Dublin - Palestrina Choir
 

Have any of you heard the Palestrina Choir? When they are not touring, they ordinarily sing what one reviewer described as an "awe-inspiring" Latin Mass at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin every Sunday Morning at 11:00 a.m.

My sister and I are complete junkies for great sung Latin Masses, and so when we learned about the Palestrina Choir, we wanted to hear it. However, doing so would necessitate changing the time for our departure flight to London that day, which will cost us about $50 each.

What do you think? Have you heard the Palestrina Choir? Would it be worth it for us to bite the bullet on the plane thicket change fee to attend the Mass?

BTW, I have sent an e-mail message to a contact at the choir to attempt to verify they won't be on tour at the time of our visit.

Here is a link to St. Mary's page explaining the history of the Palestrina Choir:

http://www.procathedral.ie/history_o...palestrina.htm

I'm intrigued!

I don't know the name in particular but walk often by the church. I thought the DUblin gospel choir sang there as well but I could be mistaken. If they are on and this is what you enjoy then why not?

I don't think the Dublin Gospel choir is quite the same experience as the Palestrina!

I'm not much into choral music or Latin masses, but I have heard them on television and they sound good to my untutored ear. Their reputation is fairly high.

As most of the members are young schooboys in various schools (there is no "choir school") they don't tour very much so if you visit during term time you will almost certainly get their performance. Outside school term, they tend to break up for family holidays and the like.

My sister and I are complete junkies for great sung Latin Masses

Despite this.....

I used to go to the Latin Mass every sunday in the "Pro".

It is very nice, but then I didn't exactly go for the music. It is very solemn. I liked it a lot.

However, if you do intend to go, be careful as the Palestrina choir does not sing EVERY Sunday as occasionally there is a visiting choir instead.

Thank you all for your replies! I didn't want to complicate my previous post by mentioning that, in addition to the $50 per person Aer Lingus change fee, we'd need to also change our itinerary to stay the previous night in Dublin, instead of outside the city.

But in the end, how could I pass up a chance to go to Mass in Dublin, Ireland, with or without the Palestrina Choir?!! Some of our fondest memories of our trips to various cities in Europe have been of the special Masses we've attended. It's just neat to be part of a community, a participant instead of just a spectator!

If Dublin doesn't work out, you can hear a Latin sung Mass in London at Brompton Oratory.

...and St Ethelreda's, Ely Place, and Westminster Cathedral, and the Immaculate Conception, Farm St, and St James, Spanish Place, and the Carmelite church in Kensington Church St...

And that's just off the top of my head. Prolific, regular and outstanding liturgical singing, from practically every Christian tradition, is one of London's greatest artistic resources.

I've stopped in to hear the rehearsals at various of these churches in the past and that may be as interesting as the perfomance. You'll find them on many an afternoon.

Bill