New Polyphonic Mass and Motets to Premiere in Denver

The Vittoria Ensemble and its director Rick Wheeler are proud to announce the upcoming premiere, at three concerts in the Denver, Colorado area, of a new polyphonic Mass, the Missa Honorificentia Populi Nostri, composed in 2017 by NLM contributor, Dr Peter Kwasniewski.

Kwasniewski was commissioned by a patron in Innsbruck, Austria, to write a missa plenaria, that is, not only the five movements of the Ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus-Benedictus, and Agnus Dei), but also the five propers of the Mass (Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, and Communion) specific to the city of Innsbruck, honoring the translation of a miraculous image of Our Lady into the cathedral. A complete performance of the missa plenaria lasts approximately 30 minutes.

In the preface to the score, Kwasniewski writes:

It brought me great joy to fulfill this commission because of my own personal connection with Austria, where I lived and worked for almost eight years. Pilgrimages to the great shrine of Mariazell and to the miraculous medieval statue of the Mother of God, “Magna Mater Austriae,” are among my most cherished memories of that beautiful country. I regard this Missa Plenaria as a musical testimony of my gratitude to Our Lord for the blessings He has showered upon me and my family through Our Lady’s intercession. May its performance be a blessing in turn for those who seek to worship God “in the beauty of holiness.”

The concert program will feature exclusively Kwasniewski’s compositions: in addition to the Mass, about ten Latin motets written between 2010 and the present, with texts from Sacred Scripture, St Augustine, St Bernard, St Thomas Aquinas, and the Carmelite Rite of Mass, and an English hymn in honor of the Holy Spirit, “Come, Breath of Holiness.”

The Vittoria Ensemble concert locations and times are as follows; the same may be found on the flier above.

Saturday, April 21, 2018
7:00 pm
St Dominic’s Catholic Parish
2905 Federal Boulevard
Denver, CO 80211

Sunday, April 22, 2018
7:00 pm
Pax Christi Catholic Church
5761 McArthur Ranch Road
Lone Tree, CO 80124

Sunday, April 29, 2018
3:00 pm
Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
1530 Logan Street
Denver, CO 80203

Two additional performances of the Missa Honorificentia Populi Nostri are scheduled in May:

• in Chicago, on Sunday, May 13, 2018, by the choir of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, under the direction of Paul French (Kyrie, Gloria, Agnus);
• in Connecticut, on Friday, May 18, at a solemn Mass at the Basilica of St John the Evangelist in Stamford, by the Choir of St Mary’s Church, under the direction of David Hughes (complete Mass, with some of the propers).

To listen to performances of Kwasniewski’s music, visit this YouTube channel.