The world premiere of the new Mass for Notre-Dame by Judith Weir will take place in Paris on Tuesday April 14.
The new setting of the mass was commissioned by Musique Sacrée à Notre-Dame de Paris and it will be sung by the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris conducted by Émilie Fleury with the organist Yves Castagnet. In addition, Weir has also composed two new motets as part of the commission, God be Gracious and Éternel est Son Amour!, both of which will recieve their first performances in the same concert.
"Three years ago, well before the celebrated re-opening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, I was invited to write music for the Cathedral's choir school, La Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris," says Weir. "It was a substantial request; a setting of the entire Mass, plus the two Motets (a liturgical psalm and a communion hymn) which also form part of a Catholic service.
"The setting is for upper voices (mostly in two parts, occasionally three) and organ. The motets, one in English and one in French, are God be Gracious (Psalm 66[67]) and Éternel est Son Amour! (Psalm 135[136]).
"Although all this new music will receive its world premiere in a concert performance in Notre-Dame on April 14th, I entirely envisaged it while composing as music for worship, for use in a church service. As a result the settings are generally contemplative, lyrical and unhurried. The organ music also has a chamber character, gently amplifying the choral sound, with an occasional prominent solo; which is my attempt at a "typically French" manner of choral accompaniment."