Stravinsky composed a wonderful body of choral music, including this unique Mass composed for soloists, chorus, and double wind quintet. Stravinsky is said to have gotten the idea of writing a Mass by coming across some Mozart Masses in a music store. But Mozart’s rococo church style was not the right fit for Stravinsky. Instead one can hear the influence of Medieval music here. In the 1960s, Columbia Records embarked upon a huge project of recording the bulk of Stravinsky’s music with the composer – or his assistant Robert Craft – conducting. Columbia needed a chorus for the project, and they found one: The Gregg Smith Singers. The group was just starting out in those days, but their director, Gregg Smith, was completely inspired by contemporary music and understood Stravinsky’s music very deeply. There forged a professional union between choral conductor and composer which lasted until Stravinsky’s death in 1971. When the great composer’s funeral was given in the basilica of San Marco in Venice, Gregg was summoned to conduct. This “Gloria” is a wonderful excerpt from the Mass.

– Dennis Keene

IGOR STRAVINSKY Mass for Mixed Chorus and Double Wind Quintet: "Gloria"

Gregg Smith Singers
Columbia Chamber Ensemble
Robert Craft, conductor
Linda Anderson, soprano
Adrienne Albert, contralto

℗ 1967 Sony Music Entertainment