Sunday, May 23 at 4:30 p.m. (First Congregational Church of Fairfield)

Missa Brevis by Zoltán Kodály; works by Pēteris Vasks, Arvo Pärt, and Franz Liszt

Organ virtuoso Andrew Henderson once again joins the Fairfield County Chorale for an intimate afternoon concert combining the Missa Brevis of Kodaly (1942-44), works by contemporary composers Pēteris Vasks and Arvo Pärt, and lesser-known choral works of Franz Liszt. All of these composers have looked to the heritage of their national folk music for inspiration. The Missa Brevis was composed and first performed while Kodály was in hiding from the Nazis, and carries a strong message of peace in a composition with wide-ranging musical references (Gregorian chant, Bach, Hungarian folk music, Liszt’s Organ Mass). Vasks’ works also nod to folk music and are known for their stunning, ethereal harmony, while ranging from delicate, lyrical passages to intense dissonance and somber intensity. Pärt’s works are becoming beloved “standards” of the choral repertoire. Liszt choral works are less often performed than his orchestral and piano compositions, but during his lifetime they were popular with the German singing societies that were then in vogue. This is a concert that will bring the transcendent joy of choral singing together with the awe that is inspired by the finest organ performances.