Holy Spirit Mass

Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen (born 1980) grew up singing choral music in the choir of Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, central Norway. It brought him into contact with the Latin Mass and its numerous and varied settings. His Holy Spirit Mass, written for the US’s National Lutheran Choir and first heard in Minnesota in 2017, fuses the Latin Mass with Luther’s hymn “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” and the ninth-century antiphon “Veni Creator Spiritus.” Melodically memorable and harmonically rich, the Mass is scored almost voluptuously for choir, string ensemble, and piano. It’s as wonderful to listen to as it must be to sing.