Sunrise Mass. Live from Vilnius Philharmonics

Open to the World ’18. A special night in Vilnius: Ola Gjeilo, Bel Canto Choir Vilnius & Sofia Vokalensemble together.

Bel Canto Choir Vilnius, world-renowned composer Ola Gjeilo, and Swedish choir, Sofia Vokalensemble, presented the second concert of the Open to the World concert series. On Saturday, May 19, 2018, more than 80 singers from Bel Canto Choir Vilnius and Sofia Vokalensemble met for the first time for an exceptional musical project in Vilnius.

The concert’s centerpiece – cinematically inspired Sunrise Mass – was recorded live and is available on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify!

Ola Gjeilo’s renowned Sunrise Mass for chorus and string orchestra is exceptionally light and moving piece; it conveys the composer’s modern and original take on the centuries-old tradition of sacred music.

Ola Gjeilo notes that he wanted to present the traditional Latin text in a new way – the Sunrise Mass turns a remarkably bright, spacious, almost cosmic sound into one more worldly and rugged, while feelings of lightness are replaced by much more dramatic emotions. The composer even gave new names to the traditional prayers: The Spheres (Kyrie), Sunrise (Gloria), The City (Credo), Identity & The Ground (Sanctus / Benedictus and Agnus Dei).

Bel Canto Choir Vilnius was the first to present the Sunrise Mass to the Lithuanian audiences back in 2014. This time, the piece was performed by more than 80 choristers – singers from Bel Canto Choir Vilnius and Sofia Vokalensemble together.

Artists & Performers

Bel Canto Choir Vilnius (Artistic Director Egidijus Kaveckas), Sofia Vokalensemble (Artistic Director Bengt Ollén) and Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (Artistic Director Sergej Krylov). Conductor Egidijus Kaveckas.

Credits

Audrius Valatkevičius (Executive Producer); Jonas Juozapaitis (Video Director & Editor); Šarūnas Burža (Director of Photography); Mykolas Lėckas (Lightening Design).

Audio recording performed by Artūras Pugačiauskas and Vilius Keras. Mixed & mastered at AP Sound Design by Artūras Pugačiauskas.