Papandopulo: Croatian Mass [Hrvatska Misa]

On February 1, 2025, Ivan Repušić, chief conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra, conducted Boris Papandopulo’s "Croatian Mass" for soloists and a cappella choir from 1942 with the Bavarian Radio Choir at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. The live recording of this outstanding interpretation of the impressive sacred composition is now available. The Croatian composer and conductor Boris Papandopulo (1906–1991) was active as a choral conductor, conductor, and opera director in Split, Rijeka, Zagreb, and Sarajevo. He created more than 400 compositions spanning almost every genre. Although of Greek descent, Papandopulo was deeply rooted in the Croatian musical tradition, and his broad stylistic range extended from neoclassicism to jazz, pop, and folk music. His works combine elements of Croatian folk music with twelve-tone music and require a high degree of virtuosity. Papandopulo completed his education in Zagreb and at the New Conservatory in Vienna, and spent most of his life in Croatia. The "Croatian Mass" is a sacred work in the spirit and style of centuries-old Croatian vocal music, and it was composed without orchestral or organ accompaniment, as Croatian choral music is sung almost exclusively a cappella. Papandopulo completed his "Croatian Mass" in 1938, and it was premiered on April 1, 1942, in Zagreb by the Kolo Croatian Choral Society. Although the Croatian translation of the Roman Catholic liturgy gives the work a certain national character, it is primarily influenced by the tradition of old Dalmatian church songs. It is composed in a polyphonic style, and its syllabic and diatonic text settings are characteristic of Croatian vocal music.