Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Your reviewer has never heard anything quite like this and he thoroughly enjoyed what is on offer. Roberto Sierra (born 1953) is an American composer of Hispanic origin. The concept of his 'Missa Latina' comes directly out of his experience of growing up as a Catholic in Puerto Rico so when he was commissioned to write a new setting for the traditional text he decided to work in a contemporary Latino idiom full of Caribbean gestures, particularly in some of the rhythm patterns. The obvious comparison, at least to my ears, is with Bernstein's West Side Story. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Choir, under Andreas Delfs, sound like they are having great fun and the very brief review would be just that: great fun. Whether that is an appropriate response to the central rite of the Catholic faith is, of course, entirely a different matter. Also adding to our enjoyment are the virtuoso soloists: soprano Heidi Grant Murphy and baritone Nathaniel Webster. Both move this Mass away from sounding like a stage musical to an almost operatic atmosphere. Both sing superbly, Miss Grant Murphy especially so; the "Alleluia" at the end of the "Agnus Dei" is as good as anything I have heard this year and the rhythmic "Sanctus" would leave me clapping along and shouting Ole! at the end. As I said earlier, I am not convinced that this is an appropriate response to a Mass but as a piece of music I can only applaud and note this as a possible CD Of The Year.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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