Prom 32: Bernstein's Mass – review

Royal Albert Hall, LondonCommissioned for the opening of the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC in 1971, Leonard Bernstein's Mass caused a storm of controversy at its first performance that shows little sign of abating. Described as "a theatre piece for singers, players and dancers", it reflects his dismay over the Vietnam war and the assassinations of Kennedy (a personal friend) and Martin Luther King. Richard Nixon, notoriously, refused to attend the first perfor...

Read full article Share article