seen MASS in a theater - and videos of the whole production are scarce. I'm offering this one which features the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, directed by Marin Alsop and featuring Paulo Szot as the Celebrant. I have some reluctance here because this 2012 production includes some unhappy changes in the score, particularly in the Epistle section, around the 40:00 mark. (What was I saying about brokenness?) If you choose to listen to the production here, you'll find some conversation about this in the comments on YouTube. Other than this unfortunate issue, I warmly recommend this presentation and I believe you'll enjoy it - even be moved by it.

MASS:

A Theatre Piece for Singers,

Players, and Dancers.

If a video doesn't appear below, click here!