On this day, October 27, 1948, the chorus and orchestra of Teatro alla Scala in Milan gave the first complete performance of Stravinsky’s Mass. Composed between 1944 and 1948, this is one of the few Stravinsky works not written on commission. Reflecting on its inspiration, Stravinsky told Robert Craft: "My Mass was partly provoked by some Masses of Mozart that I found at a secondhand store in Los Angeles in 1942 or 1943. As I played through these rococo-operatic sweets-of-sin, I knew I had to wr

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of MASS, PBS stations are scheduling broadcasts of Great Performances l PBS: LEONARD BERNSTEIN MASS, the Ravinia Festival’s highly acclaimed 2019 production conducted by Marin Alsop and featuring Tony Award winner Paulo Szot as the Celebrant. Check your local listings for more details. The program will also be available online for free streaming on PBS Passport from September 8 to October 6, 2021. | Leonard Bernstein