Mass and interludies "L'homme armé"

The Mass and Interludes L’homme armé were written for the five-voice vocal ensemble Ars Antiqua Riga, accompanied by organ, sackbuts (ancient trombones), and electronic instruments, creating an atmospheric soundscape. The opus was born as a result of creative symbiosis between composer Uģis Prauliņš and conductor Pēteris Vaickovskis, who initially invited the composer to write musical comments (interludes) on Johannes Ockeghem’s (c. 1414–1497) Mass L’homme armé. The creative collaboration provided the opportunity and inspiration to expand the interludes into a mass. Prauliņš admits that it is a challenge to place the traditional means of expression and forms of sacred music into the modern surrounding landscapes. The Mass and Interludes L’homme armé was as a full cycle aired on Euroradio’s Christmas Day live broadcast, but carries a symbolic foreboding message in today’s context (On the morning of February 24, 2022, on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian Armed Forces launched an invasion of Ukraine.). As Prauliņš reflected during the premiere in 2020: L’homme involved in war - is a difficult topic. Even today. When it comes to wars waged in other countries, in fact, just a few hours’ flight away, it is our civilization’s responsibility. We cannot simply stop fighting wars with arms in our hands one fine day.
Stylistically, in this piece, Uģis Prauliņš continues to follow his own path - combining, sometimes also breaking the boundaries of genre, form, era, and style. Prauliņš is an explorer of musical styles, discovering the common in the dissimilar: the polyphonic order of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries organically blends with the rebellious free spirit of the 20th-century rock music. Similarly, the sacred and the secular do not carry opposite meanings for Prauliņš: walls and barriers are demolished, bridges of peace and love are built through the ages and various spiritual practices instead. The Mass and Interludes L’homme armé are about each individual struggles, which often grow into common struggles for all, with victories and defeats, moments of strength and weakness, yet always with an endless desire for peace.

Full version: Euroradio Christmas day 2020 (LR 1st studio), ensemble "Ars Antiqua Riga", Uģis Prauliņš (electronic), Jānis Pelše (organ), Vairis Nartišs and Kaspars Majors (sackubts).