A Mass of Life, for soloists, chorus and orchestra, RTii/4
A Mass of Life (German: Eine Messe des Lebens) is a cantata by English composer Frederick Delius, based on the German text of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883-1885). In 1898, Delius had written a male choir and orchestral setting of "Midnight Song" from the same work, and this was revised to form part of the Mass.
Movements
- part I: I. ‘O Du mein Wille, Du Wende aller Not!’
- part I: II. ‘Erhebt eure Herzen, meine Bruder...’
- part I: III. ‘In dein Auge schaute ich jüngst, O Leben.’
- part I: IV. ‘Wehe mir!’ –
- part I: V. ‘Nacht ist es...’
- part II: On the Mountains: Andante –
- part II: I. ‘Herauf! Nun herauf, du großer Mittag!’
- part II: II. ‘Süße Leier! Ich liebe deinen Ton...!’
- part II: III. ‘La, la, la!...’
- part II: IV. ‘Heißer Mittag schläft auf den Fluren.’ –
- part II: V. ‘Gottes Weh ist tiefer...’ –
- part II: VI. ‘Kommt. Laßt uns jetzt wandeln!’
Recommended recordings
- London Philharmonic Orchestra · Charles Groves YouTubeSpotify (subscription)
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra · Thomas Beecham YouTubeSpotify (subscription)