Pentecost Sunday – Stravinsky Mass

Setting: Mass for voices and wind instruments – Igor Stravinsky
Sermon: The Revd Steve Morris, Assistant Priest of St Bride’s
Anthem: Agnus Dei from Mass for voices and wind instruments – Igor Stravinsky
Organ Voluntary: tbc –

All are welcome to attend this service of Holy Communion at the heart of our community’s weekly cycle of worship.

The musical setting is Stravinsky’s profound Mass for voices and wind instruments which will be performed by our professional St Bride’s Choir and we are delighted to welcome the wind players from the St Bride’s Orchestra for this special service marking Pentecost.

In 1944 Stravinsky began work on a complete setting of the liturgy of the mass. This was in part a reaction to finding some Mozart masses in a second-hand book shop in Los Angeles. He wrote: ‘As I played through these rococo-operatic sweets-of-sin, I knew I had to write a Mass of my own, but a real one.’

At its core is a setting of the Credo which he wrote in 1932 – a profound and solemn musical reaffirmation of his own faith. The whole mass was completed in 1948 and premiered at La Scala, Milan. It is accompanied by ten wind instruments lending it a deep sonority and cohesion with the voices.

Echoes of the Russian orthodox musical tradition of Stravinsky’s past, and inspiration from Byzantine chant and Renaissance polyphony are weaved together into a work of great originality.

Musicologist and composer Ivan Moody wrote: “The music itself is austere and humble, but possessed of the kind of inner radiance proper to true liturgical music.”

We hope you can join us for this liturgical performance which promises to be a thrilling musical experience and a wonderful way to celebrate the feast of Pentecost.

Find out more about the service of Choral Eucharist.

This service will not be available online. You can find details of our online worship and access to previous services via our Online Worship page.