Berliner Mass

Arvo Pärt 1935-

Saturday 9 December 2000, 8pm

St Peter's Anglican Church
Willis Street
Wellington

Messe de Minuit: Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1645-1704

The New Zealand premiere performance of Pärt's evocative Berliner Mass, an important composition that has gained rapid popularity in the choral world with its seamless blending of medieval and Renaissance sounds with Eastern orthodoxy and contemporary harmonic language.

The Berliner Mass fits into the spirit of the year 2000 - the spirit of new beginnings - by reminding us of the incredible events surrounding the reunification of Germany and Europe during the late 1980s.

In acknowledgement of the Christmas season the choir presented another premiere performance, that of Charpentier's joyous Messe de Minuit. Based on popular French christmas carols of the 17th century, this music brings the sounds of the French Baroque to Wellington.